the great joy to be roaming in the Romans. And may I very briefly before we begin our chapter, and may the seat upon it particularly, to emphasize the great need of studying the epistle to the Romans. When one is first saying, we are but babes in Christ. And I'm sure, in my own opinion, as well as my experience, in my early days when finding the Lord, very anxious was I to know more about the Scriptures. Of course, in those early days, as babes, you can't grasp the meat of the Word, but as Peter says, you can eat, drink the milk of the Word. And perhaps one of the early times that we studied the Word of God was to take the lovely Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and John, and particularly to read about our Savior. But may I also state, as time goes along, as the days go by, if we grow, there are many precious doctrinal truths to study and to learn from the Word of God. which will keep you busy the rest of your life. And I believe that the Book of Romans is one of the first essential doctrinal books for a believer to study and analyze carefully and enjoy the truth of it. May I give you an outline of the Book of Romans very briefly? You all know that it consists of sixteen chapters, if you've ever gone through the book at all. and you find it divided into three great sections. You have chapters one through eight that can be called doctrinal. Then as you follow chapter nine, ten and eleven, three chapters can be called dispensational. For the dear Apostle Paul, by the Holy Spirit, seeks to adjust the question in Hebrew or Jew as to his position during the Gospel of Grace and the age of Christianity. And in chapters nine, ten and eleven, those chapters deal particularly with God's earthly people in relation to the Gospel, telling of their past and covering that which is of their present history. And then in chapter eleven, telling of their future coming glory, when the nation of Israel, not as individuals, but as the nation, will be restored. And then chapters twelve through sixteen can be properly called practical. Let me repeat it. Doctrinal, dispensational, and practical. Now, so far in our study of the book of Romans, we're in the doctrinal section. one of the most important studies for a believer, a young believer particularly, to be indoctrinated and built up in the knowledge of salvation. We've already found that the great subject of this section is salvation, for I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation. onto everyone that believe it, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. But we also can find in this doctrinal section, there are three great lines of teaching that the Spirit of God brings before us. The first thought we've already entered and are still in it, relating to the great teaching of justification. And let me give the emphasis of the meaning of that word, to be cleared of all the sins that God has charged against me. That is the meaning of justification. My sins are forgiven, my sins are all gone. Then when we come to chapter six probably, through and into chapter eight, we have the great teaching of sanctification. relative to the believer's responsibility that his and her life will be set apart and have been positionally and should be experimentally set apart for God. And then at the end of the eighth chapter we have the glorification of the believer. Justification, sanctification and ultimately glorification. We come into chapter four tonight. Let me open in the chapter by reading the first four verses, if I may please. The first four verses. Paul writing by the Spirit and saying, 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 weiroth to glory, but not before God. For what saith the Scripture? 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 death. Let me read on verse four. Five rather, finish it. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly. His faith is counted for righteousness. What a joy to read these words. I'm sure Paul, by the Holy Spirit, foresees the question that would arise. For what we have learned in the preceding chapters, and particularly chapters two and three, and a consummation of the fact in chapter three, there's none that doeth good. They've all gone out of the way. Q and Gentile, the whole world has been proved guilty before God and in need of redemption, salvation, and to be cleared of their sins. And thus we have learned that by the grace of God, and the work of the Lord Jesus in chapter three and verse twenty five particularly we have been saved and justified by faith in his blood and we have the wonderful fact at the end of chapter three that God is righteous when he forgives a believing sinner who will trust the Savior and put his and her faith in the blood of Christ. And that God is righteous or just. May I repeat it? It's a precious truth. God has done absolutely the right thing and the just thing. When a poor guilty held deserving sinner persists in her faith in the atoning work of the Lord Jesus, he made that promise. He that believeth on the Son has everlasting life. And what a joy to realize. When God saved me, it was on the basis of his own righteousness. God has done the righteous deed. The only way he was able to do it was because of the redeeming work of the Lord Jesus. No other way. And without question of doubt, we may remember that in that section of Romans three, verse twenty-five and twenty-six, the beloved apostle made that made that remark the expression of god forgiving and remitting the sins of the past meaning the old testament say how did he forgive them did they merit it never and in the opening of chapter four he uses the example of two great people amongst the people of Israel to show that they can witness the being saved without works as you and I are today. Now beloved, let me say this bluntly. You'll never read in the Old Testament that any saint was saved any other way but by grace. And that through faith. But in our fourth chapter, we find righteousness by faith. Our faith in the Lord Jesus brings us into that righteousness that God has provided through his Son. Righteousness by faith. And beloved, let me give you an illustration of it. By way of illustration, read rather Hebrews chapter eleven. Well, you have the history of many Old Testament saints. How many of you remember the first words of practically every verse, relating to any person in it, and every person in it? By faith, by faith, by faith, by faith, by faith, by faith. And we have a chapter here before us that emphasizes not just the righteousness of God, but the righteousness of putting my faith in the blessed Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, let me know with you very quickly. The two persons he speaks of, Abraham, as well as in verses six through eight, David. Did you ever notice the beginning of the Gospel of Matthew? Verse one, the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. And you have in our chapter before as much emphasis about Abraham. So let me read the words quickly. As he mentioned in verse one, what shall we say then, that Abraham our Father is tending to the Father? What did he find? How did he find righteousness? Read on. For if Abraham were justified by works, he's got something to glory about, but not before God. Now that brings me to the point, if you have ever noticed it. Have you ever read the Epistle of James? Have you ever noticed in the epistle of James he speaks of being justified by works? He does. He doesn't deny justification by faith, but what he is really telling, the proof of being saved is how you live, the works that you do. Before man, we're justified by works, but not before God. We're justified by faith. For now as you read in verse three as we read on, and what a joy to read these next words. What set the scripture? And here's the quotation from that blessed chapter in the book of Genesis that our brother mentioned even on the Lord's day in the worship meeting. For what set the scripture? Abraham believed God. He took him in his words. And his faith was counted unto him as, you can then interpret that way, righteousness. Oh, my beloved, let me pause for just a moment. Let the truth go into my heart. As I recall, kneeling as a sinner and trusting the Lord Jesus and accepting him as my Savior, I put my faith It is precious blood. His atoning word. For my redemption. For the forgiveness of my sin. God said, John, you're righteous. Before me. That's what it says here. No verse four. Now to him that worketh is a reward not reckoned of grace but of death. But to him that worketh not. But believeth on him. the justifies the ungodly, his faith. Take it in, blessed Christian. Your faith in the Lord Jesus is counted as righteousness on your behalf. For God made him sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in him. In chapter three I see Christ is my righteousness. In chapter four here I learned my faith in the Lord Jesus is also my righteousness. And if I may read verse five again, consummating that section. But to him that worketh not to believe upon him, that's all I did. That justifies the ungodly I read in chapter three, he justifies the ungodly sinner who will believe in the Lord Jesus. And here I read in chapter four, the faith I put in the Lord Jesus comes for righteousness. Oh, beloved, you think of the old hymn, my faith is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest friends. but wholly lean on Jesus' name, on Christ, the solid rock. May I repeat it again? Please let me re-emphasize it. Chapter three, it's the work of Christ that makes me righteous before God. And now God said, John, your faith in the Lord Jesus also brought you into righteousness. Thank God for saying, oh, may I say this, look, How little we know about faith. Well, we'll read on in our chapter and find more. Look to verse fifty-seven and eight in the testimony of David. And may I point out again, as in Matthew chapter one, Jesus Christ in his genealogy, as the son of David and as the son of Abraham. Let me tell you, the Lord Jesus, when he was in the flesh, he was a child of Abraham. And we shall see, God willing, you and I are children of Abraham, too. Because the children of the Father is the Father of the faithful, whether Jew or whether Gentile, who has believed on him. But now we read of David, verse six through seven and eight. Even as David, and it's a quotation from the thirty-second psalm, even as David also describes the blessedness of the man, unto whom God impudeth righteousness without works. Oh, beloved, have you ever had people say to you? I have. Many times I remember and know my earlier days trying to witness to the unsane, out on the street, asking if this knew the way to heaven? I had many a person say, I'm working at it. It's the wrong way to get to heaven. For as the Apostle writes here, David describes the happiness of the man unto whom God imputed and bestowed righteousness without doing any work. saying, Happy are they whose sin iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Happy is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sins or iniquity. And what a joy to realize. Abraham and David won the father of the... Let me go further. Not just the father of the nation of Israel, but the father of all nations. I read my Bible correctly and David the royal head of the house of Israel and the royal family and verse nine we come to the realization that Abraham was saved before he was circumcised we read in verse nine through verse twelve. Comeeth this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, meaning the Jews, or upon the uncircumcision, meaning the Gentiles. For we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. His faith saved him, not his circumcision. How was he then reckoned? When he was in circumcision or in uncircumcision, not in circumcision. But in uncircumcision came after Abraham believed. And you may find in the book of Genesis. And he received a sign of circumcision. A seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet been uncircumcised. That he might be, I note, the father of all them that believe. Though they be not circumcised. I beloved, may I say as a Christian, I can say Abraham's my father. For he's called. You have it in Galatians particularly, in other scriptures. The father of the faithful. And even in Galatians, Paul wrote, we are all who are believers, the children of Abraham. The night you were saved, the moment I was saved, I became a child of Abraham. But God made him a promise. He was the Father of all nations, not only an earthly seed, but a heavenly. But let's read on. And known in verse twelve, and the Father of circumcision to them who were none of the circumcision, that means you and me only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our Father Abraham, which he had been yet uncircumcised. May I repeat it again? As you read in the book of Genesis, and as we find it quoted in our chapter, Abraham believed God, as God gave him the promise, he be the father of many nations. And his faith in the promise of God made him righteous. What did you and I do? when we were set, we believed the promise that God sent. Oh, the joy of knowing, and we became children of Abraham as the father of the faithful. And he received that even when he was uncircumcised. But I want you to follow on with me to the rest of the chapter, from verse thirteen to the end. We are very... much to learn from this section. Very important portion as it developed the thought of Abraham and its testimony. Verse thirteen, 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. Did you know that title? that Abraham was to be the heir of the world? What? When did he ever rule over the world? He never did yet. He never will. It's his seed and it's Christ, the son of Abraham. And Abraham received the promise that he would have an heir that would be the ruler of the world. Not through the law, but through the righteous of the same. But read on. For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, then you would need faith. The promise made of none effect. Because the law, what is the law? The law doesn't say. It brings wrath. For as we read in the preceding chapters, there's none but doeth good. They're all become guilty. The whole world. Even though the law was righteous. But the sinner was unrighteous. And failed to keep the law. Because the law was cathartic. For where no law is, there is no transgression. I thought it wasn't until the law came into those. They knew they had their transgressions. What their transgressions were. because the law worketh wrath. For where no law is, there is no. Let me tell you, Abraham wasn't under the law. I read John chapter one and verse fourteen. The law was given not by Abraham, Moses. And so the law came in, but it brought wrath. And verse sixteen goes on to say, Therefore the law is the, therefore it is a faith that it might be by grace. You know Ephesians two, eight, nine. For we are saved by grace through faith. That is not of yourself. It's the gift of God, not of work, that any man should boast. Now, no, 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 wishes of the law, but to that also wishes of the faith of Abraham, who is the fathers of herself. Oh. I hope you have noticed carefully in the reading of that chapter of Genesis where God gave Abraham that promise, he would be the father of many nations. And he would have a heavenly seed as well as an earthly seed. And when God gave him that promise, knew what we have in this sixteenth verse, that he was by grace through faith, to the end the promise might be Sure, to all the seed, whether in circumcision or even in uncircumcision, who believe on him, not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all. You may have read many times in the words of the New Testament how many times the Jews said, We be of Abraham's seed. And the Lord had to tell them. What did he tell them? They said, We have Abraham for our father. And remember the Lord said to those Pharisees, Year of your father, the devil. They professed to be Abraham's children. And they were literally, spiritually, they were not. Or they would have received the Lord Jesus, as he said. But note the end of verse sixteen. To those which is... Put to that also which is of the faith of Abraham, who is the Father of us all. Now let me say again, the reference is not to Abraham being the Father of an earthly seed, the nation of Israel as such. It's a reference to every Jewish believer and every Gentile believer who has trusted the Savior. Abraham has become the father of all believers. As it is written, and note, I may be the father of many nations. Before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were. Now I want you to notice Abraham's faith. as it develops in the reference of the beloved apostles both on to write. For what God has given him is not only that earthly covenant, but oh, the joy of knowing, as we read in this section, Abraham had faith that God was able to raise the dead. Go to verse seventeen again. Let me read it. As it is written, I may be a father of many nations. Before him, whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead. Let me tell you this. Abraham, when he believed God on that occasion, he believed in the resurrection. He had to. Got the evidence before us. Let's go to verse eighteen. We read of Abraham 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. I think it's in Galatians and Epistle. Paul very definitely says, the seed of Abraham was Christ. May I prove to you that Abraham believed that the Lord Jesus would come, the Son of God, the Savior of sinners. Go to John chapter eight. John chapter eight, if you please. Where the Lord Jesus is in conversation with the scribes and the Pharisees of his day, you would read the whole chapter for yourself. who may I begin reading only, if I may. Verse fifty-two, please. Then said the Jews, the leader of the Jews, they were. Now we know that thou art the devil, or a demon. Abraham is dead. For the Lord Jesus had said that the Father had sent him. and that he was indeed himself. In answer to the prayer, to the testimony of Abraham, Abraham is dead and the prophets say, Thou sayeth, if a man keep my strength, he shall never taste of death. Are thou greater than our Father Abraham? Who is dead? The prophets are dead? Who maketh thou thyself? Jesus answered, If I honor myself, my honor is nothing. It is my Father that honors me, of whom ye say that he is your God. Yet you have not known God, but I know him. And if I should say I know him not, I should be a liar like unto you, but I know him. And I keep his saying. Now note the next words. Your Father Abraham rejoiced to see my day. And he saw it. And he was glad. Can I just refer again to the eleventh chapter of Hebrews? Read those chapters, that chapter through. There's much in it about Abraham, his faith. Let me remind you of the time he went up in the mountain in Genesis twenty-two, and not to offer his son Isaac up. And then they went their way with the fire and with the wood. And Isaac's son went together to the mount of sacrifice. Isaac said, Father, here is the fire, here is the wood. Where's the land? You remember what Abraham said? My son, God will himself provide a land. It was the highest test that Abraham ever had. that any other man ever had, apart from the Lord Jesus Christ. But his faith was proven, as you well know it, to what happened? As he's about to slay his son, that last test that God put him to. Now I know that thou lovest me, and spared his son. But God spared not his son, but gave him up for us all. But here in the verse that we have before us, Abraham rejoiced to see my death. He saw it. He had eyes of faith that knew it. Let me go to Matthew one, verse one again. It's divinely inspired. The genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham and from Abraham on the descendants of the Lord Jesus are thus referred to till he was born my beloved I say again Abraham saw Christ they go a little further if I may I think three times in the Old Testament You find Abraham given a title that no other person ever had. He's called the friend of God. The intimacy, which ultimately he didn't always enjoy. No, let's read on. As we go in our chapter of Romans, keep on going quickly. And we read these words in verse nineteen and twenty and twenty-one. And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body, now dead. Now let me give you the thought. You remember, as he told the Lord back in Genesis, when God said, you're going to have a son by Sarah. They said, Lord, I'm a hundred. She's ninety. We're both dead. As far as the reproduction of life, they were absolutely dead. But no, he was not weak in faith. He considered not his own body now dead when he was about a hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb. He staggered not of the 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 also to perform. Therefore it was imputed to him as righteousness. My beloved, let me say very frankly, Abraham took God at his word. And may I say again, it foretold to the faith of Abraham the coming of that seed which would be Christ. For it's only through Christ and his word that Abraham is the father of all believers. Because Abraham, on the principle of faith alone, was made righteous. Likewise, David. Likewise, all the Old Testament saints, whether you go back to Adam and Abel and so on, by faith, by faith, by faith, by faith. And so you've got the application. But here's the thought. Abraham knew God was the God of resurrection. May I lovingly say and earnestly, we believers need to realize that we have a Savior who has been raised from the dead. Ever living. How God is the God of resurrection. And all the joy of knowing the power of it. But here you have it emphasized in the testimony of Abraham. And he proved it. And as you read verse twenty-two in his consummations, Therefore it was imputed to him and righteousness. May I give the expression again? You may not realize then. But God helped us to take him in. He saw that Christ was coming. That would be the seed. He rejoiced to see my day and he saw it. Then it proved that Abraham had eyes like that. Hebrews chapter eleven. And within that chapter, he looked for a city whose builder and maker is God. How did he ever see it? Not faith. And let me say bluntly, that's the only way you and I are going to see it. But he was twenty-five hundred years before Christ came. I say, what a faith. No wonder the writer said he was strong in faith. But now the application comes at the end of the chapter. It was written not only for his faith, but for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead. Who was delivered for our offenses, but was raised again for our justification? My beloved, may I say, as we have read in this chapter of the justification of the believers because of their faith, it's also on the basis of the resurrection of Christ. On the basis of his resurrection. Hmm. Let me raise the question. Let me put it to your soul, to your heart. When you die, which you're looking forward to, probably. Are you looking forward to the resurrection too? Praise the Lord. Look, go beyond the grave. Go beyond death. May I say again, go through the book of the Acts. We went through it. Did you ever know the emphasis of the gospel in the book of the Acts? Very definitely by the preaching of Peter and all the apostles included the resurrection. It was when they told that Jesus rose from among the dead. They sought persecution. Beloved, we've got a resurrected Savior. And through his resurrection we've been justified. Justified, may I put it in this way, justified by His blood, justified by His resurrection too. And note the opening of chapter five, verse one. I close with it. Therefore being justified by faith. Can I repeat the fact? Justified by His blood in Romans three. And justified also by His resurrection in Romans four. And as you have the summary of it in chapter five, verse one, and you go back to chapter three for it, we're justified by faith. And the joy of knowing such a truth. You know, it's great to be justified, isn't it? And what a precious truth, shall we pray? Oh, blessed Father, we're so glad we belong to Abraham's family. And why do we belong to Abraham's family? Because Christ belongs to his family too. And we belong to Christ. And Christ belonged to Abraham. And all the Old Testament saints. Everyone from Adam down, if Adam was saved, as we perhaps can well believe, and Abel. Ah, Lord, it was in view of the sacrificial death of the Lord Jesus. Thou didst remit their sins until they could be completely taken away by the death of thy Son. And here we are, Lord. Oh, we thank thee for the joy of being justified by his blood, the joy of being justified by his grace, and being justified by simple faith. We thank you for that man, the Lord Jesus, then went into the temple to pray. Two men went there, one a Pharisee, the other a publican, a sinner. The publican boasted of his works, or the Pharisee boasted of his works entirely when he prayed. But the publican would not lit up his eyes but smote his breath, condemning his soul and confessing I'm a sinner, praying God be merciful to me a sinner. And Lord Jesus, you said it, he went home justified. Blessed Lord Jesus, as we go home tonight, may we sing with joy, I'm justified. Free from the law, happy condition. Jesus has bled and there is remission. Oh, how we thank thee. Though we have been condemned by the law, we have been saved by grace through faith. That none of ourselves is the gift of God. Lord Jesus, thank you. In thy precious and worthy name, amen. Thank you for listening. May God bless his word to your heart.