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Please remember that sermon notes are meant to act as a guide and may not be exactly what was preached.
Who did the Jews look forward to? What or who are the gentiles? Unbelievers?
I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you. I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.” They answered him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works Abraham did, but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. – John 8:38-40
Abraham was willing to slay his son, the son of promise, at God’s command, believing that God could raise him back to life in order to fulfill His Word. This is faith and this is the faith that we as sons and daughters of Abraham, children of faith are to have! “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen,” the world tells us that faith is complete trust or confidence in someone or something (Hebrews 11:1).
Faith is a prerequisite for hope and love, “Now these three remain-faith, hope, and love…” (1 Corinthians 13:13). So in a sense, faith is belief in something and a requirement to possess other things. Jesus said in Matthew 17:20, “…if you have faith as small as mustard seed…” you can accomplish amazing things for God. The mustard seed needs to be watered each day for it to grow. Seemingly, nothing happens for a very long time, but one day it sprouts and grows into a large tree.
The righteous shall live by his faith. – Habakkuk 2:4
Vs. 10 – The law may reveal the disease, but it cannot bring the Healing, our healing from sin, that is found in Jesus Christ! He took our sin away, He bore the curse!
God had purposed that salvation should come through faith. He never intended that we should be justified by works of the Law. He gave the Law so that the exceeding sinfulness of sin might be understood. Then, both Jews and Gentiles would be prepared to welcome the Gospel that proclaimed salvation through the atoning suffering and death of the sinless Son of God through faith!
Through the “tree,” the Cross of Christ, all the terrors and penalties of the Law are done away with. Jesus is the fulfillment of the Law and the prophets for His Church, for each and everyone that accepts the gift by faith!
Vs. 12 – The law is not based on faith. Following the letter of the law is an impossibility and is legalistic. Legalism leaves no room for faith or for mercy, grace, and the love of God, all of which we are to communicate in both word and deed to the World. All are sinners before coming to Christ.
We are not sinners saved by grace! We are Christ followers saved from sin by grace through faith in God.
The Bible teaches us that those who come to God in faith, Believers, are blessed. The Holy Spirit tells us in Ephesians that He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. And in Hebrews 11:6 He tells us that, “without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”
I can’t believe that our blessings end at being spiritual. We have experienced the blessings of God with, physical, financial, and emotional – healing and strength, with rescue and restoration, with the fulfillment of our needs both as the church and as individual members of His Church.
As loving sons and daughters of the Living God, we have the potential to be blessed in every decision and in every action we take! As the Church walks in faith and obedience, we will see God move in our families, work places, and in our communities.
But you must take on the responsibility to live out what you know of the Bible and God’s will for your life though faith in order to receive the blessing Abraham found through Jesus Crucified and Risen!
Saved by faith: The woman who was washing Jesus feet with her tears (Luke 7), the 10 lepers who were healed and the one that returned…
Blessing of Abraham: Justified by Faith, not by works of the Law and the gift of the Spirit. It is hearing the Gospel of Jesus and the Kingdom that we come to Faith, Romans 10, the enabling power of the Spirit.
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. – Ephesians 2:8-10
Digging Deeper
- What is the blessing of Abraham?
- What or who are the Gentiles made apart of, or one with? (See Ephesians 2)
- Are you justified, sanctified, and saved?
Further Reading: Matthew 3:9, John 8:39-47, Romans 4, Romans 10:4-13, Ephesians 2:11-22, Ephesians 2:8-10 and James 2:14-26, Hebrews 11
Dayton First Church of God 