WEBVTT 00:00:01.840 --> 00:00:06.360 There are decisions we make every day based on 00:00:06.360 --> 00:00:09.679 things that we cannot guess. The day before a 00:00:09.679 --> 00:00:13.419 hurricane, it can feel almost foolish to prepare. 00:00:14.339 --> 00:00:18.559 The sun is out, the air is still, you're hammering 00:00:18.559 --> 00:00:20.920 plywood over windows while the neighbors are 00:00:20.920 --> 00:00:23.500 grilling in their backyard, which sounds kind 00:00:23.500 --> 00:00:28.769 of like yelps. Nothing looks dangerous yet. But 00:00:28.769 --> 00:00:31.949 we've seen the models on TV. You've watched the 00:00:31.949 --> 00:00:35.270 track. You trust what is coming even if you cannot 00:00:35.270 --> 00:00:39.250 yet see it. So you act now according to what 00:00:39.250 --> 00:00:42.530 has been promised. A couple finds out that they're 00:00:42.530 --> 00:00:45.289 expecting. It's too early to see anything on 00:00:45.289 --> 00:00:48.009 the ultrasound. There's no visible proof yet, 00:00:48.229 --> 00:00:51.549 but they begin to rearrange the furniture. They 00:00:51.549 --> 00:00:54.390 tell a close family, and they start figuring 00:00:54.390 --> 00:00:58.829 out... which names for the boy, which names for 00:00:58.829 --> 00:01:03.329 the girl. A couple signs a 30 -year mortgage 00:01:03.329 --> 00:01:06.230 trusting their income will continue. A student 00:01:06.230 --> 00:01:09.370 enrolls in classes trusting or hoping their degree 00:01:09.370 --> 00:01:12.829 will matter when they graduate. A farmer plants 00:01:12.829 --> 00:01:15.709 seed when the soil looks dry and cracked. There's 00:01:15.709 --> 00:01:18.909 no sign of rain, but planting does not wait for 00:01:18.909 --> 00:01:22.810 visible harvest. It trusts the seasons. No one 00:01:22.810 --> 00:01:25.859 sees the future. But they live today as if a 00:01:25.859 --> 00:01:29.739 promise about tomorrow is reliable. Faith is 00:01:29.739 --> 00:01:33.299 not fantasy. It is living today according to 00:01:33.299 --> 00:01:36.700 a promised future. And in Romans 4, Paul tells 00:01:36.700 --> 00:01:42.120 us that that is exactly how Abraham lived. In 00:01:42.120 --> 00:01:45.400 verse 18 of our passage today, against all hope, 00:01:45.719 --> 00:01:49.299 Abraham in hope believed, and so became the father 00:01:49.299 --> 00:01:51.840 of many nations. just as it had been said to 00:01:51.840 --> 00:01:56.140 him, so shall your offspring be. Abraham's situation 00:01:56.140 --> 00:02:00.939 was not mildly difficult. It was biologically 00:02:00.939 --> 00:02:06.099 impossible. His body was as good as dead. Sarah's 00:02:06.099 --> 00:02:09.120 womb was barren. There was no visible pathway 00:02:09.120 --> 00:02:14.919 from here to there. And Paul says he still believed. 00:02:15.759 --> 00:02:20.000 Now we must be clear about this Abraham did not 00:02:20.000 --> 00:02:24.659 live this faith out perfect Genesis 16 reminds 00:02:24.659 --> 00:02:28.699 us of Hagar and how she bore Ishmael to Abraham 00:02:28.699 --> 00:02:32.039 Abraham tried to produce the promise by human 00:02:32.039 --> 00:02:34.639 effort which we are still dealing with when we 00:02:34.639 --> 00:02:37.520 realize how many people look to Ishmael as her 00:02:37.520 --> 00:02:41.719 spiritual father instead of Isaac Abraham attempted 00:02:41.719 --> 00:02:46.620 to accomplish in his flesh what God had promised 00:02:46.620 --> 00:02:51.639 by grace. See, that was not faith. It was his 00:02:51.639 --> 00:02:55.939 own self -solution. Yet Paul says he did not 00:02:55.939 --> 00:03:00.560 waver in unbelief. How can that be? Because righteousness 00:03:00.560 --> 00:03:03.819 was never based on Abraham's fall as obedience. 00:03:04.780 --> 00:03:09.259 It was counted to him, credited, given because 00:03:09.259 --> 00:03:14.289 Abraham ultimately had faith. Genesis 15 -6 says, 00:03:14.650 --> 00:03:16.650 Abraham believed the Lord and he counted it to 00:03:16.650 --> 00:03:21.710 him as righteousness, before Isaiah, before circumcision, 00:03:22.370 --> 00:03:26.849 before Sinai, before the law. Grace through faith 00:03:26.849 --> 00:03:30.750 has always been the way. The Old Testament was 00:03:30.750 --> 00:03:34.430 never a different covenant of earning God's favor. 00:03:34.969 --> 00:03:39.389 The promise always came first. Abraham stumbled, 00:03:39.710 --> 00:03:42.439 but he returned to the promise. Faith is not 00:03:42.439 --> 00:03:46.639 perfection. Faith often looks more like returning 00:03:46.639 --> 00:03:51.900 to God after we have won. If faith is living 00:03:51.900 --> 00:03:54.659 according to a promised future, then it must 00:03:54.659 --> 00:04:00.000 shape how we live now, not just what we say. 00:04:00.800 --> 00:04:05.319 What does that look like? When we forgive someone, 00:04:05.340 --> 00:04:09.039 even when we still feel the sting. because Christ 00:04:09.039 --> 00:04:12.360 has forgiven us and promises justice in His name. 00:04:12.780 --> 00:04:16.040 When we respond gently and with humility, when 00:04:16.040 --> 00:04:18.839 force and strength might get us what we want, 00:04:19.660 --> 00:04:22.120 because we trust that God exalts the humble. 00:04:23.079 --> 00:04:25.899 When we remain faithful in marriage, when emotions 00:04:25.899 --> 00:04:29.439 fluctuate, because covenant rests on promise, 00:04:29.879 --> 00:04:34.860 not mood. When we speak truth kindly, even when 00:04:34.860 --> 00:04:38.069 silence would protect our reputation, because 00:04:38.069 --> 00:04:41.589 we trust that our identity is secure, Christ. 00:04:42.649 --> 00:04:44.930 When we give generously even when the budget 00:04:44.930 --> 00:04:47.990 feels tight because we trust that daily bread 00:04:47.990 --> 00:04:52.610 ultimately comes from the Father. When we ignore 00:04:52.610 --> 00:04:56.470 the self -help books and the new philosophies 00:04:56.470 --> 00:05:01.290 that promise to get us the future we want because 00:05:01.290 --> 00:05:05.629 we know that ultimately God's Word is where we 00:05:05.629 --> 00:05:09.899 find truth and hope. You see, none of those actions, 00:05:10.959 --> 00:05:14.319 they're not guaranteed to work in the way we 00:05:14.319 --> 00:05:17.839 might look for. You see, forgiveness may not 00:05:17.839 --> 00:05:21.060 immediately restore a relationship. Gentleness 00:05:21.060 --> 00:05:24.660 may not win the argument. Generosity may not 00:05:24.660 --> 00:05:28.620 increase our bank account. But faith behaves 00:05:28.620 --> 00:05:31.980 as if God's promises are more stable than visible 00:05:31.980 --> 00:05:36.040 outcomes. See faith does not wait for proof it 00:05:36.040 --> 00:05:39.480 trusts the character of the one who promises 00:05:39.480 --> 00:05:45.019 See verses 24 and 25 Bring this home when it 00:05:45.019 --> 00:05:47.220 says it will be counted to us who believe in 00:05:47.220 --> 00:05:50.800 him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord Who 00:05:50.800 --> 00:05:53.500 is delivered up for our trespasses and raised 00:05:53.500 --> 00:05:58.139 for our justification? See our faith is not generic 00:05:58.139 --> 00:06:01.279 optimism the kind that we just plug in after 00:06:01.279 --> 00:06:05.100 an Instagram video It is faith in the God who 00:06:05.100 --> 00:06:08.740 raises the dead. Abraham trusted God to bring 00:06:08.740 --> 00:06:12.259 life from a barren womb. We trust God who brought 00:06:12.259 --> 00:06:16.920 life from a sealed tomb. Because Christ was raised, 00:06:17.560 --> 00:06:21.000 we do not retaliate to secure our future. We 00:06:21.000 --> 00:06:24.199 do not panic as if death has the final word. 00:06:24.360 --> 00:06:28.040 We do not define ourselves by present weaknesses. 00:06:29.800 --> 00:06:33.629 And let me add this. because Christ was raised, 00:06:34.410 --> 00:06:37.310 we do not have to cling desperately to status, 00:06:37.949 --> 00:06:41.509 success, or image. We do not have to crush others 00:06:41.509 --> 00:06:45.250 to preserve our own sense of worth. Resurrection 00:06:45.250 --> 00:06:49.670 means loss is not ultimate, and not just loss 00:06:49.670 --> 00:06:54.350 in general. Loss of reputation is not ultimate. 00:06:55.389 --> 00:07:00.769 Loss of position is not final. Loss of comfort 00:07:01.149 --> 00:07:05.189 is not the end result. Even the loss of what 00:07:05.189 --> 00:07:08.889 we thought mattered most is not what has the 00:07:08.889 --> 00:07:12.589 last word. Resurrection means our vulnerability 00:07:12.589 --> 00:07:16.610 is not the end. Resurrection means our struggles 00:07:16.610 --> 00:07:19.310 do not get the final word. Resurrection means 00:07:19.310 --> 00:07:22.529 even when something dies in our life, God is 00:07:22.529 --> 00:07:26.930 not finished. And that changes how boldly we 00:07:26.930 --> 00:07:30.620 live. But you see, this is where we have to be 00:07:30.620 --> 00:07:34.500 careful. Because this is not be bold because 00:07:34.500 --> 00:07:37.300 you are strong and you have nothing to be ashamed 00:07:37.300 --> 00:07:43.019 of. It is be bold because Christ is risen. Live 00:07:43.019 --> 00:07:47.160 more boldly, but not boldly to prove yourself. 00:07:48.199 --> 00:07:51.680 Live boldly without fear that you must somehow 00:07:51.680 --> 00:07:55.759 secure what you think is important. Live boldly 00:07:55.759 --> 00:07:59.589 without grasp. Live boldly without scrambling 00:07:59.589 --> 00:08:04.269 when things feel anxious. Live boldly without 00:08:04.269 --> 00:08:07.250 trying to manufacture your own fish meal instead 00:08:07.250 --> 00:08:10.970 of ice cream. In a city like Houston, where growth 00:08:10.970 --> 00:08:14.329 and success and expansion are constant themes, 00:08:14.949 --> 00:08:17.550 where careers rise and fall with markets and 00:08:17.550 --> 00:08:20.769 energy prices and development booms, it's easy 00:08:20.769 --> 00:08:23.649 to live as if everything depends on us, what 00:08:23.649 --> 00:08:27.779 we measure and predict. But you see, faith loosens 00:08:27.779 --> 00:08:31.259 that grip. You can pursue excellence. You can 00:08:31.259 --> 00:08:34.840 work hard. You can plan wisely. But you don't 00:08:34.840 --> 00:08:39.679 have to panic. Because your justification is 00:08:39.679 --> 00:08:44.460 not on the line. Your ultimate place is not hanging 00:08:44.460 --> 00:08:47.940 in the balance. Your standing before God is not 00:08:47.940 --> 00:08:51.200 fluctuating with your performance review. It 00:08:51.200 --> 00:08:53.740 was secured when Christ was delivered for your 00:08:53.740 --> 00:08:57.139 trespasses and raised. for your justification. 00:08:58.500 --> 00:09:00.940 And Paul does not end with Abraham's example. 00:09:02.399 --> 00:09:06.639 He brings us back to Jesus. It is not just be 00:09:06.639 --> 00:09:11.240 like someone else. It is trust in the one who 00:09:11.240 --> 00:09:15.740 gave his all. He was delivered up for our trespasses 00:09:15.740 --> 00:09:19.399 and raised for our justification. Your righteousness 00:09:19.399 --> 00:09:23.570 is not the reward for strong faith. It is the 00:09:23.570 --> 00:09:26.129 gift that was secured by the Savior we have faith 00:09:26.129 --> 00:09:29.929 in. Abraham trusted a promise that was not yet 00:09:29.929 --> 00:09:33.929 fulfilled. We trust the promise that has already 00:09:33.929 --> 00:09:37.690 been accomplished. Even when our faith limps 00:09:37.690 --> 00:09:42.149 over, even when we attempt our own ishmels, even 00:09:42.149 --> 00:09:46.610 when impatience overtakes us, righteousness is 00:09:46.610 --> 00:09:50.750 still counted. Not because we performed perfectly. 00:09:51.279 --> 00:09:56.419 but because Christ was raised. So yes, today, 00:09:56.879 --> 00:10:04.820 live boldly. Forgive boldly. Give generously. 00:10:06.620 --> 00:10:11.779 Speak gently. Remain faithful. Not to earn your 00:10:11.779 --> 00:10:14.740 standing, but because your standing is already 00:10:14.740 --> 00:10:19.539 secure, against hope, we believe in hope. Because, 00:10:19.580 --> 00:10:25.620 my friends, The tomb is it, in the name of Jesus.