Little Church If you didn’t know the God of the Bible, you might be tempted to think that God is somehow mocking Abraham and Sarah. And here they are, ready for the geriatric ward and God is talking to them about children. But God is not mocking them. When God calls us to something that is impossible, it is so that he will be glorified in the way that it comes about. Welcome to Open The Bible with Pastor Colin Smith. I’m David Pick. And Colin, as we continue our series, Anatomy of Faith, today, we explore what faith is. Yeah, and it’s such an important subject. I think a lot of folks today have the idea that faith is somehow being up for something and really believing that you can do it, and positive. And it’s kind of like being a cheerleader for a team that’s being absolutely slaughtered. You know, you’re still cheering away and, well, you can do it and all that kind of thing. And the reality is it’s not happening. And that is not what faith is. It is not a sort of positive outlook or, you know, I believe I can do it. In fact, when we have the example of Abraham, his faith began where he recognized that his own body, the Bible says, was as good as dead. In other words, recognizing his own inability was the first evidence that he actually had faith because he was not looking to himself. He was looking to God. He’d come to the conclusion, this is impossible for me, that’s the first step of faith. Because now it’s faith in God as opposed to, hey, I’m just gonna stick out my chest and be as confident as possible and go for it. That’s not faith. That’s just sticking out your chest and trying to go for it, right? We want to get to what faith is and faith takes us to God. So let’s get right into today’s message. We’re in Romans and Chapter Four, starting at verse 17 to verse 21 as we begin the message declaring the praise of Christ. Here’s Colin. Now, we’re pursuing a series that’s called the Anatomy of Faith. And for all those of you who are visiting us today, I want you to know that we’re learning together from the scriptures that faith is really more than believing certain things about God or Jesus Christ. The devil knows that Jesus is the Son of God, the devil knows that Jesus died on the cross, and the devil certainly knows the Jesus rose from the dead. So faith must be more than knowing these things or even believing that they are true. What we’re discovering in the Bible is that faith is the bond of a living union in which the believer comes to love and trust and serve Jesus Christ. Faith unites us to Jesus Christ. It is a life-giving union by which he is in us and his life is in us. Now as we explore what God is telling us about faith in the Bible we’re using an analogy, a picture, to help us better understand what faith does. And that analogy is the analogy of the human body. So we’re thinking about the fact that faith has ears, hearing the word of Christ. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of Christ. So we need to be careful how we hear the word of God because that’s how faith comes and that is how faith grows and is sustained. But we saw that faith not only has ears, faith has hands. The scripture tells us that those who serve well gain great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus. So faith will grow for us not only as we are hearing the word of God, that’s very important, but also as we are serving in the love of the Lord Jesus Christ. And last time we looked at this wonderful truth that faith has, as it were, a mouth feeding on the bread of Christ. Jesus said in John chapter six that the one who feeds on me will live because of me. That makes it very clear, doesn’t it? That faith is more than simply believing that Jesus died and rose. Faith is a communion, a fellowship with the Jesus who died and who rose in which we draw strength from him, we find joy in him and we receive life through him. The one who feeds on me will live because of me. So faith has a mouth, feeding on the bread of Christ. Now, today we take a step further. Faith has a voice declaring the praise of Jesus Christ. In other words, faith glorifies God. That is what faith does and what we seek to do together. Now please turn with me, would you, to Romans and chapter four. This may well be the most important chapter in the entire Bible on the subject of faith. Paul is explaining how a man or a woman can be right with God through faith in Jesus Christ. He begins that theme in chapter three and verse 21, and he gives us the teaching in chapter three, and then like any good teacher, he illustrates what he has taught. He gives us an extended illustration in Romans and chapter four. And the illustration that Paul uses to help us grasp the true meaning of faith is the story, wait for it, of how Sarah became a mother! Marvelous for Mother’s Day, what could be better? And how Abraham became a father, it’s a great scripture for us on this marvelous day. Abraham was an old man, 99 years old, pushing 100. But he had married a younger woman, and Sarah was clipping along at a sprightly 90 years of age. They had no children, and God had appeared to Abraham. In fact, on multiple occasions, God had made this promise. God had said, and Paul quotes it in Romans 4.17, I have made you a father of many nations. Amazing statement. I have made you a father of many nations. He does not have one child with Sarah. So, you know the story from the Old Testament of this great miracle of God, by which a son, Isaac, was given to Abraham and to Sarah in these late years of their lives. Now, Paul takes that story that was perhaps one of the best known stories in the Old Testament, and he puts it right into Romans chapter four because he wants to use it to illustrate for us the teaching in chapter three, which is about how a person can be right with God through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. Now, it is very important to understand what this story of Abraham and Sarah and the child is about. It is not the story of an aging couple longing for a child. Very important to understand this. Children are a gift and a blessing from the Lord. Having children is a blessing in life but it is not the purpose of life and the same is true in marriage and I think it is very important to say this on Mother’s Day to all those today in the congregation who are not married, to all who are not mothers, to all who are not fathers, I want to say today that the purpose of your life does not derive from marriage or from children. The great purpose for which you have been created by God is that you should glorify him and that you should enjoy him forever and you do not have to be married nor do you have to have children for that. This story is not about a couple who desperately long for a child, it is much bigger than that. See, when God gave his great promise to Abraham and repeated that promise over many years, he said, and quoting Genesis 17, your wife Sarah will bear you a son and you will call him Isaac and I will establish my covenant with him. It will be an everlasting covenant for his seed, very important word in the Old Testament, a covenant will be established with the son and for his seed who will come after him. Now, in the New Testament, the Apostle Paul explains exactly, with crystal clarity, what that means. Galatians Chapter Three in verse 16, the apostle says the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The scripture does not say and to seeds plural, meaning many people, but, and to your seed, singular, meaning one person who is Christ. You see what Paul is reminding us of, and you see now what is at stake in the story. This is not simply about whether an aging couple are going to have descendants, seeds plural. This is about whether the Redeemer will come into the world. A savior has been promised. And God has made this commitment, this covenant, that he will be born into the line that is descended from Abraham and from Sarah. So if Sarah dies without a child, or if Abraham dies without a child through Sarah, there will be no Redeemer. There can be no Redeemer. Because he is to come into the line, he will be the seed of Abraham. And he will be a savior for all nations. All people’s, God had said to Abraham, all peoples on earth will be blessed through you. So this is not a story, folks, about the personal happiness of an aging couple. In fact, at age 190, they had long since got past the idea that it was a good time to be raising children. No, what’s at stake in this story is the promise of a Redeemer, and here, for all the times the promise has been given to Abraham, here he is now at 100. And Sarah at 90. And they have no children. And so the question is pressing in, how will the one who brings God’s blessing to all nations come into the world, cause look at us. And Abraham knew what was at stake. It’s not like we’re just reading back into the story, Abraham knew what was at stake. Our Lord Jesus tells us in John chapter eight, in verse 36, he says, Abraham, amazing statement. Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day. He saw it. And was glad, Jesus said that. Jesus, 2000 years after Abraham, our Lord himself says look way back 2000 years ago, Abraham saw my day. Abraham saw that the Redeemer would come into the world. And that was his faith. And more than that, Paul tells us in Galatians chapter three in verse eight that the scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles, that is all the non-Jewish nations by faith and announce the gospel. Notice that word in advance to Abraham. All nations will be blessed through you. So Abraham saw that Christ would come. Abraham saw what Christ would accomplish. Abraham saw that people from all nations, all over the globe, would come to faith in Jesus Christ and be right with God through Him. He knew the Redeemer would come into the world and he knew that the Redeemer would come into his line of descent, but that line of descent did not exist, and here he is. Abraham, Sarah, look at the two of us. I’m 100, she’s 90. You’re listening to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith and today’s message, declaring the praise of Christ, it’s part of our series Anatomy of Faith. And if you missed any of the series or if you want to go back and listen again, you can do that by coming online to our website, openthebible.org.uk, or why not try a different way of listening, which is to go to your favorite podcast site? You’ll can find all our messages as podcasts there. Just search for openthebible.uk and subscribe to receive regular updates. Back to the message now, here’s Colin. Now, back to Romans and chapter four. Now, we know what the story is all about. We can apply it to ourselves. Paul says Romans chapter four and verse 20. Abraham was strengthened in his faith. In this situation that we just described, he was strengthened in his faith and he gave glory to God. That’s the heart of what I want us to grasp. That we’re learning what faith does. Faith glorifies God. Faith exalts the Lord Jesus Christ. It declares his praise. That’s what faith does. I want us to see from the illustration that Paul gives us of Abraham and Sarah how this happens and how this can happen through us. Three things then this morning. Here’s the first. Faith glorifies God. By facing the reality of our own condition. Look with me at verse 19. Here’s the first way in which faith glorifies God by facing the reality of our own condition. Verse 19, without weakening in his faith, so here’s an expression of faith, not an absence of faith. Without weakening in his faith, Abraham faced the fact, notice the words, that his body was as good as dead. He faced the fact. And more than that since he was a 100 years old and Sarah’s womb was also dead. Now think about this, when God said to Abraham, you will be the father of many nations, the response of faith was not, I can do that, that is not the response of faith. No Abraham faced the fact of his own inability. That’s what faith does. Now I see this and it’s very important in our day especially in this country. Because many people have the idea today that faith is basically positive thinking. That it’s kind of believing in yourself. That it’s telling yourself you can do it. That it’s kind of being like your own cheerleader. That it’s telling yourself you can be whatever you want to be and if you really believe that that’s sort of faith. Now I want us to see from the Bible today that Christian faith is precisely the opposite. Abraham’s faith faced the fact that his body was as good as dead. In other words faith is not escapism. Faith is not telling yourself what’s not true. It’s not a retreat into a kind of spiritual world to protect yourself from the harsh realities of life. No, it’s the opposite of that. Faith brings you to face the harsh realities of life. And people all around us are avoiding the realities of life in a thousand ways. Endless films, games, virtual worlds, a few hours to retreat from reality, drink, drugs, making money, spending money. Avoid the reality of life. But faith brings you to face the reality of life. Abraham faced the fact that what God has said was completely beyond him. He faces the fact that his own body is as good as dead and he glorifies God. By facing the reality of his own condition. Now, when you have faith, as soon as you have faith, you will begin to see that what God is calling you to do is beyond your ability as well. If you didn’t know the God of the Bible, you might be tempted to think that God is somehow mocking Abraham and Sarah. Here they are, ready for the geriatric ward, and God is talking to them about children, but God is not mocking them. When God calls us to something that is impossible, it is so that he will be glorified in the way that it comes about. That’s the point of this story. God is not mocking them. When God calls us to something that is impossible, it is so that he will be glorified in the way that it comes about. Now, remember that in Romans 4, Paul is using this whole story as an illustration. And what is being illustrated? What does this say to us? What does God say to us? Very simple, and it’s stated in a number of ways. What does God say to us? He says this. Be holy as I am holy. Or, to put it the way our Lord Jesus put it in the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5 verse 48, here’s what God says to us. Be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect. And stop and take that in. What is God calling you to? Be perfect. Now, folks, when God says that, the response of faith is not to say, all right, Lord, I’ll do it or I’ll die trying. Guess what? You’ll die trying. Not gonna do it. It may be on this Mother’s Day that there are some moms in the congregation today and you have set your heart on being the perfect mom and you’re killing yourself trying. You think that this pursuit of perfection arises out of faith, but actually what you’re attempting is the opposite of faith. Can you see that today? Perfectionism is always a sign either of the absence of faith or the weakness of faith because the first mark of authentic faith is that you face the reality of your own condition. Faith faces the fact of your own inability to do what God has said. So when God speaks to us of that which is impossible, be perfect as your father in Heaven is perfect. Faith does not say, all right, Lord, I’ll give it my best shot. This is something I’m up for. Give me another challenge. No, faith faces the fact. This is beyond me. Now see, all this is illustrated in the story of Abraham without wavering in his faith. Abraham faced the fact that his body was as good as dead. Folks, the first step of faith is to recognize that you cannot do what God is calling you to do. When Jesus Christ says, be perfect, he’s not mocking you. He is bringing you to face the reality of your own condition so that in calling you to something impossible, God may be glorified in the way that it comes about. That’s the very heart of the gospel. You say, how is God glorified by me recognizing my own inability? Well, because the very essence of sin is that we try to be God, try to be our own God. And whiner I recognize my own inability to do what God has called me to do, I’m saying, and perhaps you’ll say for the first time today, I can’t be God. You have to be God. That’s the first step in beginning to glorify God in your life. See, faith cuts the root of pride. It excludes boasting. Faith glorifies God by facing the reality of your own condition. You’ve been listening to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith, and today’s message, Declaring the Praise of Christ. It’s part of our series, The Anatomy of Faith, and if you’ve missed any of the series or if you’d like to go back and listen again, don’t forget, you can always do that by coming online to our website, openthebible.org.uk. There, you can find any of our messages that have already gone out on air. You can also find us as a podcast, if that’s a better way for you to keep up with Pastor Colin’s teaching, and you’ll find that on your regular podcast site. Just search for Open the Bible UK and subscribe to receive regular updates. There’s also a link to the podcast on our website. While you’re on the website or you can, again, find this as a podcast, why not try out Open the Bible daily? That’s a series of short two to three-minute reflections, a new one everyday, based on Pastor Colin Smith’s teaching and read in the UK by Sue MacLeish. Many people find it’s an excellent way to start the day. Open the Bible is supported entirely by our listeners, that’s people just like you. And this month if you’ve been thinking about setting up a new donation in respect to Open the Bible in the amount of five pounds per month or more, we’d love to thank you by sending you a copy of Pastor Colin Smith’s devotional, Green Pastures Still Waters, 31 days in Psalm 23. It’s very much a devotional that goes with this series of messages. Colin, what do you hope that people using this devotional will take away from it? Oh, well, it will fix your eyes and your mind on the Lord Jesus Christ. I mean, he is the good shepherd, he is what Psalm 23 is all about. And to know that you have a shepherd in Christ and that he’s going to lead you in right paths, he’s going to give you a rest, he’s gonna restore you when you’re spent and your energy is exhausted and gone, he’s gonna guard you, he’s going to sustain you, he’s going to love you for all the days of your life and eventually bring you into his nearer presence. I mean, a month fixing your mind and heart on Jesus Christ the good shepherd is going to renew your strength it’s going to encourage you greatly. And that’s what Psalm 23 does. And I think that’s why it’s one of the best known and best loved chapters in all of the Bible. So that’s Pastor Colin Smith’s devotion Green Pastures, Still Waters, 31 Days in Psalm 23. And it’s our gift to you if you’re able to set up a new donation to the work of Open the Bible in the amount of five pounds per month during the course of this month, full details on our website, openthebible.org.uk For Open the Bible and Pastor Colin Smith, I’m David Pick and I hope you’ll be able to join us again next time. Some people have the idea that the Christian life is a boring and endless round of duties. If that’s what you believe, there’s good news next time on Open the Bible.