When the Promise Looks Impossible

Romans 4:13-25

Segment One: When the Promise Is Bigger Than the Possibility

Romans 4:13-18

• 1. The Promise Came Through Faith, Not Law, Romans 4:13

  • Abraham received the promise before the Law of Moses.

  • God's covenant begins with divine initiative.

  • Genesis 12:2-3: God repeatedly says, "I will."

  • The promise depends upon God's faithfulness, not Abraham's performance.

  • Grace begins with what God does, not what we do.

• 2. If Inheritance Depends on Law, Faith Becomes Meaningless, Romans 4:14

  • Law-based righteousness makes the promise dependent upon human performance.

  • The Gospel reverses this.

  • Religion says, "Do."

  • The Gospel announces, "Done."

  • Obedience is the fruit of salvation, not the purchase price of salvation.

• 3. The Law Reveals Sin but Cannot Rescue the Sinner, Romans 4:15

  • Romans 3:20: through the Law comes knowledge of sin.

  • The Law reveals God's righteous standard.

  • The Law exposes our failure.

  • The Law diagnoses the disease, grace provides the cure.

  • A mirror can reveal dirt, but it cannot wash your face.

• 4. The Promise Rests on Grace, Romans 4:16

  • "It depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace."

  • Faith receives what grace provides.

  • Salvation cannot ultimately depend upon human performance and still be grace.

  • The promise is secure because its foundation is God's faithfulness.

  • Our standing before God rests upon Christ's righteousness, not ours.

• 5. Grace Changes the Motivation for Obedience

  • We do not obey to become children of God.

  • We obey because we have been brought into God's family.

  • We do not work for acceptance.

  • We work from acceptance.

  • Grace does not eliminate holiness, it gives holiness its proper motivation.

• 6. Abraham Believed in the God Who Gives Life to the Dead, Romans 4:17

  • Abraham's circumstances were humanly impossible.

  • Sarah was barren.

  • Abraham was old.

  • God's ability was greater than their inability.

  • Isaac becomes a preview of resurrection.

• 7. Biblical Faith Is Not Denial

  • Faith does not pretend circumstances are better than they are.

  • Faith can acknowledge fear, pain, loss, weakness, and impossibility.

  • Faith does not deny reality.

  • Faith refuses to make reality greater than God.

  • Faith can stare into a grave and still believe in resurrection.

• 8. Abraham Believed "Against Hope", Romans 4:18

  • Human probability gave Abraham no reason for confidence.

  • God's promise gave him reason for hope.

  • Christian hope is not optimism.

  • Optimism says circumstances will probably improve.

  • Christian hope says God remains faithful regardless of circumstances.

• 9. Faith Does Not Create God's Promises

  • Abraham did not invent his desired outcome and demand that God fulfill it.

  • God spoke first.

  • Abraham trusted what God had spoken.

  • Faith receives God's promises, it does not manufacture them.

  • Biblical faith trusts God's revealed Word rather than demanding our preferred outcome.

• 10. Application

  • Where am I measuring God's faithfulness by my circumstances?

  • Am I relating to God through grace or through my performance?

  • What happens to my faith when I cannot see what God is doing?

  • Have I confused my inability to see God's method with God's inability to accomplish His purpose?

  • Can I trust God's character while waiting for His promise?

Segment Two: Faith in the God Who Raises the Dead

Romans 4:19-25

• 1. Abraham Faced the Facts, Romans 4:19

  • Abraham considered his own body.

  • He considered Sarah's barrenness.

  • He understood the human impossibility.

  • Faith did not require Abraham to ignore reality.

  • He acknowledged the deadness without believing deadness was greater than God.

• 2. Abraham's Story Is Resurrection-Shaped

  • A body "as good as dead."

  • A barren womb.

  • An impossible promise.

  • God brings life out of death.

  • Isaac anticipates the greater resurrection still to come.

• 3. The Bible Is Ultimately About God, Not Great Human Heroes

  • Abraham was not a perfect man.

  • He experienced fear, failure, doubt, and impatience.

  • Scripture does not primarily present extraordinary people doing extraordinary things for God.

  • Scripture reveals an extraordinary God accomplishing His purposes through flawed people.

  • Abraham's greatness was not the perfection of his faith, but the greatness of the God he trusted.

• 4. Faith Gives Glory to God, Romans 4:20

  • Faith declares that God's character is trustworthy.

  • Faith declares that God's power is sufficient.

  • Faith declares that God's Word is dependable.

  • Unbelief ultimately asks the ancient question of Genesis 3:1: "Did God actually say?"

  • The deepest question of faith is: Can God be trusted?

• 5. Abraham Was Convinced God Could Do What He Promised, Romans 4:21

  • This is one of Scripture's clearest descriptions of faith.

  • Faith is not believing God will do whatever we want.

  • Faith is believing God is able to accomplish what He has promised.

  • Faith does not write the contract and ask God to sign it.

  • God makes the promise, faith trusts the Promiser.

• 6. Faith Can Trust God Without Understanding God

  • Can I trust God when the answer is no?

  • Can I trust God when the timetable does not make sense?

  • Can I trust God when obedience costs me?

  • Can I trust God when the outcome is different from what I prayed for?

  • Mature faith worships God for who He is, not merely for desired outcomes.

• 7. Faith Was Counted as Righteousness, Romans 4:22

  • Genesis 15:6 is the foundation of Paul's argument.

  • Righteousness was credited to Abraham.

  • Abraham did not manufacture righteousness.

  • Justification is God's declaration concerning the believer's standing before Him.

  • Salvation rests upon a righteousness outside ourselves, the righteousness of Christ.

• 8. The Cross Explains How God Can Justify Sinners

  • God does not simply ignore sin.

  • Sin must be judged.

  • Justice must be satisfied.

  • Romans 3:24-26: justification comes through the redemption found in Christ.

  • At the cross, God's justice and mercy meet.

  • Our sin is not ignored, it is judged in Christ.

• 9. Abraham's Story Was Written for Us, Romans 4:23-24

  • "It was counted to him" was not written for Abraham alone.

  • Abraham establishes the pattern of justification by faith.

  • His story points beyond himself.

  • Genesis was already preparing us to understand the Gospel.

• 10. Abraham's Faith Points to the Resurrection, Romans 4:24

  • Romans 4:17: God "gives life to the dead."

  • Romans 4:24: God "raised from the dead Jesus our Lord."

  • Abraham believed God could bring life from a dead body and barren womb.

  • Christians believe God brought Jesus from an actual tomb.

  • Isaac was the shadow, Christ's resurrection is the greater reality.

• 11. Christianity Stands or Falls on the Resurrection

  • 1 Corinthians 15:17: without the resurrection, our faith is futile.

  • Christianity is not merely admiration for Jesus' teachings.

  • Christian faith is resurrection faith.

  • The empty tomb confirms the identity and victory of Christ.

  • Death does not have the final word.

• 12. Christ Was Delivered Up for Our Trespasses, Romans 4:25

  • The cross was not an accident.

  • Isaiah 53:5: Christ was pierced for our transgressions.

  • Acts 2:23: Christ was delivered according to God's definite plan.

  • Human evil and divine sovereignty meet at Calvary.

  • The worst act of human evil became the means of God's great work of redemption.

• 13. Christ Was Raised for Our Justification, Romans 4:25

  • The cross and resurrection belong together as one saving work.

  • The cross deals with sin and guilt.

  • The resurrection vindicates Christ and announces His victory.

  • The empty tomb declares that Christ's saving work is sufficient.

  • Resurrection is not an appendix to the Gospel, it is essential to the Gospel.

• 14. Salvation Is Resurrection, Not Self-Improvement

  • Ephesians 2:1 describes humanity as dead in sin.

  • Dead people do not need coaching, they need resurrection.

  • Christianity is not God helping good people become better.

  • Christianity is God bringing spiritually dead sinners to life through Christ.

  • Grace eliminates boasting because God receives the glory.

• 15. Application

  • What is my faith actually resting upon?

  • Am I trusting the strength of my faith or the strength of my Savior?

  • Am I looking at my performance for assurance or looking to Christ?

  • Can I trust God when circumstances appear dead?

  • Does the resurrection shape how I face failure, suffering, uncertainty, and death?

  • When shame reminds me of who I was, do I answer with what Christ has done?

Final Progression

• Promise, Romans 4:13

• Law, Romans 4:14-15

• Grace, Romans 4:16

• Faith, Romans 4:17-18

• Impossibility, Romans 4:19

• Trust, Romans 4:20-21

• Justification, Romans 4:22-24

• Cross, Romans 4:25

• Resurrection, Romans 4:25

• The central truth: The strength of saving faith is not ultimately found in the person believing, but in the God being believed.