Children of Abraham Believe In God’s Promises

Galatians 3:6-9

Welcome back.

I’d like to give a plug for our Christian education classes for this semester. We celebrate a great beginning last semester. Many of you sign up and the post-class evaluations were very positive.

I just want to emphasize that we believe Scripture is a fundamental part of our spiritual growth. It’s not enough to just listen to sermons and participating in Bible studies. We need to learn how to “feed ourselves” from God’s word, to interpret God’s word, to encounter God in His word.

We’re in the middle of a pretty serious study of Galatians, and we’ve taken a long break, so let me quickly review some highlights:

We had been saying that we are not justified by works, by law, but by faith. We must be dead to the law and alive to God. [Chart between living by law vs. faith.]

We do not want to start with the gospel and then live by human effort. The gospel is how we begin and how we live the Christian life.

1.) Study our Passage, 2.) Look at Abraham’s Faith, 3.) Practical Application

1. Studying Our Passage

Some translators put v. 6 with v. 5.

Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith—just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”? (Galatians 3:5-6, ESV)

The gospel isn’t just how we start the Christian life. It’s how we live the Christian life.

The Galatians received the HS not by obeying the law but by faith . . . just like Abraham. Paul is making a parallel with the Galatians believers (us) and Abraham. You received the HS by faith just as Abraham believed and it was counted as righteousness.

Our passage today is showing us that we’ve always received by faith, not the law, not by works. Paul points out that this gospel, that we are justified by faith not by works, is not a new thing. This has always been the gospel.

A quick side note: Paul is connecting the Galatians’ receiving the HS and Abraham’s being justified. That is, justification and receiving the HS are parallel or synonymous. Or as we said in our last message, “Christian living is living in the Spirit.”

As we’ve been saying, being in Christ, living by faith, living in the Spirit—these are refer to the same thing.

Our passage has two statements, two conclusions:

Consider Abraham: “He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham.

The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.”

So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

Main Point: Those who live by faith are children of Abraham and inherit his blessings.

Message 1: The people of God have always received by faith, not by effort or law.

Message 2: The gospel is (and has always been) for Gentiles.

Remember that the Judaizers were basically arguing that Gentile Christians need to become Jews. They need to become circumcised and follow the Mosaic law.

Paul has been arguing that you don’t need to become a Jew, you don’t need to follow the law. Christians are Christians by faith.

Notice v. 8. Even in the OT, God’s plan was to include Gentiles, and these Gentiles would be saved by faith. Paul quotes Ge 12:3, “All nations will blessed through Abraham.” That is, not just Jews, but Gentiles as well. Paul calls Ge 12:3 the gospel. Way back in Ge 12, God announced his gospel by saying Jews and Gentiles will be blessed through Abraham.

As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. (Ge 17:4-5)

Abraham was the father of the Jews. We might also say, through Ishmael, he was the father of the Edomites. 2 nations.

We can now understand this to mean, Abraham will be the father of Jews and Gentiles, of many people groups. For anyone who puts their faith in Christ (Australian, Kenyan, Italian, Korean, Brazilian) is also a child of Abraham. He is the father of many nations. The gospel has always been for the Gentiles as well.

1. If you believe, you are a child of Abraham.

Being a descendent of Abraham is not about physical lineage

It’s about believing as Abraham believed. We are spiritual Jews! Abraham is our father.

2. If you are a child of Abraham, then you are an heir of his inheritance.

There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. (Gal 3:28-29)

There is no Jew or Greek. If you are in Christ (by faith), then you are a descendent of Abraham (despite what ethnicity you are). And if you are a descendent of Abraham, then you are an heir.

What if I told you that you had a relative that you didn’t know about who left you a nice piece of prime real estate in New York or San Diego or Seoul? Or what if I told you that I know how to be adopted into the Trump family? That’s what Galatians is telling us!

We’ll have to study this inheritance that we have, but not today.

2. Looking at Abraham’s Faith

Today I’d like to go down a different trial. I’d like us to study the faith of Abraham. What did he believe? I’d like us to notice, Abraham had a promise-believing faith.

Gal 3:8 is quoting Ge 12:3. Ge 12 is where God called Abraham.

Leave your country, your people, and go to a land I will show you.

I will make you into a great nation; you will be a blessing.

Whoever blesses you will be blessed, whoever curses you will be cursed.

“and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” (Paul: gospel announcement)

God promised to make Abraham a great nation and a great blessing.

Ge 12:4, “So Abram left, as the Lord had told him”

God made a promise, and Abraham believed it—and he got up and started walking.

Gal 3:6 is quoting Ge 15:6, where God promised Abraham, an old man with no children, that he would have lots of descendents. “Look up at the heavens and count the stars—if indeed you can count them. So shall your offspring be.”

“Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.”

God promised him numerous descendents, and Abram believed.

God had called Abram out of Ur, and ever since, Abram has been a wanderer, a nomad. Here in Ge 15, God promised him land, the land of Canaan, and God swore with an oath that He would give Abraham this land.

God promised Abraham children and land, neither of which he had at the time. Abraham believed the promises.

Bigger story. From Ge 12-22, we see a story about a man who received promises from God, particularly a son. But he doubted whether God would really give him a son. At one point he (age 86) slept with his wife’s servant, Hagar, to produce a child, and Hagar bore a son, Ishmael. (That was something of a miracle too.) But God then made it very clear, Abraham will have a son through Sarah.

Angels came when Abraham was 99 and Sarah was 89 and said that next year she would have a son. Sarah heard and laughed. God said to Abraham, “Sarah laughed because she doubted she could have a child at her age. But is anything too hard for the Lord.”

It has been a story about whether or not Abraham (and Sarah) believes the promise.

In Ge 21, Abraham and Sarah have a son, Isaac. The promised child is born!

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.” ¹⁹ 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. ²⁰ Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, ²¹ being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. (Romans 4:18-21)

This is a story about how Abraham believed God’s promise.

Then in Ge 22, God commands Abraham to sacrifice Isaac on an altar—to kill his own son.

By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, ¹⁸ even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” ¹⁹ Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death. (Hebrew 11:17-19)

Why was Abraham willing to sacrifice his own son? It is because God has promised him that he would be the father of nations, through Isaac. He believed the promise. And so he figured that even if he killed his son, God would raise him from the dead. For God will keep His promise!

Abraham’s faith was a promise-believing faith.

3. Application: Believing God’s Promises

My hope today is to help all of us grow as promise-believers.

For the Gospel, the issue is not if you are circumcised, if you keep the law, if you pray hard, if you serve others and help the poor. It’s not about our works. The defining issue is faith. And to make that more concrete, it’s about whether we believe God’s promises.

I want to recast our understanding of our Christian living, gospel living, from what we do to what we believe. Our struggle is to believe God’s promises.

The Abraham account is not a story about a man who struggled to do a good deed, but who struggled to believe a promise.

Let’s remember the Christmas story (Luke).

An angel appears to Zechariah and tells him that in his old age, he would have a son, and he was to name him John. But Zechariah doubted, and so the angel silenced him. Zechariah was mute because he doubted.

An angel visits Mary and tells her that though a virgin, she would conceive and have a son, and she was to name him Jesus. And Mary’s response was “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.”

These two accounts are put side by side to contrast someone who doubted the promise and someone who believed the promise.

That’s the battle: will we believe God’s promises. We have two modes: law or faith

Under law, the big crime/struggle is failing to keep the law.

Under faith, the big crime/struggle is failing to believe the promises.

Faith, not works.

So much of Scripture is given to God’s promises for us. Promise of His care, His provision, His protection, His faithfulness. Promise of answered prayer, forgiveness of sin, deliverance. Promise that He works all things for our good.

But for too many of us, it is as if those promises were not even there. We pray, think and act without the assurances and hopes God intended for us to have.

We tend to see the instructions in Scripture—the things we should do. Perhaps Scripture’s greater purpose isn’t telling us to do, but to believe. It is here to give us assurance and hope, to strengthen our faith.

Faith, not feelings. It’s not about emotions, it’s about what you believe.

We often put an emphasis on how we feel. Do we feel God’s presence, do we feel blessed or convicted, do we feel passion and excitement? And these are important. Emotions are an indicator of things in our heart.

But in Scripture, the emphasis is far more on what we believe. Time and time in the Psalms, the Psalmist feels discouraged, threatened, but he fights to believe. He fights to believe that God is true, even when the circumstances and feelings point the other way. “Why so downcast, O my soul? Put your hope in God.”

Feeling should not instruct our faith. Faith should instruct our feelings.

Whether I have a feeling about Janette’s love is secondary to my belief. I believe she does love me and I love her too.

It’s more about your faith than your feelings, what you believe than what you feel.

To remember last week’s sermon, God is with us. This is not about whether you feel His presence all the time, but about belief. Do you believe He is always with you?

If you’re not a Christian, just to repeat, Christianity is not about doing more good works, trying harder to be a better person. It is about believing that there is a God who loves us, who offers us forgiveness, love, adoption, and a crazy inheritance. It’s about not trusting in ourselves to do more and earn something, but humbling trusting in the grace and love of this God.

If you are a Christian, we’ve been talking about how we don’t just start in the gospel, we must live in the gospel. How do we do that? Last time we talked APTAT (acknowledge weakness, pray, trust in God’s promises, act, thank God).

I had mentioned that it is the trusting in God’s promises that we lack. We’ve heard about the acknowledging our weakness and turning to God in prayer. But it is this believing in God’s promises that I think is a huge missing piece.

I think the simplest, most concrete application of gospel living, living by faith, is to claim God’s promises, believe in God’s promises, live in light of God’s promises.

Our vision is to see lives renewed in Christ. We want to see people transformed by the gospel. We don’t want

Let me help us do this together. I’d like to give you 2 promises to meditate on.

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Mt 6:33)

Do we believe?

Do we believe that as we put God first, all of our other needs will be provided for? Do we really believe that our school work, our careers, our marriage, our children, our finances—God will give us all that we need? Or do we worry? Do we worry as if there’s no one else to take care of us? Jesus says, that’s what pagans do, pagans who do not have a Heavenly Father.

This promise is here to stop us from worrying, from stressing out. It’s here to give us assurance that we have a good Heavenly Father who knows our needs and is going to take care of us.

Do we see our situations in light of God’s promises?

Suppose you have a busy schedule. I don’t have time to spend with God. I don’t have time to seek Him in prayer or in His word. I’ve got some many things I have to do.

Then you remember Mt 6:33, and you pray, Lord, I believe that seeking you, making my relationship with you my higher priority will not hurt me. I believe that You’ll take care of my to-do list. You’ll provide the time, energy, efficiency I need. You promised me that as I put you first, you’ll provide for all my needs. I believe your promise.

Suppose you have tons of bills, loans, expenses. You’re stressed. You really have to cut down your expenses and/or find more income.

Then you remember Mt 6:33, and you pray, Lord, I believe that my giving my money for your Kingdom will not hurt me. I believe that You’ll take care of my financial needs. You’ll provide. You promised me that as I put you first, you’ll provide. I believe your promise.

And He will! God does keep His promises!

It’s not about just doing a QT or giving our money. It’s not about doing good works. It’s about our faith, and those actions need to be acts of faith.

We want to learn to live/pray in light of God’s promises.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Ro 8:28)

Do we believe?

Do we think that all things are for our good? Do we believe that God uses even the bad things in our lives for our spiritual growth and glorification?

When we get the flu, fail an exam, get stuck in traffic or stranded in an airport, do we believe God has permitted this for our good?

When we’re struggling with lust or loneliness, we’re fighting with our parents, or spouses, or in-laws, or we have a boss or co-worker or neighbor who has become a nightmare, do we believe that God has permitted this for our good? Or do we just complain, worry or get angry?

Do we really believe God works all things for our good? God’s word says He does. God uses the good and the bad, our success and our failures, our strengths and our weaknesses—He uses it all for our good.

Do we see our situation in light of God’s promises?

Suppose you’re sick with the flu (or your children are). You have coughs, body aches, chills—you’re miserable. You’re getting behind in your school work, you have to miss days at work.

Then you remember Ro 8:28, and you pray, Lord, I feel terrible. But You are sovereign and you are good. You are working for my good. You have some good purpose for me. You want to teach, reveal, use.

Lord, what good are you working in me now? Are you humbling my heart, reminding me of my spiritual weakness before you? Are you trying to get my attention because I’ve been so busy? Are you teaching me to trust you that there is good, even when I don’t see it or feel it?

Suppose you’re in a conflict (spouse, parent, co-worker). You’re so upset, angry. You feel so wronged, so offended, so mistreated, so rejected.

Then you remember Ro 8:28, and you pray, Lord, this is so miserable. But You are sovereign and you are good. What good are you working in me now? Are you exposing some of the ugliness of my own heart? Are you showing me some of my idols, misplaced values? Are you trying to teach me about forgiveness and grace, about unconditional love?

Living in light of God’s promise (Ro 8:28) means we don’t have to complain or get upset or fall into despair. We can have peace. We can rejoice, even in the bad times.

Christianity is not “The Bible says to rejoice always, be thankful in all circumstances, and so I better do my best.” The point is not to get us to do something. The point is that we believing something, and the doing is simply the by-product of the believing.

Let me repeat. I think the simplest, most concrete application of gospel living, living by faith, is to claim God’s promises, believe in God’s promises, live in light of God’s promises.

I encourage you to read and study God’s word, and look for His promises, look for all the things He says He’ll do for us.

So meditate on these promises, pray through these promises, claim these promises.

Let them transform your mind and strengthen your heart. Ask God to help you believe them more deeply. For Christianity is a journey, not of deeds and effort, but of faith.

And by doing so, you show that you are the children of Abraham.

Just as Abraham was a promise-believer, so also are his children.

And as his descendents, you are heirs of a glorious inheritance.