Some people misunderstand Christianity because they think it is a boring life of endless duties, do’s and don’ts, burdens and guilt, and long faces and heaviness. And if you have thought that that is what Christianity is about I have good news for you, it’s not. Welcome to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith. I’m David Pick, and Colin, that is good news but talk for a moment to the person who does believe Christianity is all about do’s and don’ts. You know, if you’ve experienced a form of what is called Christianity that just is about rules and about duties, I really want to plead with you today. Don’t sell yourself short. That is not why Jesus Christ came into the world. If you want a picture of the kind of relationship that God is seeking with you, think of the richest, deepest love you can imagine on the face of this world. God wants a relationship with you that is one of delight, that is one of joy, that is one of love. The love of God is extended towards you in the Lord Jesus Christ. The world of the Pharisees was the world of Judy, and Jesus just cut right through that and brought something entirely different. And there are many folks, as you say, who have only experienced Christianity as a kind of call to duty, restrictive practice and all the rest of it, can see no joy, can see no life. And Christ holds life. But if you think that your life would be less with Jesus Christ, you’ve never come to know Him yet. That’s a great point, and in this series we want to understand what genuine faith in Christ is all about, what that living relationship feels like, and that’s in today’s message. So, we’re in Romans chapter 4 and verses 17 to 21, as we continue the message, declaring the praise of Christ. Here’s Colin… 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 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 when I recognize my own inability to do what God has called me to do, I am saying, perhaps you’ll say, for the first time today, you know, I can’t be God, you have to be God. And 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. Now that leads to the second thing, because we can’t end there. Faith glorifies God first by facing the reality of our own condition. Faith glorifies God second by embracing the hope of His promise. Now look at what it says in verse twenty please. Abraham did not waiver through unbelief regarding the promise of God. So verse nineteen’s about Abraham himself. Verse twenty’s about God’s great promise. He did not waver in unbelief regarding the promise of God but was strengthened in faith and gave glory to God. Now the promise of God was so great, a Redeemer bringing all, people from all nations, to a right relationship with God through faith in Himself. And this Redeemer coming into the line of descent that would come from this elderly didn’t have a single child. I mean, it was a staggering promise. But Abraham, we’re told, was strengthened in his faith. He did not waver in his confidence that God would actually do this, he was strengthened in faith. And he glorified God in this way. How was he strengthened in faith? Because he was fully persuaded that God had the power to do what He had promised. Only God could have done this. God had said, I will make you the father of many nations. Only God could do that. Now, remember again that Paul is using this throughout chapter 4 as an illustration of the great truth of the gospel that is set out for us in chapter 3. And here’s the point, as we use the illustration to help us understand the message of Romans. The righteousness, the holiness, the perfection to which God calls you and me, it’s impossible for us. But when God calls us to something that is impossible, it is the story of Abraham illustrates for us so that he will be glorified in the way in which it comes about. So there must be another way in which God will bring about the righteousness, the holiness, the perfection to which he calls us and which is impossible for us. And so the great question here is one that since it’s impossible for Abraham, how is God going to do it that’s illustrating the points since this perfection, holiness, and righteousness is impossible for us, we cannot be perfect, how is God going to bring about that which is impossible for us in a way that glorifies him? Memory came back to me really some years ago. Now back in Scotland, I went, it’s the only occasion I’ve ever done this, but I went to one of these leadership training courses, I’m sure many of us in this congregation like this and probably some of you many times, and you’ll have many stories about your experience. It was one of these things where they took, I think it was about 15 leaders, and we were in a retreat center for three days or so, and during that time we had individual mentoring and we received a teaching and lectures, and right in the middle of this course on the Wednesday afternoon, we had to play a game. Now yeah, you’re reacting the same way as I did. Frankly, I don’t go for these things, but here’s the strange thing. I have to admit that nearly 15 years later, it is the thing that I remember about these three days. The course leader divided us into groups of four and gave each group a box of scrabble. You know the tiles and the board and all the rest of the stuff. And then he gave us this instruction, he was very precise. He said, produce as many words as you can in five minutes. Well, the guys in my group were pretty sharp, I gotta tell you. And so we got out the board and spread out the tiles and we got ourselves organized, we thought, you know, this is clearly it’s about organization. And so, we had two of us were doing words that were across and two of us were doing the words that were down, and we were getting them all arranged on the board. And, after five minutes, I don’t know, I, we must have had about 20 words, something like that. And we come back to the leader to report, and he didn’t seem very impressed, he said, OK, double the number of words in the next five minutes. So we go back, in a minute, we went flat out. To produce 20. Wants us to double it. What are we gonna do? Well one of the bright guys in our group said, now wait a minute, he said produce the words, he did not say that the words have to connect so it would be much easier if we just put out words with the tiles so let’s forget the board. So we just got going on the carpet and we worked with the tiles to produce as many as we can then we called him over, we said after five minutes. He said, how many words have you got? He said 40?! It didn’t look very impressed. He said, in the next five minutes I want you to double the number of words. So at this point, we’re beginning to think there’s a catch in this, we always knew there was a catch in this, we’ve just going to work out what it was and one of the guys said, wait a minute, he just said produce the words. Maybe we don’t even use the tiles, maybe we just start writing words. Then another guy said we can do better than that. You said, there’s a library next door. And so off he went, and he came back with a dictionary, and at the end of the five minutes we produced it to the course leader and he said, how many words have you got? And we said, 40,000. Well, we won, we won. You know why, if you have been in exercises like that, that are to try and open closed minds to the possibility that there might be another, completely different way of doing what has to be accomplished. And that is exactly the point that Paul is making in Romans chapter 3. All through the first 3 chapters of Romans, he’s been making this one point that culminates in chapter 3. Verse 23, if you see it there, all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Chapter 3 in verse 10, there is no one righteous, not even one. Chapter 3 verse 20, no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by observing the law. And therefore there must be another way of doing what God has said. And it’s right there in chapter 3 in verse 21, do you see these marvelous words? But now, a righteousness from God, apart from law has been made known. Verse 22, this righteousness from God comes, how, through faith in Jesus Christ and it comes to all who believe. God has provided a whole other way of being righteous. The righteousness, holiness, and perfection to which He calls you, to which He calls me, which is beyond me, which is beyond you, which is impossible for us, which we cannot do. There is another way of being right with God and it is in Jesus Christ through faith for all who believe. You’re listening to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith and our message today declaring the praise of Christ. It’s part of our series Anatomy of Faith and if you’ve missed the series or you tuned in Here’s Colin. Faith glorifies God by embracing this promise in Jesus Christ in His death for you. When you are joined to this Christ by faith in this life-giving union, this bond, here is what God will do. God will credit to you the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ and Paul is saying in Romans that that’s just what God did for Sarah and Abraham. You say, well, I’m not yet the person I want to be. Listen, you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. He will credit the righteousness of Christ to you. Say, well, you don’t know pastor. I’ve done some terrible things. Listen, you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. He will credit the righteousness of Jesus Christ to you. Someone say, I’m not sure I’m the mother that I want to be. I’m surrounded by many difficulties in my home. I’m very perplexed about it today. Listen, you trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, the biggest thing in your life, and he will credit the righteousness of Jesus Christ to you. Faith glorifies God by embracing the reality of our own condition. It really starts here. As long as you’re thinking that you can somehow do the impossible things that God has said, you’ve not yet come to the place of faith. Faith says, Lord, you know, I cannot do that, I cannot be perfect, and I need a savior. And I now see that you have provided that savior, your Son, Jesus Christ, and I embrace the hope of the promise in him so that his righteousness will be credited to me. Faith glorifies God by facing the reality of our own condition, by embracing the hope of his promise. Here’s the last thing in these remaining minutes. Faith glorifies God by rejoicing in what He has done. Folks, when you see your own inability to do what God has called you to do, and when you see the way in which He has done everything for you in the Lord, Jesus Christ, and you can be righteous before Him, perfect before Him, holy before Him, in and through Jesus Christ, when you come to believe that and to know that, and when that gift is yours, great joy will be yours. Faith glorifies God by rejoicing in all that He has done. Of course, this is again illustrated in the story of Abraham and Sarah. It’s beyond where Paul takes us in Romans chapter four, but it is where the story goes in Genesis, and it’s where the story goes in Romans chapter five, and that’s why I’ve included it. When God gave the promise of a son to Abraham and Sarah, those of you who know the story will know that on different occasions, they both laughed. Sarah laughed because she didn’t believe it, though of course she did later. Abraham laughed because he did believe it. That’s where Romans is telling us he did not waver in his faith. He just laughed at the very thought that God would actually do this. He was confident that He would. It wasn’t surprising that when the little boy was born, they named him Isaac, which means he laughs. Sarah said God has brought me laughter and everyone who hears about it will laugh with me. As you follow where Paul is going in Romans, you’ll see that he’s going exactly to the same place because Romans chapter five and verse one that pulls out of the illustration. What’s he saying? Therefore since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ and then what, verse two, and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God, and he comes back to it again in verse 11. Not only is this so, but we rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ by whom we have received the reconciliation. So faith glorifies God by rejoicing in what he has done, folks let this be clear today. Some folks misunderstand Christianity because they think it is escapism. It’s not. Faith faces the reality of our own condition. Some people misunderstand Christianity because they think it is perfectionism. It’s not. Faith embraces the hope that is given to us in Jesus Christ. And some people misunderstand Christianity because they think it is a boring life of endless duties, dos and don’ts, burdens and guilt, and long faces and heaviness. And if you have thought that that is what Christianity is about, I have good news for you, it’s not. No, faith glorifies God by rejoicing in what he has done. You cannot come to the knowledge of your own inability and then see the gracious gift of God to you in Jesus Christ, and embrace that for it to become yours and not no joy in Jesus Christ. And God is more glorified by delight than by duty. You know, mothers, if your son or your daughter brings you a Mother’s Day card or a gift, and when you smile at him or her, and you say, oh, thank you, he turns to you and standing straight up and down says, it’s my duty! Are you honored by that? Is your heart filled with joy by that? Kids, that’s not the right answer. And your mum says, oh, thank you for the card, you say, it’s a pleasure. That’s what you say. Because you know what? Your joy will become her joy. That’s exactly how it is with God. Do you really think that God is looking for a lot of people saying, I am in church because it’s my duty. I pray because it’s my duty. Faith glorifies God by rejoicing, delighting, enjoying today and every day today and every day what He has done for us in Jesus Christ, our Savior and our Lord. I was reading Spurgeon and just in these last moments, let me quote him, he speaks so beautifully, he’s talking about Abraham, he says, The old man laughed and laughed again. And if you believe, you will laugh too. We have too much crying among us all for a little more filling of the mouth with laughter and the tongue with singing For the Lord has done great things for us of which we are glad. That’s worth an amen, isn’t it? The Lord has given us eternal life in His Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, let us laugh and laugh again for an unutterable joy of heart floods our spirit. Folks, honestly, us with all our sins, with all our weakness, with all our compromise and with all our failure, us being presented without fault in the presence of the Father, it would make you laugh, wouldn’t it? I mean, it’s unbelievable. Except that it is what God has promised to us in Jesus Christ, our Savior and our Lord. No wonder, Peter, the apostle says, therefore to believers, he says, you’ve not even seen Jesus. You’ve not seen Him with your eyes yet, but you are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, why? Because you, right now, are receiving the salvation of your souls, which is the very goal of your faith. Folks, what do you know of this faith? Have you faced the reality of your own condition? Have you embraced seeing your need of a Savior, God’s promise to you in Jesus Christ? Do you know what it is today, to rejoice that His righteousness is credited to you, so that despite all the many failures and weaknesses and inadequacies of your life, and all the incompleteness of your life that you may be able to think of, even now, if you choose to do it, you, in Jesus Christ, will, on the last day, be presented faultless, in the presence of the Father and with great joy. Joy. That’s a brilliant thought, isn’t it? God is glorified more by delight than by duty. Maybe we should always keep that one in mind. You’re listening to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith and today’s message, Declaring the Praise of Christ, part of our series, Anatomy of Faith. And if you’ve missed any of the series or if you’d like to go back and listen again, do that by coming online to our website, open thebible.org.uk. You can also find us as a podcast. You go to your favourite podcast site and search for Open the Bible UK and subscribe to receive regular updates. You’ll also find a link to the podcast on our website. And the website address again, openthebible.org.uk. Also on our website is Open the Bible Daily, and that’s a series of short two to three minute reflections based on Pastor Colin Smith’s teaching and read in the UK by Sue McLeish. There’s a fresh one every day and many people find it’s a brilliant way to start the day. Again, that’s on our website openthebible.org.uk Open the Bible is supported entirely by the generous gifts of our listeners. And if that’s something you’ve been considering to do, then we have an offer for you this month. If you’re able to begin supporting Open the Bible with a new donation of five pounds per month, or more, we’d love to thank you by sending you a new devotional by Pastor Colin Smith called Green Pastures, Still Waters. Like today’s message, it’s based on Psalm 23. Colin, this devotional comes from a sermon series that you preached a while back, and as you prepared for the series, what was the main thing you took away from it? Oh, that single word, encouragement. I mean, I can’t think of any better place to go when a person feels down or jaded or just generally exhausted. If you need encouragement, Psalm 23 is the place to go, and God has been using the Psalm to encourage his people for 3,000 years, and I reckon that’s probably the reason why this is one of the best known and best loved chapters in all of the Bible. I mean, to know that in Christ you have a shepherd and that in the shepherd you have everything that you need, that is the greatest joy and that will renew your strength. So, I’m absolutely delighted that we’re able to make this available as a devotional. You can read it over 31 days and it will renew your strength, it will refresh your soul, Psalm 23, one of the best known and best loved chapters in the Bible. We’d love to send you a copy of Green Pastures, Still Waters if you’re able to begin supporting the work of Open the Bible this month in the amount of five pounds per month or more. Full details on our website. For Open the Bible and Pastor Colin Smith, I’m David Pick, and I hope you’ll join us again next time. Some Christians get confused about God’s promises about prayer. Find out what it means to pray with faith next time on Open the Bible.