In this captivating episode, we explore chapter 4 of Romans, where Paul delves into the life of Abraham, a man chosen by God to father many nations. Despite the seeming impossibility due to his age and circumstances, Abraham’s faith in God’s promise serves as a powerful illustration of defiant belief in the face of defeat. We discuss how this mirrors our own struggles with addictions and life’s hardships, reaffirming the power of faith to call forth victories from situations that seem insurmountable.
So Paul, in this unique chapter, chapter 4 of Romans, now moves in more personally on Abraham’s life. You remember this is a chapter all about Abraham, showing how God saves people. He doesn’t tell them to obey his law in order to be saved. He comes with his grace and he takes the initiative to visit us in our darkness or our indifference and brings the good news to us. This is how Paul is showing how the gospel works. God took the initiative with Abraham. So then he says in this fascinating chapter, What an interesting verse. So God, first of all, comes to Abraham and says, I have made you father of many nations. And I want you to think of the beautiful paradox, or irony rather, of that. Because Abraham was coming to the nadir of his life, one might say. He was getting old, and his wife was old, and he had not got any children. They couldn’t bear children. Sarah was barren and Abraham was 75 years old at the time. And in that patriarchal age, the idea of not being able to bear children was very embarrassing, very shameful, because you want to pass your name down and you want your nation, your tribe, to become great and to live long. So here is Abraham with no one to pass his prosperity and his success and his large, vast business dealings with. So it is a sad thing for him, and he must have been contemplating, planning to pass it on to his servant or to some other person. But then comes a God, and God introduces life in the midst of death. For he says, it’s the verse here says, in the presence of him whom he believed, God who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did. Well, how does God, first of all, call things into existence that do not exist and speaks of them as though he did, as though they were existing? Well, of course, Abraham was 99 by the time the promise was near to fulfillment, and God told Abraham, A-B-R-A-M, which means Lord, Master, to Abraham, which means Father of a Multitude. So Abraham changes his name to father of a multitude at 99. Now, you know, these ancient patriarchs, they went down to the local inn on a regular basis, or they sat at the gate with their peers and chatted about the issues of the day and the events. And Abraham must have made known to his peers that he has changed his name. Oh, yes, Abraham. What’s Abraham? What’s that then? Abraham, father of a multitude, they knew that Abraham had no children. They must have thought he was going a little off. They might have thought he was getting a little of dementia developing. But you see, God was naming something into existence before it actually existed. As it says here, calling those things which do not exist as though they did. Now I want you to think of that in regard to your struggle with addiction, drugs or alcohol, sex issues, food issues, gambling, whatever. To you at the moment it seems as though you cannot overcome, and that it is defeating you. But your faith rises up, given by God your faith is, and says, God calls things into existence that do not exist. And you say, Father, I thank you that you have called into existence my victory, which does not yet exist. How about that? Now listen, you don’t call it into existence. This is not this name it, claim it nonsense. You are not the instrument, the originator of faith. Our God is, and our God has come to us in Jesus Christ. and has made it known that in the midst of the death that we see all around us on this planet, in the midst of our oncoming death, God declares life, eternal life. How so? By Jesus coming to the world, substituting for all humanity, subbing for you, and letting you know that he is rising from the dead on your behalf. so that the truth of the matter is the gospel is the kingdom of God, which is all about resurrection from death to life, in newness of life, incorruptible life. And we can know this in our spirit already before it actually happens literally at the second coming of Jesus. We affirm that Jesus is our resurrection, that though we are still defeated, though we are still overcome by our addiction, we praise God that he has declared our victory and called into existence things that do not exist. Do you want to get that verse clearly? Romans 4, Verse 17, For it is written, I have made you father of many nations, talking of Abraham, in the presence of him whom he believed, God who gives life to the dead, and calls those things which do not exist as though they did. Now, you may experience at the present time a sort of spiritual deadliness. You are a Christian, but you just seem to be on the outs at the moment, and your life is not fulfilling your dreams, and you are discouraged and dispirited, and your soul feels flat and dead, and you have no desire to pray and no joy in God. And as I said, I quoted yesterday Christina Georgina Rossetti, the 19th century hymn writer, who said, Thou art my life, though I be dead. And so instead of endlessly begging and pleading for God to revive you and give you life, you lift up your heart to God and you say, Father, my soul is dead. I am lifeless. I have no joy in you. but I praise you that Jesus is my life and that Jesus is bringing to me his resurrected life every moment of the day. Now, do you see that that is not a prayer of anxiety and stress and begging and pleading, but a prayer of praise? Paul teaches us that we should give thanks every day under all circumstances, Give thanks every day under all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Jesus Christ for you. That’s Ephesians 5.20 and 1 Thessalonians 5.18 put together. So we start praising, you see, because of Christ’s victory, which is counted as ours. And Paul sees, by typology, that resurrection life working in Abraham. It’s not unique to Christians. It’s unique to the world because Christ is the creator of the world, and in him all things hold together. That’s Colossians 1 verse 20. All things hold together in him, and so Jesus is holding together Abraham, and he is bringing life into his death. So Abraham goes down to that local inn and declares that he has a new name, Abraham, father of a multitude. The people must have sniggered or tried to avoid sniggering under their breath in order to be respectful to this patriarch. But Abraham knew something that they didn’t, that God is the God of resurrection, the God of life, not the God of death. And so you come before God in your death. And you, like Abraham, you give thanks to God. Lord God, I praise you that you are bringing new life into me, resurrection life. I thank you that you are bringing beginnings into my life. When I see only endings. Do you see what Abraham was doing? He would be thinking of the endings of his life, packing up his bags, as it were, signing his inheritance off to somebody else, closing the books. When God comes to him and says, let’s get up and go. Amazing. This is our God, the God of our life, the God of life. Let me read this one more time to you. Verse 17 of chapter 4. As it is written, I have made you the father of many nations. What? The father of many nations? I’m just about dead. No, you’re not. I’m coming and bringing life. In the presence of him whom he believed, God who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did. And so you can come before God and say, Father, I thank you that you are calling into existence my victory and freedom from my addiction, even though in me it doesn’t exist yet. I praise you for it. I give you thanks. And you do that especially when you feel defeated, especially when you feel overcome, because faith is defiant in the midst of defeat. There you have it, the glory of God coming to Abraham in this way, showing through Abraham a type of Christ coming to him and bringing him resurrection. Well, I have two services I’m providing today in order to keep you afloat and, quite honestly, to keep me afloat also, because this ministry is in serious financial difficulties, and I think these services I offer may help it as well as help you. Years ago, I began to see the psychological impact of the spiritual truth in the book of Romans. And I started faith training counseling, and I have done it for 40 years. But I paused for six years while writing my book, and now I realize I need to start up again, even though I’m old, because I’ve got to stay afloat for my sake as well as your sake. So I’m offering faith training sessions For addiction, by phone, $60 per hour. You can request your session by emailing me at faithquestatfastmail.net. That’s faithquestatfastmail.net. Then the other service I’m offering is Monthly Romans Notes. Now these are just one or two pages, plain and simple and to the point, and they will be made available on a monthly basis to all people who commit to a monthly donation of any kind that is suitable to your budget. You can receive these Monthly Romans Notes by physical regular mail, or by email. Simply sign up by requesting your Romans notes at faithquestatfastmail.net. That’s faithquestatfastmail.net, all lowercase and no breaks, faithquestatfastmail.net. Now, I’m excited about these Romans notes because I’ve been planning to write a book on the book of Romans, but this will motivate me to do it. This is not going to be anything technical. It’s going to be plain and simple, and it’s going to apply to your addiction and give you a boost each month as you read my Romans notes. Plain and simple, they’re called, and to the point. Well, I hope you’ll be blessed by these two services that I offer. Don’t forget, you can have regular faith training sessions by phone, $60 per hour, if you sign up at faithquest at fastmail.net. And thank you also for the regular donors who have helped and do continue to help regularly to keep this program, which is now in its 29th year, on the air. I appreciate all your help. Thank you so very much. See you next time. Cheerio and God bless.
