Like Him We Rise | Trust God

"Where do you turn when life feels uncertain? What holds steady when the rules of life feel confusing or unfair? Have you ever wondered if you have done enough to be right with God? What does real faith actually look like?

In Romans 4 we meet the good news of Jesus Christ. The gospel tells us that our relationship with God is not earned through perfect obedience or spiritual performance. Jesus gives us something our hearts have always needed, forgiveness and righteousness as a gift of grace. The good news of Jesus becomes a foundation that steadies our souls and gives us something solid to build on when everything else feels uncertain.

Abraham trusted God when the evidence around him made hope seem impossible. His story shows us that faith is not blind optimism but trusting the character and power of God. The same God who brings life from death has given His Son for us. When we place our faith in Jesus, God credits righteousness to us and welcomes us into His promise. In seasons of trial, loss, and unanswered questions, the invitation remains the same: trust God.

Scripture: Romans 4:16 to 17
“The promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring.” Romans 4:16
“The God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not.” Romans 4:17

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Welcome to the First Praise Sermon Podcast, where each week we dive into Scripture, wrestle with truth, and discover how faith intersects our lives. God's word meets us where we are, challenging, shaping, and calling us into something greater. No matter where you are on your journey, you belong here. And we're praying that this sermon might help you take a next step in faith towards Jesus. Hey, let's dive into today's message together.

SPEAKER_01 0:30

Amen, amen. Good morning, church. Great to see you here worshiping the Lord in this hour. We've got 21 elders and 75 deacons. Isn't that awesome? And our elders uh help guide and direct us in the ministries of the church. Our deacons extend the love and mercy of Jesus all through our congregation. We're so grateful for these leaders and praying for you. We're in Romans 4. Would you turn to Romans 4? But before we dip in, if you would uh allow me, I just want to ask you to take a minute to pray for one of our sister or one of our neighboring congregations in town. I had a chance this week to deepen a friendship with another pastor in town named Brandon Cormier. He is the uh planting pastor at Zeal Church, and um and it was a joy to get into deeper friendship with him this week. And then Friday I learned that um the seventh uh U.S. service member who was killed in uh Operation Epic Fury was a young man who was baptized at Zeal Church in January. And uh so I just wanted to take a minute to pray for um that church and uh and that family. And so would you bow here, would you would you pray with me as we pray for our neighbor church? Lord, um we do pray for this congregation, we pray for zeal, we pray for Pastor Brandon and this ministry to this family. We pray that you would wrap this family up in your arms, the Pennington family, and bless them and move into their hearts in ways that only you can. But Lord, we just want to pause and give you thanks for the ministries that are active in our city. We will give you thanks that you, through this ministry, were able to bring this young man into eternal salvation. And so, Jesus, open Romans to us. We turn to you in all things, we trust you in all things, and we turn to you and ask you to help us to understand, to hear your voice as we study Scripture to come alive before us, Jesus, so that we can hear and see you and trust you. It's in Jesus' name that we pray. Amen. We're Romans 4, 13 to 25. It was not through the law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. For if those who depend on the law are heirs, faith means nothing, and the promise is worthless, because the law brings wrath. And where there is no law, there is no transgression. Therefore the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham's offspring, not only those who are of the law, but to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. As it is written, I have made you a father of many nations. He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed. The God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not. Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed, and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, so shall your offspring be. Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and that Sarah's womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. This is why it was credited to him as righteousness. The words that was credited to him were not written for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness for us, who believe in him, who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification. This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Thanks be to God. Trust God. And they love volleyball. And we've all come to love volleyball. One thing about volleyball, it matters where the ball bounces. Did you know that? It matters where the ball bounces. There's lines, right? And so on these lines, there's there's kids or there's parents who stand there with a flag, and if the ball bounces in, then they say in. If the ball bounces out, then they say, All right, come on, wake up. They say out, right? And there you go. But what's amazing is that the parents can tell whether or not that was a good call. All the way from the top of the stands. They know whether that was a good call, don't they? And if it was their if it was called for their team, for their kids' team, well then that was a good call. But if it was called for the other team, then what? Boo! Get out of here. Yep, wear some glasses. Yep, they can see. The lines matter, you see, the lines matter. You gotta have the lines to call ins and outs. Imagine Wimbledon, the great tournament of Wimbledon. You know, Wimbledon, they don't just trust the players to call. Oh, that was in, that was out. No, they they put people on every line, right? They've got a judge on this line, they've got a judge on this line, they've got they've got all these people stand there like this, right? Imagine Wimbledon, and all those people are standing there like this, and they're calling, you know, they're all surrounding, the players are playing, but there's no lines. It's just green, you know, no line, no lines on the tennis court. And yet all the people are there, and periodically one of them goes, out, you know? Well, there's no line. How can you call out? There's no line, no net, nothing to call. I'm telling you, sometimes that's how the world feels to me today. People are just hitting the ball as hard as they can, and periodically, people just hop up and yell, out! In fault, and there's no lines. We don't have to live that way. Because God has given us lines. God has given us a gift, he's given us lines. We're on the back half of this chapter four of Romans, where you're gonna have to lean in because we're on the back half of an argument about Abraham. And what Paul is saying in this in this part of the scripture is he's saying, look, God's given us a gift. He's given us lines, and what it's called is it's called the law. It's called his law. It's a scripture, and in his law, we get to see ins and out. We get to see the lines. The lines are seen, but the law is a gift. The law is a gift, but it cannot save us. The law, we need the law. We need the law, but it cannot save us. What do we need more than the law? What do we need more than the lines? More than being able to call balls and strikes, to call ins and outs? What do we need more than that? What we need is faith in our Savior. So today in Like Him We Rise, we're gonna talk about trust God. Trust God. Paul's using Abraham as an illustration. He's saying, look, I'm telling you that salvation is not by works, it's by faith. And I want to show you that even in Abraham, even Abraham, he was not saved by his works, he was saved by his faith. And so Paul is making this illustration to say our relationship with God, we're made right with God, not by our own work, not by working our way up a ladder of righteousness, not by calling all the ins and outs according to the lines, not by doing everything that the law requires, not by obeying every little bit of scripture. That's not how our relationship with God is actually made right. That's not how we actually gain forgiveness or righteousness. How? We gain forgiveness and righteousness with God by faith, by believing in His promise, and by receiving forgiveness and righteousness as a gift of God's grace. Our salvation is not achieved, it's received. Your salvation is not achieved, it is received. It's a gift of grace. Paul says Abraham's an example. It's good for us to obey the law. Listen. It is good for us to obey God's law. It is good for us to know the lines, it is good for us. The more joyful obedience to God's ways outlined in Scripture that we have in our lives, the better. But it can't save you. Even Abraham, the superhero of Judaism, even Abraham could not work his way into God's favor through his performance. No. He believed in God and God credited righteousness to him. That means God gave him favor by grace through faith. And when we come to the end of this passage, we're gonna learn something else too. Because it's gonna ask, how about us? How about you? How about me? Can we believe God? Can we trust God? Can we put our faith in God? Can we allow salvation to be a gift that we receive from God by believing in Him? And can we believe and trust in God when it gets hard, when all the evidence is stacked up against believing and trusting in God? Can you trust Him then? Because your faith will either grow stronger or weaker in trial. When you face pressure, when you're when the whole world is against you, your faith is going to do one of two things. It's either going to get stronger or it's going to crumble apart and dissipate. Trust God. Let's study. How does it work? Verse 13. It was not through the law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be the heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by, say it with me, by faith. We're getting this, right? We're getting this. Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness. Long before the law was there. I mean, the law, the law, the written law, didn't come until 430 years later, when Moses went up on the mountain, the Ten Commandments came down, and all the law was given to the people. That was 430 years after what's going on with Abraham, when Abraham had to believe God. So, you know, back in the ancient world, the rabbis used to teach that Abraham actually had won the covenant with God, that Abraham had won God's favor by being faithful. That he had done this. He'd been so faithful that God granted this great covenant of Abraham. What do you think? Have you read the story of Abraham? I mean, he every now and then he was faithful, okay? I don't want to totally, in fact, we'll tell a story about when he was pretty faithful. But you know what? A lot of times he wasn't. It was not his perfect record that brought salvation. But he was favored by God by grace, and it was through faith that that favor was received by trusting in God. That's how it happened. That's how he would be the heir of the world. What does that mean? That means that through this faith, the whole world is blessed. Every people, every person, every people group, all the way to the corners of the globe, the blessing of God is poured out through this moment. And it was not his performance that did it, it was God's grace that brought it about. Amen. So how does it work? For if those who depend on the law are heirs, faith means nothing, and the promise is worthless. You gotta pick law or promise, works or faith. How do you want to go about it? So, what then is the purpose of the law? What good is it? What is its purpose? Well, we get that. Verse 15. Because the law brings wrath. And where there is no law, there is no transgression. What does that mean? Think about this with me. This goes back to tennis with no lines. Okay? If you're playing tennis and there's no lines, it doesn't make any sense for someone to yell, out, does it? There's no lines. If you can't see the lines, if you can't see where the line is, then there's no transgression because there's no line. I mean, there's no line there. There's no rules. You can't break the rules if there's no rules. You can't step over the line if there's no line. And what Paul is saying is that the law, the, the, the, the law is sort of under the ground. It's subsumed until the word of the law brings it up into relief. So the law brings transgression, which brings wrath. See, if there's no line, there's no call to make. But if there's a line, then then it bounces out, then it's it's God's duty, it's his responsibility, it's who God is, it's his righteousness to say out. You know what that is? That's wrath. Wrath is not God flying off the handle in some unhinged rage. Wrath is God's faithful determination to make things right, to move against what is destructive and wrong and evil. It's God's faithfulness to call out when it's out. The law brings transgression, it brings wrath. It brings wrath. No rules. You can't break the rules. No lines, you can't step over the lines. You see, we know this, right? Because one way to get rid of illegal drug use is to do what? Legalize drug use. And now we have solved the problem. And you know we're about to try to do the same thing with prostitution. And is that gonna lead to human flourishing? No. Why? Because the law actually is there. The lines actually are there. And even though we've subsumed them and we want to pretend that they're not there, God has drawn these lines. Our creator has drawn these lines. They're there. And so what the law does, Paul is saying, is that brings those lines up out of the soil, up into the relief, up into relief where you can actually see them. And once you can see them, well then now God's going to call in and out, in and out. And here's the deal: you're gonna hit some in. And you know what else? You're gonna hit some out. And praise God, your salvation does not depend on your performance. What does it depend upon? Law, transgression, wrath. On the other side, promise and grace and faith. Romans 4, 16. Therefore the promise comes by, say it with me what? So that it may be by grace, promise, faith, grace, and may be guaranteed to all Abraham's offspring, not only to those who are of the law, to those who grew up in the law, but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He's the Father of us all. As it is written, I've made you father of many nations. He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed. The God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not. Now let's just leave this up here. Let's look at this. Abraham did not believe in a principle, he did not believe in an idea, he did not believe in a philosophy, he did not believe in a way of going about life. Abraham believed in God. Look at this. And why? Why did he believe God? Because he knew something of the character of God. He knew that God has both the power and the character to do what God has said. Look at this. The God who gives life to the dead. God has the power of resurrection, underline gives life to the dead. God has the power, the power of resurrection. And God has the power, the power of creation, underline and calls into being things that were not. That's who God is. He has the power to bring life out of death. He has the power to bring something out of nothing. God has the power to do as he's promised. So this is not blind faith. This is not an empty leap. Abraham was not whistling in the dark, hoping it would all work out. He took a full assessment of the reality of things. Didn't you see it? It was a little awkward, that verse. He's like, well, I'm like a hundred years old. Look at verse 18. Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed, and so became the father of many nations. That's how this happened. Just as it had been said to him, so shall your offspring be. Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact. He faced the fact that his body was as good as dead. That's not very nice, is it? But he's facing the reality. He's about a hundred years old, and that Sarah's womb was also dead. He's facing the reality. He's got the reality in front of him. This was not blind optimism, but faith in God. Abraham had full knowledge of the reality. He knew what reality was. He knew what he was up against. He knew what was what the world was telling him, what the life was telling him. This was the real deal. This is a real thing. You've got to come to terms with that. You've got to stop pretending that other things are true. You need to recognize the reality of the situation as you try to put your hope in a divine being. Well, he knew the reality of the situation, you see. The reality was right there. And he also knew God. That God has the power and the character to do as he promises. Sometimes, church, it's time to stop talking to God about your problems and start talking to your problems about your God. Amen? Amen. Have you heard that before? That's not mine. I'm not going to take credit for that. You got to stop talking to God about your problems. Start talking to your problems about God. Abraham, he wasn't blind. He wasn't foolish. This wasn't a blind leap. He wasn't just whistling in the dark. Abraham, he knew reality and he measured it up. Here's reality and here's God. Here's reality and here's God. And it says, it says that his faith wasn't weakened. That means it could have been. His faith wasn't weakened, but instead it got stronger. Why? Because he took the reality and he took God. And he trusted God. Put your faith in God. Trust God. When you're going through trials in your life, when you're getting pushed hard, that's the moment. It's a moment of crisis. Your faith is going to do one of two things. It's either going to get stronger or it's going to crumble and dissipate. Abram's faith was strengthened. And that's how the promise came. That's how he became heir to the world. That's how, through that faith, the blessings of God went through the people of God and through the church and through Jesus Christ and to reach to the very ends of the world. That's how it happened because he believed. Was strengthened, not weakened. Later on in his life, he would face the most difficult trial of faith that I think any of us could ever imagine. In Genesis 22, after this child is born and named Isaac, God actually came to Abraham and said, Abraham, you take that child, take that child, this child of the promise, and I want you to take him up on a mountain and sacrifice him to me like a lamb. The same God who threw out Scripture says, I hate child sacrifice. Never sacrifice your child. Never, never. You went and you sacrificed your child. It's the most horrible thing to me. I never had it in mind. I never told you that. I never wanted you to do that. The same God says to Abraham, I want you to take your son, your only son, Isaac, take him up the mountain. And Abraham did it. And as they're walking up the mountain, Isaac actually turned to Abraham and he said, Dad, what's going on? Isaac spoke up and said to his father, Abraham, Father? Yes, my son, Abraham replied, fire and wood are here, Isaac said. Where's the lamb? For the burnt offering. And what did Abraham say to his boy? Abraham answered, pay attention to this. God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son. And the two of them went on together. Trust God. Trust God. My son Jack was born in Pentecost, the year 2000, and um and when he was born, um, they rushed him off to the NICU because the blood pressure in his four limbs were all different, all different blood pressures. That's not good. And so I asked, what's going on? What's going on? And they said, Well, listen, either it's nothing, or his aorta is not attached to his heart. And we're gonna need to rush your son into surgery and try to save his life. Oh. They set a test, another test, to figure out which of these was going on for two and a half hours later. I spent that time with the Lord. I would love to stand here and tell you as your pastor that I was calm and trusting. I was not. And thank God it was nothing. In those intervening years, for the last twenty six years, I've been a pastor, and and here's what's happened. I've sat with you. I've sat with parents who've lost their child, their daughter, their only sweet daughter, their son, their only son. And I've sat with you and hurt with you and prayed with you, and those who've lost, like this family, the Pennington family, whose son died in uniform. I've sat with those who've lost. I've sat with those who've lost their spouse after 50, 60, 75 years. I've sat with those who've lost their spouse only after only just a few years, and sat with them as and you as your hearts were aching. And here's what's happened. My faith has been strengthened by walking with you and watching God hold on to you in those times of pain. You see, when the when it's deepest, when it's darkest, when the when the trial comes in, when the wind blows, that's the moment. That is the crisis moment, that is the defining moment. Will you trust God? If you trust God, your faith will grow stronger. And if you turn away, and I've watched you trust God, and I've watched God hold on to you because here's the thing: it doesn't always turn out the way we want. Sometimes it isn't nothing, sometimes we lose everything. And in those moments, God is still good. Can you trust God? Abraham he walked up that mountain with his son, his only son, and he and he made the the altar of sacrifice. And here's how it goes. When they reached the place God had told them about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar on top of the wood. Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. Of all the moments in Abraham's life, of all the moments that he faced, this was the one. This would be the one where he would have the most temptation, the most desire, the most burning temptation in his heart to turn from God, to say no, to turn away from the Lord. I can't trust you, and I'm not walking with you. I'm not going with you any further. I'm on my own. I'm gonna cut my own course. And what did Abraham do? He trusted. And do you know what happened in that moment? An angel of the Lord appeared and said, Abraham, do not touch that boy. Do not lay a hand on that child. Abraham looked up, and there in the thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place the Lord will provide. You remember a place like that. You remember a place like that. You never forget. He called that place the Lord will provide. And to this day it is said on the mountain of the Lord it will be provided. Church, when the test comes, it's not by works. Even Abraham could not, by any sacrifice imaginable, earn his way into salvation. When the test comes, when the winds blow, when it's heavy and dark, the storm won't subside. Trust God. This is the Lord about whom it is said, on his mountain God will provide. And you know what happened? Abraham didn't give his son. God did. For God so loved the world that he gave. His only son, his one and only son. He gave. That whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. God provided on a mountain called Calvary. God provided when he gave his son. God provided when he gave his son Jesus, an atoning sacrifice for our sins. God will provide the sacrifice, my son. Do you think Abraham believed that? Or was he just kind of saying it? But that seed of faith, that little seed of faith, that seed of trust, it's enough for God to take and grow an oak of righteousness. When you put it into his hands, you say, Lord, take the seed of trust. When I'm in the hard place, when I'm pressed on every side, when everything is against me, when it's all falling apart, when everything says, don't trust, it's not going to happen. When everything is stacked up, God is not good, and his favor is not for you. That's the moment when you say, wait a minute, I know my God. He has the power. He can bring life out of death. He can bring something out of nothing. He has the power of resurrection, the power of creation. I know my God. And he has the character. Because he gave his son, his one and only son. Trust God. And what will happen? We close with this, the last few verses of this passage. What will happen? That little mustard seed of faith. The words that was credited to him were written not for him alone, but also for us, for you, to whom God will credit righteousness for us who believe in him, who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He, Jesus, was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification. Whatever you've been through, and you've been through some hard things. You've been through some moments. Whatever you've been through, however much it's hurt, God has hurt more. He's been through more. Jesus has been lower than you will ever be. Can you trust him? Put your trust and faith in him and rise with him. So, Lord, as we just absorb this moment, Jesus, we just ask that you would help us, Lord, in those when we're pressed, help us, help us to have a seed of faith, a mustard seed's worth, and to put it in your hands, to believe in you, to trust God. Because Lord, we don't want to look back on the hard moments and say, that's when my faith kind of fell apart. We want to look back in those moments and say, that's where God carried me. That's where God showed up. That's where God provided. We want to look back on those moments and look up on the mountain and say, on the mountain, the Lord will provide. He has shown me that he is good. He has sent his son Jesus who died for me and rose for me. And I trust him. I trust him. Against all odds, I trust him. And for the rest of our lives, be able to turn back and remember that on the mountain, the Lord will provide. Lord help us to be that. Help us to receive you and to trust you and to love you through all things. And to be a people who can help others to do the same for eternal salvation. It's in Jesus' name that we pray.

SPEAKER_00 33:52

Hearing God's word is just the beginning. What connected with you? What challenged you today? Maybe it's surrendering something, stepping into community, or simply trusting Him more deeply. Whatever it is, don't leave it for later. Act on it today. We're praying that this message moves you closer to Jesus. And we'd love to walk with you in that journey and answer any questions you've got. Connect with us by visiting firstpres.org. Hey, if today's message encouraged you, take a moment and subscribe so you never miss an episode and share it with someone who needs to hear it. Check in next week and we'll continue to grow in our faith together. See you next time.