Please open your Bibles to Romans chapter 4. We are going to deal today with the fourth chapter of the book of Romans. And in this chapter, the apostle Paul, Shaul, is now not only explaining justification, but he's also illustrating justification by faith. You see, he wrote this wonderful letter to the believers at Rome. And as he's writing this letter, he's of course wanted to explain justification, and he has done it very well. He explained justification when he wrote to them from verse 21 to verse 31 of Romans chapter 3. And you remember, he explained to them in detail what does it mean to be declared righteous. And you remember what he said, that specifically in verse 21, he says of chapter 3, listen to this statement, but the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and by the prophets.

The righteousness that God had provided to mankind, he says, listen, this righteousness that one can receive, without the law or without any rule or any law keeping that men can do. God can give, can impute, can provide righteousness without any rule, any law of mankind. Or even without the law that he had given to the people of Israel. Because when God had given the law to our people of old, the purpose of the law was not to save them not to give them justification but the purpose of the law was to drive them to realize that they are sinful and they need this garment of salvation which God provide through faith in himself and so in verses 21 to 31 of chapter 3 he gives us an explanation of justification but now when we turn to chapter 4 he gives us an illustration he illustrates to the believers at Rome how in the olden time people have been justified people have been forgiven and justified declared righteous by God and so in chapter 4 he gives us an illustration from an Old Testament passage.

So let me read some of chapter 4 today, specifically the first 17 verses of Romans chapter 4. And I'm reading, please follow me. What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory, but not before God. For what sayeth the scriptures, Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned for righteousness. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the men unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered.

Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. Cometh this blessedness upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? For we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. How was it then reckoned? When he was in circumcision or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision. And he received the sign of the circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet been uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised, that righteousness might be imputed unto them also. and the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only but who also walk in the steps of the faith of our father Abraham which he had been yet uncircumcised for the promise that he should be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law but through the righteousness of faith For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and a promise made of none effect.

Because the law walketh wrath, for where no law is, there is no transgression. 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 faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all. As it is written, verse 17, I have made thee a father of many nations before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead and he calleth those things which be not as though they were. Let me finish verse 18 on. promise of God through unbelief but was strong in faith giving glory to God and being fully persuaded that what he had promised he was able to perform and 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 if we believe on him that raised up Yeshua our Lord from the dead who was delivered for our offenses and was raised for our justification and then I'm stopping with the reading here of verse 25 very interesting chapters if you really carefully read this I know we read a lot of the word here.

One of the words that is repeated about 11 times is the word counted, reckoned, imputed. Counted, reckoned, and imputed. It's the very same word. There is 11 times that word is mentioned here in Romans chapter 4, and it basically is the very same word in the greek language and in the greek language the word is logezomi which is equivalent to the hebrew vaye chashveha or god counted you know there is a great lesson that we learn here from this chapter and the lesson is that god counted the righteousness or the righteous work of the messiah to the life of the person who has accepted jesus the messiah as his lord and savior and he has counted the sins of the believer as being laid upon the finished work of christ upon the person of the lord jesus the messiah we learn here an important lesson of lesson of imputation or the lesson of reckoning god reckoned the finished work of yeshua the messiah unto the believer in the lord jesus all what the messiah have done god is reckoned to the one who believe in the lord jesus the messiah and so look what he does perhaps somebody in the city of rome that received this letter from the Apostle Paul, he might ask the question.

He must ask Paul, you've just given us the doctrine of justification by faith, and we really want to ask this question. And the question that they may have asked the Apostle Paul, how can you relate this truth of justification to the history of the people of Israel? If you are saying that we are now justified by faith on a basis of the finished work of the Messiah, how did God show this to us in history? How this justification by faith is related or revealed in the life of the forefathers of the people of Israel? Apostle Paul, being a Hebrew, being an Israeli, being Jewish, immediately go back to the history of the people of Israel.

And he want to show the readers at Rome that the same justification that they have received through faith in God in the Messiah, Yeshua, it is very much the same way in which our forefathers, namely Abraham and David, have been justified. See, justification had been throughout the history of the human race received from God two men in the very same way. Everyone in every generation had been simply justified by believing what God had said. There is a story that had been said that a Bible teacher one time had gone to a certain group of professing Christians where the children were asking the teacher some question.

the children asked a teacher how did this person historically have received forgiveness of sins and the teacher was asking actually the children you tell me how this man was going to heaven on what basis the children answer well at this person he kept the law and that's how he received forgiveness of sins and the teacher of course had to answer and he says wait a minute is it really because this person have kept the law? Well, look at the history of this person. He disobeyed here and he disobeyed there. He had sins in his life, in many areas of his life. Could he go to heaven because he have kept the law?

Because actually he did not keep the law to its fullest. Teacher had to answer, no, it's not on the basis of keeping the law. That person did not keep the law. And he can look at any person of the history of Israel. So then another says, well, then how did someone in the history of the people of Israel receive forgiveness of sin? He asked the children. Another child answered. He says, well, they received forgiveness of sin because they brought a sacrifice. So the teacher was thinking and he's answering again. And he says, well, don't you remember, boys and girls, that it says in the scripture that the blood of bulls and goats can never take away sin.

Even though they brought the sacrifices and they did been accepted by God, But in reality, forgiveness of sins were only on the basis of faith in God. It's not the keeping of the law. And it's not even the sacrificial system. Though God was instructing Israel to bring the sacrifices to the altar. And God did give the law to the people of Israel to keep. But neither of these two have ever justified a Hebrew man historically. they always have been justified by simply believing God's word and here he is telling them now in Romans chapter 4 he takes them back to history and it's so nice to see because in this chapter 4 there are two great men that I mentioned that are very important to us as Jewish people and to the people of Israel in general Abraham and David two great men in fact I said to you before that there are three men that are very important to our people that are found in the scripture they found both in old testament and in new testament abraham our father moses the lawgiver and david the king of israel those are three men that are very important men and what paul does he takes now the romans and he shows them how these two men have been justified by god one of them abraham was prior to the law.

David was during the law. How can these two men be justified in the presence of God? And so what he does, he illustrates to us justification on the basis of faith and faith alone. So in verses 1 to 8, he shows us that Abraham and David have been justified not by works, but by faith and faith alone you remember we sang today in one of our songs one of the most clearest verses in the bible that every person that heard the gospel heard about this verse john 3 16 for god so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth on him shall not perish but have everlasting life and so here he's showing to us the necessity of simply having a simple faith in God a simple faith in what God says in his word and so verses one to three speaking about Abraham and verses four to eight he's speaking about David and so listen to this.

First of all, he's speaking about Abraham, and he shows us that Abraham experiences in chapter 15 of Genesis. Look what he's saying. What shall we say then? That Abraham our father appertaining to the flesh have found. For if Abraham was justified by works, he hence were off to glory, but not before God. For what does the scripture say?

Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness you see he is taking them back by the way to many many years prior to the coming of the messiah and if you remember when abraham and abraham history have been here upon the face of this world you remember this man this is a wonderful man that god called him to leave his family his land to leave the politic and to go into a land that he will give him and you remember Abraham was called a Hebrew after he left home Abraham was called in Hebrew Abraham the Hebrew you read about him in Genesis chapter 14 the Hebrew where the first time the word

Hebrew or every is mentioned in the scripture Abraham left and he crossed over who avar we call it in hebrew he crossed over to the other side and he left everything behind and he followed after that which god had called him to do and by the way he had some failure even there we find out that he did not follow all the way through god had to allow him to experience some death in his family and ordered abraham will continue to follow after what god had said unto him and so he's saying about abraham he says look what can we say about abraham our forefather he says pretending to the flesh what did he found

for if abraham was justified by works he has something to glory about but not before god he says look if abraham was justified by something that he did and you know brothers and sisters some of the things that abraham did were amazing but we never find God telling Abraham you are justified because you have done these things you see God have been pleased with him when he have done those things but we never find God is telling him you have been justified because of your deeds no Abraham was justified only when he believed simply believed God at his word and you remember he have done the two towering things in the life of Abraham were,

number one, Genesis 12, and number two, Genesis chapter 22.

Genesis 12, he left his family. He left idolatry. He left paganism. He left everything behind. He left his family ties. He left the religious world that he had had before. By the way, Abraham was a man that worshipped idols. We read about him in the scriptures.

His father, Terach, he was a man that was worshipping idols and Abraham left all these things and follow after the true and living God and so when he followed after God we don't yet read there that God declared him just later on in chapter 22 of the book of Genesis we find Abraham our father offering his son Isaac placing him on the altar willing to give his son Isaac in obedience to God but it was not there that God declared Abraham justified and it was not there in Genesis 12 that God declared him justified God declared him justified or just in Genesis chapter 15 which we read today in our reading where God said to

him when everything looks so dark God said to him Abraham he says listen I am your shield and your great reward he said to him in Genesis 15 verse 1 he says I am your shield and your exceeding great to a word and Abraham was looking around and he saw that he doesn't have a child yet and God as it said to him the Lord said behold the word of the Lord came unto him and he said this shall not be thine heir meaning Eliezer of Damascus he says listen he will not be your heir but it shall come to pass he says that someone out of your own bowels shall come to be your

heir shall become your heir and he brought him forth abroad and he says look to heaven he showed him the stars he said if you can number them so shall your seed be he placed him before the Middle Eastern skies and he said you look at the stars and he looked up to heaven and he see the multitude of stars and he said to him so shall thy seed be you know Abraham was not a young man then time is passing by he was looking for a child to have that his wife Sarah will bear him children and he didn't have yet children but you know what he did he simply believed what God had

told him and what God said to him your seed will be multitude multitude your seed shall be as the stars of the heavens and we read very simple response and Abraham believed the Lord and he counted unto him for righteousness this is genesis chapter 15 and verse 6 he simply believed what god told him and god reckoned to him in the hebrew word is god put into his account what he have simply believe upon he declared him righteous because he simply believed what god said in his word paul takes this experience and he's showing to us in roman chapter 4 he takes this experience of abraham and he's saying if abraham would be justified by

works he would have something to glory about he would be proud he could say you know look at me i have accomplished so many things I've left my family I've done so much for you God I follow after you God I've left religious system behind and I've left all kind of things my mom, my dad, my family I follow after you God now you can declare me righteous look I've done something God says no because if Abraham will be justified on the basis of works then he will have something to glory and you know brothers and sisters you and I are very much the same You see, God does not want you and I to

say to God, look, God, I've done this for you, and therefore I'm making you happier, right, God?

You can declare me just, God. No, because then we can glory in something that we have done. God says, no. He says, you know, if you are going to glory because of your works, you can glory before man, but you cannot glory before God. God is justifying us simply on a basis of faith in what he says, what he declared to us. And so it says what the scripture is saying in verse 3, Abraham believed God. And Paul, quoting Genesis chapter 15 and verse 6, Abraham believed God and it was counted unto him for righteousness. He simply believed and it was reckoned. It was counted. it was imputed unto him it's like he has a bank account and it was placed in his account as if he was righteous that's what god through the apostle paul by the spirit of god is seeking to teach the brothers and sisters in the city of rome justification not on the basis of works but on a basis of faith so he's moving on from abraham for a moment he's deviating now to david now remember by the way we'll see it later on that when abraham believed god abraham was not yet under the law the law was not given to the nation of israel as yet in fact he did not even have yitzhak isaac he didn't have his grandson jacob yakov he didn't have the 12 sons they were not yet in egypt slaves they haven't came back out of egypt they haven't got to mount sinai to receive the law.

Abraham was long before the law that was given to the nation of Israel. So he's shifting now from that time. He's moving, passing by through the ages and getting to the time of the kings of Israel. And you know, he's now moving to another important man in the history of our people, Israel. And he's moving to the man by the name of David. And look what it says here in verses 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8, is showing to us, is beginning to tell us that, look, that justification is not on a basis of works, but on a basis of grace. Now, to him that works is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.

You see, he's saying that if somebody works for something, he earns it, and he deserves to receive something for what he works. You go to work, you are working for your boss you're working for the company that you are working for well if you did an eight hour works you deserve to receive wages if you worked when somebody gives you something it's not because as a gift as a grace gift but he giving to you to me because we have earned it we worked for that well he's continuing and he's saying in verse 5 but to him that worketh not but believeth on him that justified the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

Moving them forward, the believers at Rome, and he's showing to them, listen, to him that worketh not, but to him that simply believe on the one that justified the ungodly. Now let's pause here for a moment. If you will read carefully in the Old Testament, under the law, God does not justify the ungodly. under the law everyone is being condemned everyone is declared ungodly and God is condemning the unbelieving world the ungodly you see it says here if you will read carefully in Exodus chapter 23 you will see what we read in verse 7 it says here keep thee far from false matter and the innocent and the righteous, slay thou not, for I will not justify the wicked.

Exodus 23 and verse 7. I will not justify the wicked, God says under the law. But in this present day dispensation, we see that God shows us how he justified the ungodly. He is declaring here the fact that he can declare righteous the ungodly how is it possible well he tells us here not to him that works verse 5 but to him that simply believe on the one that justified the ungodly his faith he's counted to him for righteousness and so he's showing to us what happened with David and you remember brothers and sisters what happened with King David King David was a beloved of the Lord He was chosen by the Lord to be the king of Israel.

But you remember what happened with King David? He was not a perfect man. One day he was alone in his home and he looked outside of this balcony somewhere and he saw this woman washing. And you remember he brought her to his house and he slept with her and he got her pregnant and he did not want her husband to know about that. And he ended up to send her husband to the war in order that her husband will be killed. he not only have committed fornication but he also became a murderer and he sought to leave it aside that nobody will know but God knew that God knew the sin of David and God yet loved him and yet he had to deal with him and David was never liberated until David confessed his sin to the Lord and you remember God sent that prophet and he said to the prophet you go to David and he told him the story about this person with lambs and sheep and David was so angry that one man took the one little lamb that belonged to this man and David says this man should be fourfold judged and so the prophet said to him you are this man David was broken before the Lord David was so broken before the Lord that David began to confess to the Lord his sin and sins and you know what we would think that there is no forgiveness now because of what you have done and here we learn beloved brothers and sisters that even sins that every one of us have committed there is always forgiveness in the presence of God God delight to forgive the sinner if he or she will confess and Repent of their sins.

And here we find out that even as David described the blessedness of the men unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works. And he's quoting now Psalm 32 verses 1 and 2. He's quoting it here in verse 7 and 8. Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. And you know what, when David, what a relief it was in the life of David, when he looked back and he was so broken before the Lord, he was so broken before the Lord because he realized, he dishonored the Lord. He realized and he was so broken. And in Psalm 32, when you have a chance, read that Psalm.

It's a Psalm of confession where he confessed his sin before the Lord. Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputes not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile. When I kept silence, my bones waxed all through my roaring all the day long. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me. My moisture is turned into the drought of the summer, selah, and so on. I acknowledge my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not heed. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord, and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin, Selah.

Psalm 32, verses 1 to 5. And you know what a relief it was in the heart and conscience of David when he confessed his sin. And he could turn to the Lord and he said, Lord, what a wonderful thing is to know that my sin has been forgiven. You know, God disciplined David. He punished him, but he forgave his sin. And he imputed unto him righteousness. It says here, the Lord will not impute sin. Will not count that sin. He imputeth unto him. He reckoned unto him righteousness. That's the way the Lord is. The Lord is a gracious Lord, a gracious God. He's holy, but he's also gracious.

And so we find out in those verses, verses 1 to 8, that Abraham, as well as David, were justified, not by works, but simply by faith. Beloved, this is teaching us a great lesson today, because when we simply believed in the finished work of the Lord Yeshua, the Messiah, God imputing to us the righteousness of the Messiah is imputing to us. And you know what he does? He takes our sins and he places on his son and the finished work that he has done. You remember we read in the book of Colossians that he bore our sins in his body on the cross, on the tree. That's what the Messiah had done, the Lord Jesus, Yeshua the Messiah had done.

He took the load of sins that we have committed and he bore it in his body on the tree, on the cross. And his righteousness had been imputed unto us. And so God now looked to us and he recognized us as righteous. And so, verses 1 to 8, Abraham and David, David, were justified not by works, but simply by believing, by faith. Now we move on to the next verses. In the next verses, from verses 9 to 17, we find out that Abraham was justified by grace and not by law. And so he's going here now and he's showing to us that Abraham, long before he, I mean, when he was even not circumcised, long before he was circumcised, he was already declared righteous by God.

You see, our people, the people of Israel, often when we think about circumcision for our people is something that is very important. When we look at circumcision, it makes distinguish between the Hebrews, descendants of Abraham, and the nations of the world. Circumcision was very important in the history of Israel, not only because the Jewish people made much of it, but because God gave it in the scripture. God commended Abraham to be circumcised. God commended the people of Israel to circumcise the children at the eight days old. But, here we learn another lesson. That Abraham was justified by grace even before he was circumcised. That is very important.

Because if a Jewish individual might say, Listen, I am declared righteous by God because I am a descendant of Abraham and I am also circumcised. Paul is saying, wait a minute, wait a minute, he says, listen, I want you to see that God declared Abraham just even before he was circumcised. So it is important for you to obey God in circumcision, but that's not what's going to make you justified before God. And if the un-Jewish person who believes in Yeshua the Messiah, who is not circumcised, if he believes in God, he also will be justified even if he is not circumcised. And so look here, verses 9 to 17, justification is coming through grace and not through the law.

And so in verses 9, 10, 11, and 12, Paul shows that Abraham received righteousness from God before he was circumcised. Here I'm reading verse 9 now. This blessedness came upon the circumcision only or upon the uncircumcision also. For what we say, or for we say, that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. How was it reckoned, he says in verse 10? When he was in circumcision or when he was in uncircumcision? Well, he answered here in verse 10. Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision. Do you know, brothers and sisters, that between chapter 15 to chapter 17, there is about 14 years passed by? when abraham was declared righteous by god in genesis chapter 15 up to chapter 17 when god commanded him to be circumcised 14 years have passed by and abraham was still declared righteous by god and so he's saying to them he says listen i want you to understand that abraham was declared righteous long before he was even circumcised in verse 11 he continued and he says here and he receive the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet been uncircumcised that he might be the father of all them that believe though they be not circumcised that the righteousness might be imputed unto them also notice in verse 11 it says that circumcision was a sign and a seal.

The Hebrew word for sign is ot, is a sign. God oftentimes in scripture gave us signs. He says to the prophet Isaiah, Behold, I show you a sign. The virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and she shall call his name Emmanuel. A sign, an ot. But he received the sign of the circumcision long after he was already declared just by God. So circumcision was important. It was a sign, it was an external sign that God is going to fulfill his promises to Abraham. But it was not what declared him righteous. What declared him righteous is simple faith. Faith in Christ. Do you know you and I also received the seal when we have accepted the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, as our Lord and our Savior, Ephesians chapter 1 and verse 13 says to us, that we have received the Spirit of God as a seal, as a seal to seal us, to sign us, as if we belong to the Messiah, to Yeshua, to the Lord Jesus.

We have received also a sign. We have received the seal of the Spirit of God. We read in Ephesians chapter 1 and verse 13, that is what the Apostle Paul is saying to the Ephesians. He says like this, in verse 13 he says, in whom ye also trusted after that ye heard of the word of the truth of the gospel of your salvation, in whom also after that you believed ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. You know, the proof that you and I belong to the Lord is the sealing of the Holy Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit of God that has come to dwell in the believer is a seal that we belong to the Lord Jesus, the Messiah.

Well, here we learn that he received a sign of the circumcision as a seal of the righteousness of faith. You see, God said, Abraham, you believed me? You believed in what I said? You have trusted me? You believed me? He said, I'm going to give you a sign.

And a sign will be in your outward body to show you externally what i promised you that i am going to keep my covenant with you you read genesis 17 very carefully and you will find out that the circumcision is connected with the promise with the covenant that god made with abraham and that's the promise that god is going to fulfill totally to abraham and abraham descendants and he gave it to him the circumcision became a sign a seal of the righteousness that he have already had when he believed god that is important to understand and then he says now here verse 11b that he might be the father of all them that them here

is not only the jewish people but also the gentile who will believe or them that believe though they the gentiles be not circumcised that the righteousness or that righteousness might be imputed unto them this is the gentile believers also you see what he's really saying that God imputed declare righteous the one that simply believe even if they were not circumcised that's the lesson that we learn here from these verses and in verse 12 we said and the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only but who also walk in the steps of the faith of our father Abraham which he had been yet uncircumcised that's great news for the christians for

the non-hebrew believers because it shows us that one does not have to become circumcised or to become jewish or become a hebrew or become israel in order to be justified by god by the way that was a problem of the early believers you read it in the book of acts in chapter 15 there was a dilemma what's going to happen to the gentile world if there gentiles from the nations become believers in the lord jesus the messiah what's going to happen with them do they need to be circumcised do they need to keep the law what do they need to do in order to be declared righteous and you know what they had to learn

this great lesson the justification come upon everyone whether he is circumcised or not circumcised whether he is a hebrew or not Hebrew, whether he is Israeli or not, Israeli, Jewish or non-Jewish, everyone that simply will believe the message of the word of God, he will be declared righteous by the Lord.

It came upon the uncircumcision just the same like it came upon the circumcision.

The important is to simply believe those who walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham which he had yet before he was circumcised and so now he is moving on and in verse 13 to 17 Paul shows Abraham justification before even the law was before the law was given he's showing to us that it was before the law was given he was declared righteous and so verse 13 he says and you notice how many times the word law and faith law is faith is mentioned here in those verses verse 13 14 15 16 17 notice how many times and a promise that he should be heirs of the world was not given

to Abraham or to his seed through the law it says here in verse 13 but through the righteousness of faith he is law and faith verse 14 for if they which are of the law be eared faith is made void again law and faith and the promise made of none effect verse 15 because the law works wrath for where no law is there is no transgression verse 16 therefore it is of faith that it might be by grace to the end of the promise, 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 faith, of Abraham, who is the father

of us all.

Law, faith, law, faith, law, grace. We can see the contrast here between the two. Because some might say well I'm seeking to obey the law and if I will obey the law God is going to declare me righteous or if I'm going to go by a rule by a system human system human rules if I will seek to keep them God will declare me righteous well you discover very quickly that it doesn't work number one you can't fulfill the full law the full requirement of God we all have come short of what God demand number two even human laws we have violated every human laws we have violated one way or another and therefore we can never be declared righteous this way that's why God's saying it is on a basis of faith alone not so many people might ask today so why did God give us the law why did God give us the law?

Why did God give Israel, his people, the law altogether? Why? If they would never be justified on the basis of the law, why give the law at all? Well, let me give you a clear answer, and the clear answer is found in the scripture.

The law was never given to Israel in order that they will be justified through it never in fact the law was only given to our people Israel to drive them to see that they cannot on their own please God to the fullest they cannot on their own please God to the fullest because God's laws are so high so holy so pure so what God intended to speak to his people through the law and to bring them to realize that they are sinners that they need more than the law that they need forgiveness through the person of the coming messiah the messiah himself could you please for one moment turn with me to Galatians chapter 3

just to read couple of verses there Galatians 3 Paul says in verse 19 the same man who wrote to the Romans now writing to the Galatians and he says to them in verse 19 he says why then or for what purpose serve the law why was the law given and so look what he says in the answer in verse 19 it was added notice it used the word eden it was added because of transgressions until the seed would come to whom the promise was made and it was ordained by an angel in the hand of a mediator again i'm repeating verse 19a why or for what purpose the law is serving it was added because

of transgressions now if you jump down to a little bit further down and look what it says in verse 24 wherefore the law was our school master to bring us unto the messiah that we might be justified by faith very clear very clear we read here the reason why god had given the law it was added God actually did not intend to give the law to Israel but you remember what Israel said in Exodus chapter 20 and 21 all that the Lord will say we will do all that the Lord will say we will do they didn't know the big mistake in this statement in fact you know what they should have said to the

Lord, to Moses there, Lord, we cannot do what you demand from us.

Lord, put us on the basis of the Abrahamic covenant and not give us the law of Mount Sinai because we can't, God. We can't. In fact, they broke the law before the law was even given to them. The first commandment was broken while Moses was on the mountain. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Lo yihie lachem Elohim acherim. They already had a golden calf at the camp, even before the law was brought into the camp. That's why Moses had to break the law, because hadn't he broken the law, The nation will be entirely consumed because of the holy demands of this righteous God.

And so, what was the law? The law was a schoolmaster. A schoolmaster. You know, in the olden time, the boys at home used to have a schoolmaster who will train them, who will teach them, and then he will lead them and mature them until the Messiah would come. That was the law. the law was a schoolmaster to bring us to the Messiah. And so the Messiah came in the fullness of time, Galatians 4. God sent forth his son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them which were under the law. And so in these verses that we have just read, from verse 9 all the way to verse 17, We read, Paul shows Abraham righteousness was before his circumcision, verses 9 to 12.

And verses 13 to 17, Paul shows Abraham justification before the law. So we find in two areas, before he was circumcised, he was declared righteous. And before the law was given, he was declared righteous. And so in these verses, specifically now in verse 17, look what he says there. Romans 4 and verse 17, as it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations, before whom he believed. Even God, who quickened the dead, and he calleth those things which be not as though they were. And you know, this verse, verse 17, it has a reference to Genesis chapter 17. This verse 17 of Romans 4 has a reference to Genesis chapter 17, the whole chapter.

And if you will read carefully, I'm not going to read it right now, it is in Genesis chapter 17 that God made a covenant with Abraham and told him to be circumcised and to circumcise all his family. And you know what? Abraham, at that time, by the way, if you will read, he was very old at that time. He was 90 years of age. Let me just read that. It says here in chapter 17, 99, I'm sorry. When Abraham was 99 years old, the Lord appeared unto Abraham and he said, I am the Almighty God, walk before me and be thou perfect. It was El Shaddai there. He says, my covenant I will make between you and me, and I will multiply you exceedingly, he said in this verse.

So what Paul does here is very interesting. Because in verse 17, he said, he's repeating what God promised Abraham when he was 99 years of age. Now, I don't know about you, but when we get up in age, we feel like our bodies doesn't move the same like it used to move. Our abilities to function are not the same. And when you think about this, Abraham is 99 years old and no children. In fact, he had one child in the earlier chapter 16, where he had the son that was given to him through Hagar, Ishmael. So God is now telling Abraham, Abraham, listen, Even though now you have Ishmael and you are very old, he says to him, listen, I'm still going to bless you and through your seed, he says, there will be multitude of blessings going to come, multitude of nations are going to come.

So Abraham looked at himself and he said, boy, I am already 99, my wife is 10 years younger, she is 89, and God now still promised me that he is going to give me a child. Abraham began to laugh. You'll read there, you'll see he laughed. By the way, that's why they called Yitzchak, Isaac, they called him laughter. Because Abraham still had to trust God even though his body was looked like as dead. Nothing could come out of this body. He looks at his wife and what do you think he sees? He is not able to bear children. How is it possible? So here we learn this lesson.

Actually, verse 17, we learn that this expression, who quickeneth the dead. You notice that it says in verse 17? He believed God who quickeneth the dead, and he called those things which are not as though they were. You see, what he did here, what Paul is saying, he takes Abraham, And he's kind of looking at Abraham, examining himself, examining his wife, and examining the promises of God. God promised him, listen, Abraham, you're going to have still a child. You're going to be able to see that there will be descendants, and I will bless you. I will multiply your seed, even though it looks like everything is dead.

You may not, you look at yourself, you're unable to perform or to bring children. You look at your wife, she's old, she's not able. It's not normal, it's not normal, because usually a young lady will bear children. When we get up in age, it is the way in which the nature moves that is not normal for an older individual to bear children. Well, now what we find out, that Abraham believed in the God who is able to reckon, who calleth things which be not as though they were. And from verse 18 to the end of the chapter, we'll just look at those things quickly. From verse 18 to the end of the chapter, we see that Abraham was justified by the resurrection power.

Abraham believed that God is able to raise the dead or to bring something out of nothing. His faith in God, again, we are talking about faith. And here we see, from verse 18, 19, 20, 21, all the way to 25, we have faith mentioned quite a few times. Verse 18, first of all, we have faith against hope. Notice verse 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 you know understand he believed even though it looks hopeless he simply believed in verse 19 we see that faith in spite of circumstances look verse 19 being not weak in faith he considered not his own body you remember i told you that he looked at his body and He looked at himself and he says, how is it possible?

I'm 99 years of age. It's not possible. But he looked not at his own body, now dead, when he was about 100 years old, neither yet at the deadness of Sarah's womb. See, Paul reflects on the feeling of Abraham. He's looking back at Abraham, looking at himself, looking at his wife Sarah, longing to have a descendant. And yet he believed God when he was almost 100 years old, when his wife was almost 90 years of age, and he trusted God. You know, we often, when we talk about the God of miracles and the birth of the Messiah, many people don't believe in the virgin birth. They don't believe that God entered humanity through the virgin Miriam.

But you know, many people also do not believe that it's possible for a 90-year-old woman and a 100-year-old man to produce a child. And it is really amazing. I mean, we never heard this in our history, in our time. It's not humanly speaking and not possible. But he believed in the God of resurrection. He believed in the God who quickens the dead, The God who called the things which are not as though they were in existence. He believed in God. That's the lesson that we learn here. That he believed in God. So it says here in that verse 19, Being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead.

When he was about 100 years old, neither the deadness of the womb nor Sarah his wife. Everything seems to be against him, yet he simply believed God. notice verse 20 faith without wavering you know how many times we waver in our faith look at abraham it says in verse 20 it says he staggered not at the promises of god through unbelief but he was strong in faith giving glory to god god made a promise to abraham and if god made a promise even though it seems to be impossible God is the God of the impossible. All things are possible with God. With man, nothing is possible. But with God, everything is possible.

That is a simple faith that Abraham had in this God. Now notice in verse 21, faith that God can do it. Verse 21, he was fully persuaded, fully believed that what he had promised he was able to perform. That's faith. It has nothing to do with anything that Abraham did. No works here, no keeping law, no circumcision issue. He simply believed that God is able to perform what he promised.

That's faith, beloved brothers and sisters, you see, and that's what the apostle is trying to communicate with the believers at Rome to show us that here is faith illustrated in the life of abraham justification is being illustrated how abraham become just how abraham was reckoned as a just as justified simply from the history of abraham and the history of the life of this man it says in verse 22 he now continue and applying it to us to the believer here in verse 22 it says therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness now it was not written for his sake alone but that it was imputed unto him verse 24 but for us also to

whom it shall be imputed if we believe on him that raise up yeshua our lord from the dead you remember the verse in romans 10 verses 9 and 10 if thou shall confess with your mouth yeshua as lord and you believe in your heart that god had raised him from the dead you shall be saved you and i also just like abraham abinu abraham our father who simply believed god's word we also need to believe god's word and just like abraham it was imputed unto him for righteousness God that imputed unto us righteousness when we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord Yeshua the Messiah from the dead and he concludes with the

illustration and he said he was delivered for our offenses and he was raised up for our justification very nicely conclusion he was delivered for our offenses and now notice this last expression he was raised you know i will write he was raised for our forgiveness but you know what paul writes he doesn't say he was raised for our forgiveness he says he was raised for our justification you see what happened when the lord jesus finished the work on the tree god was so pleased with the work of the messiah that god raised him up and all what now he see the finished work of his son and if you and i simply believed in the

person and the work of the lord jesus god now declares us justified he looks at us as the believers, he knows we were like David, like Abraham, like others in this world, sinful individual, and God declared the believer in the Messiah just.

He was raised up for our justification that we will be declared righteous before the Lord and be justified. And so the whole chapter 4, dear brothers and sisters, in this whole chapter what we get here not only what we had in chapter 3 verses 21 to the end that he teach us justification but in chapter 4 he illustrate justification from the life specifically from the life of abraham and somewhat from the life of david he illustrates this and he shows us here's a picture look abraham believed was justified you will believe in the messiah you also will be declared justified you don't need to earn it you don't need to work for that you don't need to pay for that it had been accomplished on your behalf by somebody else by the lord jesus the messiah He was delivered for our offenses, but he was raised for our justification.

Thank God for what Yeshua the Messiah have done for us. And now we are going to stop right here in our next meeting together. He will give us in chapter 5, in those verses in chapter 5, He will now show us the blessings that came out of the finished work of the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, to the believer. Many blessings that we have received because of the work of Yeshua, the Messiah. And we're going to see that in the will of the Lord, in Romans chapter 5, the results and the blessings that came out of the finished work of our blessed Lord Jesus, the Messiah.