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Romans Chapter four. We’re going to be together today. It’s a beautiful section of scripture and it’s a very patient section of scripture for us as we think about where God has us in this valley and being a light for him. And whatever you do, whether it’s around your friends, family and your community, your workplace, and living for God’s glory. And if you remember in Romans chapter three, Paul gave us some very powerful statements to consider, Right? Romans Chapter three these very beautiful statements on the backdrop of all he’s communicated to us up to this point in the book. Remember Paul said in Romans chapter one, verse 18, he gave us that very powerful thought that the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all in godliness, the wrath of God. That is not an easy word to swallow. And then he goes on to describe who those people are under God’s wrath. And this is basically how he concludes, It’s everybody. It is everybody on God’s wrath and under God’s wrath. And we need to find a place to escape that wrath. And where do we find it? It’s under God’s grace. And in Romans chapter three, Paul starts giving that that declaration of how we discover God’s grace. And it’s not merited to us by how we perform, but it’s given to us by what Christ has done. And in Romans 321, he said this, He said, The righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, talking about religious law, although the law and the prophets bear witness to it.
So Paul is saying, look, if you go back in the Old Testament, even the law and the prophets are saying to you, you don’t find favor with God based on what you do, you find favor on God based on who he is and what he’s going to do for you. The law and the prophets have been saying this from the beginning. That’s what this is Paul’s argument to us. And he goes on and verse 28 for we hold that one is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. So Paul is laying out for us something different and unique than what religion typically says to us, Right? Religion will teach us all about your performance that you, you cause God to have to owe you something by how you live your life, that you merit his favor. And and Paul’s laid out the argument that this is impossible because we’re all sinful. We are all sinful. But in this section of Scripture now, as you get into chapter four, it’s as if Paul is answering the this statement from the audience, as if they’re saying back to him, Paul from Rome, they’re saying to him, okay, Paul, prove it. Prove it. If what you’re saying is really true and we really want to see how you’ve reached this conclusion, more than just giving a declaration that we’re supposed to embrace.
Paul, show us. You say the law on the prophets have said this. They proved to us in the passages of of how the law and the prophets have have communicated this. And and this section of Scripture, I think, is very important for for all of us as we think about our gospel witness in this world. Or maybe you’re here this morning and you’re thinking, okay, I’ve heard what you’ve said in the first three chapters of Romans, but I’m a little reluctant to embrace it. And it’s this Paul understands his audience might be in that same position. And the reason that they’re in that same position is they’ve they’ve grown up with a religious way of teaching and and a particular culture that they’ve been raised in. And for them just to abandon that simply because Paul gave a statement as if it’s got all this authority and they should just listen to what Paul says because in verse 28, he said so. Paul recognizes that it’s it’s a little farfetched that simply because he gave one statement that he expects someone to completely turn their life totally around. And so Paul starts to walk with them patiently to explain to them, okay, here’s the basis for belief. Here’s here’s a reason for which you should embrace the declaration of what I have told you in chapter three. And this becomes kind of an encouragement to us that as you go into this world and you cast the seed of the gospel.
Just because you gave someone a declaration once, Maybe. Maybe their heart wasn’t ready to just completely buy into it at that moment. But. But maybe what they need from you. It’s just a little bit of patience. As you live and share the truth of Jesus in their life. To walk alongside them and help them to see what what it is that you’ve discovered that is so radically changed your life. And this is this is Romans chapter four as they seek a reason to believe in. And when Paul starts this chapter, I mean, he he goes after some of the people they revere within within their own culture and belief system as they’ve been raised in the Old Testament. They go right. He goes right to their example to to those if you would ask them who are who are the leaders of your movement? Who are the ones that you admire, who are the ones that you look after and look up to? And Paul’s like, Let me just start right there. And and Romans chapter one. That’s that’s what he does. He says, consider what Abraham believed. That’s the first blank in your notes. If you grab that this morning, consider what Abraham believed. He even starts it off with with a question. What what then, shall we say was gained by Abraham? How did Abraham get where he was our forefather, according to the flesh, You know, the one that started all that? Judaism is right? I mean, what are we going to say about his his life? According to the flesh? What what does the Abraham ever earned by what he did? What did he ever merit before God? And then he starts to give the answer.
In verse two, he says, for if Abraham was justified by works. He has something to boast about. Maybe before people. They saw a reason to brag. But not before God. I before. God. If you remember who Abraham was before he started his journey with the Lord. Abraham was raised and among ur of the Chaldeans. Abraham is from a place that the Chaldeans was on the Euphrates River, about 100 miles northwest of of the Persian Gulf. If you were to look at modern day Iraq today and you were to go as far east as you can go in Iraq, about 100 miles northwest Iraq touches the Persian Gulf, about 100 miles northwest of that, on the Euphrates River. That’s where the Chaldeans is was located. During Abraham’s day. At least 300,000 people are believed to have lived within this town during Abraham’s time. It was a major metropolitan area. People during this this time period, in this place, they were highly educated and they were heavily involved in polytheism. They worship multiple gods, including Abraham. Abraham wasn’t seeking God. In fact, his his father was an idolatry, and he raised Abraham to be a pagan. And in the book of Joshua, chapter 24 and verse two, to look at this, it says, thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel.
Long ago, your fathers lived beyond the Euphrates. Tara, This is the father of Abraham and of nature, and they served other gods. Abraham was a pagan. But this begs the question. What happened? What happened. And the answer Paul gives us then is in verse number three that Abraham wasn’t the one that saw God. But rather God sought Abraham. And in verse three four, What does the Scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was credit to him as righteousness. God pursued Abraham and God shared with Abraham. And all you discover as you read the Scriptures, as is, this is the nature of God. In the Book of Genesis. When Adam and Eve said God didn’t give up on humanity. God pursued them in the garden and said, Adam, where are you? And God makes the first sacrifice and God promises that He’s going to to come in Genesis chapter three, verse 15, and redeem us in his life as he gives his life for us. I mean, the reason you have the Bible, this is God’s revelation to us. This is God’s desire to communicate to you that you understand the heart of God in His heart for you and your identity as it’s intended to be shaped in Him. And all of the Bible, even in the coming of Jesus. This is this is God’s reminder to us that God’s heart is is a God of love.
And love is about giving itself away. And Jesus came to give his life for us. The same God that came to Abraham is the same God that seeks after you and me. Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. And in the Book of Genesis, starting at the end of Chapter 11, you can follow that story of how God made him himself known to Abraham. And Genesis chapter 12, verse one, when Abraham is 75 years old. This is when God shows up in his life. He says. Now, the Lord said, Abraham, go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you and I will make you a great nation and I will bless you and make your name great so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and him who dishonors you. I will curse. And then you, all the families of the Earth shall be blessed. First thing we learn about the life of Abraham here. 75 years old. And he listens to what God says in Genesis 12 and he follows. Can I encourage you this morning? It’s never too late to start following the Lord. You can never be too old. You can never be in any position in which the grace of God cannot reach you. It’s never too late to follow after the Lord.
And could you imagine Genesis Chapter 12, doing what God calls Abraham to do? With no guarantee but God’s word. Abraham. He He leaves his business. He leaves his homeland. He leaves his friends. He leaves his his relatives. He probably leaves his many of his possessions. He abandons his temporal security for future uncertainty. The land that he was promised to to inherit was inhabited by pagans that were probably even more wicked than than the land he was currently living in. There was no moving company to call to pack you up. There was no builder to reach out to in order to build you a new home and the place that you were going. I mean, during Abraham’s day, people spent their entire lives within a 50 mile radius. You born, you were born, you lived, and you died all within a certain enclosed area. And for Abraham just to pick up and leave to go beyond what he is familiar with. People didn’t do that in his day. In fact, people didn’t start doing that really until the industrial revolution. This was unheard of. So. So why would Abraham do this? How would Abraham follow to this degree? I think it’s because Abraham knew God can do a work in you. And through you that is far greater than anything that you can ever do of yourself. And in fact, it tells us that of Abraham in the book of Hebrews Chapter 11, it says this by faith.
Abraham obeyed. When he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And look at this, he went out not knowing where he was going. He’d have to know where he was going because Abraham knew who he was going with. And to him he was content in that. And by faith he went to to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob Heirs with him to the same promise, for he was looking forward to the city that has foundations whose designer and builder is God. Abraham knew. God can do a work in him and through him that was far greater. Than any work he would ever do in and of himself. And so Abraham was willing to follow God because Abraham wanted to live for more. Sometimes as a pastor, people ask me, how do I how do I change? How do I make my life count? Um, sometimes we get to that place where we feel like our life is a little bit meaningless, or some of the things that we’re doing is a little bit foolish or maybe just downright dumb. And we don’t want to do those things anymore. And and I think the the help for us to get there, the way to see our lives transformed as as one stop stop looking at what you’re leaving. Stop looking at what you’re trying to do in of yourself and really just completely died of self.
And look to him. What is it God desires to do in your heart? What is it God desires to do in your life? And you live for a completely different purpose. It’s not about what you’re not doing. Religion will give you a bunch of rules about what not to do. It’s about who you’re becoming. But your eyes are fixed on Christ. The author and finisher of your faith. And you choose to live your life for something completely different, something other than the value this world places upon you, something that that’s going to going to matter both now and for all of eternity. To see this world from from Christ’s perspective and and to live for that purpose. And Abraham. Abraham is looking forward to that day. And, you know, when I think about in terms of us where we sit today and and Abraham during his day, what incredible faith he had just to hear God’s word and to think about all the possibilities of what God can do. I think it’s far easier to believe today than it is in Abraham’s day. I know some people say things will say like, you know, if I live during the time of Jesus, I would I would think it would be much easier to believe. And I just say baloney. I mean, the New Testament wasn’t even written at that point. Like today we get to look back at everything that God has done and the people who have walked a life of faith.
And we get to see from their stories how God’s hand was continually faithful to them. And now we get to stand in our place. Having looked at all that God has accomplished and what Jesus has done for us, and to recognize it’s the same God that we pursue with our lives. It’s a far better position, I think, for us today to to be able to have the scriptures and to look at the hand of God and the promises of God that are given to the people of God to live for his glory in this world. And to make our lives count. Not not only in in Genesis 12 do we see God show, but again in Genesis 15, God speaks to Abraham once more when when Abraham is 86 years old. He’s 86 years old, in fact. In Romans four, verse three, this is this is where the apostle Paul is actually quoting from when he talks about the life of Abraham. But he says this and he brought him outside, brought Abraham outside. And he said Abraham looked toward heaven. A number of the stars. If you’re able to number them. And then he said to him, So shall your offspring be. And he believed the Lord. And he counted it to him as righteousness. That’s what it says right in Romans. He believed the Lord, and it counted him as righteousness.
Abraham didn’t do anything. He just heard God’s word. And he trusted it. Abraham believed the word of the Lord. Let me just ask you, how many of you at 86 years old, if God came to you and said, you’re going to have a baby? Would you be like, Yes, this is exactly what I wanted. Lord, I believe. Right. This is this is what Abraham This is what Abraham was told. Now, I know in reading a story in Genesis chapter 12, 75 years old, he packs up and moves. How many of you were, like, 75 years old? I can’t wait to move my whole life to another country. Among the people group that I don’t even know. Right? That’s. That sounds stressful. And then an 86 years old having a baby who’s looking forward to that, right, that you start to read the story and you think to myself, I think I’m getting a little anxious here. You know, I need to calm myself down. Can I can I just can I just encourage you to think about the life of Abraham and perhaps maybe the stress of these couple of chapters? Maybe in this moment, just maybe you’re thinking a little bit too much of yourself. And not not enough of the Lord himself. Hudson, Taylor said, I like this. God’s work. Done God’s way will never lack God’s supply. Abraham knew something about his relationship with the Lord. If God’s going to lead me to it.
God’s going to get me through it. God’s with me. And wherever he takes me. God’s going to be there and God’s going to supply. And the story then goes on. And Genesis 15, this is a very pinnacle passage for the Jews. It’s honestly a very pinnacle passage in Scripture for all of us. If you’ve never read Genesis 15, that’s it’s one of those chapters that you should know in the Bible because starting in verse seven, then God says to Abraham and to Abraham in order to to prove to you that I’m going to fulfill this promise, we’re going to make a covenant, you and me, we’re going to make a covenant. And Abraham goes and he he sacrifices some animals because in Abraham’s day, in order to make a covenant, it’s literally called cutting a covenant. And you would sacrifice animals and you would lay the animals, you would tear them apart, and they would set on either side. And the two people that make this covenant would walk through that covenant together as if to say, If I don’t fulfill my promise in this covenant, may what happens to me be what happens to these animals. It’s a complete commitment of your life. It’s like we refer to marriage as a covenant today. It’s a it’s a full commitment of your life. And so Abraham is now making this covenant with God. He sacrifices these animals. But here’s what here’s what’s interesting in this story.
Before Abraham could walk through this covenant agreement with God. God calls us Abraham to fall asleep. And God himself walks through this covenant alone. Saying to us, this promise is not what is not based on what Abraham does. This promise is based on who God is. And for those that read the story of Abraham and and get a little anxious about some of the things that Abraham is going through, let me let me give you the second promise. God does his best work when I rest in Him. So many times we see some of the things that the Lord might call us to and we might get a little anxious or get a little worried. What would it look like if I actually took God’s Word serious? What were my friends think? Or what were my family think? All God calls you to. Stressed in him. Trust in and what he has to say. Jesus, wherever you’re calling me. You’re more than enough. You’re more than enough. Which is why at the very end of this verse, it says, and it was counted to him, counted to Abraham as righteousness. It was counted to him, which means God credited it and Abraham inherited it. It’s not Abraham earning anything. I mean, when you read the life of Abraham. Abraham, by far, was not a perfect person. Even the stories that you read from Genesis 12 and on of his life, he messed up quite a few times.
But it wasn’t because of who he was that God was faithful. Was because of who got his. That he was faithful in his promise. So. So Paul, he’s saying to to these readers in Rome, hey, Paul, we listen. What you said God would credit us his righteousness, but we want more than that. Can you just prove to us that that’s sufficient? And Paul says, okay, look at look at Abraham. This was entirely what Abraham believed. He believed God and it was counted to him as righteous. And then Paul makes the point number two in your notes is this I can be like Abraham. I can be like Abraham. It’s not. I’m not here to impress people with my faith. I’m here to the trust and the one who was faithful. And so he goes on in this this passage in verse four, not to the one who works. He gives us what Abraham did not do. And before he tells us in verse five what Abraham did do to the one who works his wages are counted to him, not not as a gift, but as what is due. There are many people in this life that operate this way, this maybe even you this morning. I don’t know. Like you come to church on Sunday as if it’s doing Got a favor. Thinking that now because you showed up. God owes you something. You read God’s Word because, well, you feel guilty and you think, Well, that’s what I have to do.
But when you do it, God owes you something. God is not indebted to anyone. God owes us nothing. And the only reason we have hope is simply because, by his nature, he’s he’s done an act of grace that gives us a place of deliverance, not because he owes us anything. But because he’s that good. His love lavished on us in our sin. So in verse five, he says, That’s into the one who does not work. But believes in him who justifies the ungodly. His faith. Is counted as righteousness. Can I tell you just maybe one little section of verse five to to hold in your heart this morning and and memorize. Is this phrase in verse five him who justifies the ungodly. A change in our status before God is the first thing that needs to take place in the life of every Christian. Sentenced to eternal death because of our sin. God intervenes in his sheer grace and He declares us righteous before him. Him who justifies the ungodly. Sometimes Christians have a hard time accepting. And embracing this phrase. Him who justifies the ungodly. Sometimes we struggle. To feel like. We could be loved in that way. It’s him who justifies the ungodly. I know for some people they may have been reared in a way that their home lacked love. Maybe they had some authority figures over them, maybe even someone like a father. That was not good to them.
And because of that fatherly figure over them, when they think about God, they sort of emulate the characteristic of that fatherly figure on God himself. And they were never good enough. They were never truly loved in a gracious way. But that’s not God. It’s him who justifies the ungodly. He meets us and our brokenness. Can I tell you in scripture? For Christians who struggle to believe that phrase. Or maybe unbelievers maybe don’t qualify themselves as Christians, yet they can’t just quite embrace that phrase. Can I tell you, one of the reasons that holds us back from really holding the truth of that statement. It’s demonic. Do you know? In Revelation chapter 12, verse ten, Satan refers to himself. He’s referred to, as I should say, in Revelation 1210 as the accuser of the brethren. He likes to come in and remind you of your failures. Of all the things that you’ve done wrong that make you unworthy to be loved, which isn’t true in Christ. And usually when we let that voice churn in our head, that demonic voice, really, that’s contrary to what God’s word says. We typically do it in second person. You, you. You are a failure. You. You are not worthy to be loved. How could God possibly love you? When it’s accusative in a in a very satanic way? That’s that’s the way we often turn it in our mind. Right. But I think when we start to embrace that as as truth, we take it to the first person.
But I. But I am loved. And I am forgiven. And in Christ I am made new because of the third person. Because of him. Because the way he pursued me, because of what he has done for me, by the fact that he has given his life that I may be made new. He who justifies the ungodly. Isaiah 53, verse four says this Surely our griefs he himself bore and our sorrows he carried. And it ends this fight in verse five that his faith is counted as righteousness. Trusting in that phrase, right? He who justifies the ungodly, that faith and that moment of what Christ has done is what justifies our heart is counted as righteousness before him. Let me just be clear in saying this God uses faith for our salvation, but faith itself does not save. Faith is the conduit by which salvation comes into your life. In fact, in Ephesians chapter two, it says it like this for by grace you have been saved. God’s grace towards you is what saves you. For my grace, you have been saved through faith. Faith becomes the conduit by which you experience the grace of God when you trust and the sufficiency of who Christ is in your life. And this is not of your doing. It’s the gift of God. Not as a result of work so that no one may boast. This is not a breakfast about your glory.
This is about a warship. Because of his glory. And we have a place to have faith because God reached down into the darkness to rescue our souls, to give us a place to rest in him. The greatest work God does. It’s when we rest in in him. Point number three. Then Paul doesn’t just talk about Abraham. He says to the Jews and Rome and to the Christians who are aware of Judaism, Judaism and their beliefs. He says this point number three David believed and was blessed. David believed and was blessed. Verse six Just as David also speaks the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from the works. Blessed are those who lawless deeds are forgiven and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin. Paul here quotes Psalm 32 and I think he quotes it for a couple of reasons. Number one, the greatest king in Israel. Understood and taught justification by faith alone. And David refers to this as a blessing. And this blessing he’s talking about is salvation. This idea of of justification by faith alone. And if you study the life of David, just like Abraham, what you discover about David is David was not perfect. David didn’t do enough to measure God’s salvation because God’s standard is perfection. And so David, in his own life, started to learns in his humility that the blessed person is one who’s who’s forgiven by the Lord.
In fact, in verse eight, he talks about this blessing coming as a as a future in Christ, blessing the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin. Acknowledging, I think one day the Lord will transform us by offering his life and removing all sin. He’s looking to the future hope that the Lord would deliver. And so He. Paul cites Psalms Chapter 32 to acknowledge that David one talked about this justification by sin, but he’s also quoting David. And in order to to bridge all of the Old Testament, because Abraham represented the part of the Old Testament that was referred to as the law. And David represents the part of the Old Testament that’s referred to as the prophets. And by quoting Psalm 32 and the life of Abraham, what Paul is saying is both the law and the prophets, all of the Old Testament, this is what was taught. Justification for our soul is by faith blessed. Are the people. Trust in the Lord this way. Blessed people. When our lives are blessed by the Lord, blessed people are able then to bless people. And this is a reminder that that in Christ, when you receive what God has given you, that God doesn’t just work in you, but God’s desire is to work through you. God carries this blessing into your heart, that that blessing of God can live through your heart, into this world. You know, with my my young boys, every once in a while, the question circles around, I don’t know what I’m going to do when I grow up.
They stress out about that. If you’ve got kids, sometimes they think about that. What what am I supposed to be when I get older? Oh, my gosh. I’ve got to figure this out. Dad, I look at you, you’re doing something. What is it I’m going to do? And I usually tell my kids the same thing when they start to worry about that. I don’t care what you do as much as I care about who you become. As long as you just take a step forward. And I don’t care how big the step is. With a pure heart before the Lord. But the desire to bless others. Whatever you do, it’s going to be great. Because bless people before. God bless people. Just keep moving forward with a pure heart before God and the Lord will take care of the rest. Whatever you do is going to be great, because whatever you do in life, as long as you do it for his glory, it is great in the eyes of God. Bless people. Bless people. And so point number four then in your notes, this last point. This blessing is for all that believe. This blessing is for all that believe like this. We’re going to read these all these last four verses all together. Here is this blessing, then only for the circumcised or also for the uncircumcised.
For we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. He received the sign of circumcision as a seal, the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so the righteousness would be counted to them as well. And to make him the father of the circumcised who are are not merely circumcised, but also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our Father Abraham had before he was circumcised. Now, I know that you see the theme of this again as talking about circumcision. Last time I talked about circumcision, I got in trouble. Some of you even send me emojis of scissors, like, Oh, man, what a don’t do that this week. But. But in Genesis 17, I don’t even want to repeat what I repeated last time. But in Genesis 17, this is where Abraham is given the sign of circumcision. And let me just say this. I do want to talk about this just a little bit, but in Genesis 17, when Abraham receives the sign of circumcision, he is 99 years old, 99 years old. I don’t even know at 99 years old if I’m going to trust myself to brush my teeth, let alone go through this.
Right. I hope. What? I’m 99, nine years old. The biggest decision I have to make is not about circumcision or something like this, but more. Do I even want to get out of bed today? That’s the kind of that’s the kind of question I’m hoping I’m having if I even make it to 99 years old. But here’s here’s Abraham being being circumcised and the point of telling us about this, this circumcision. Is not not so that we have to walk away and perform a procedure on ourselves. In fact, verse 11, it even tells us that the point of the circumcision is not about other people getting circumcised. But let me just say a couple of things about this. Abraham up to this point. He’s 75 years old when he first starts following after the Lord. And now he’s 99 years old. And he’s still faithfully living his life for the Lord. I think it’s a beautiful thing to think about, no matter what age you’re at. To continue to live your life for his glory. I have a friend of mine. He’s a pastor who’s retired, lives in Tennessee. He was my pastor when I first came to know the Lord, and he messages me every week. In fact, he messaged me right before I got on stage this morning and said, Praying for you, praying for the church, praying for everything that God’s doing for the church here in Utah. And I just thanked him and told him what encouragement he always is to my to my life.
And he said, I am with you until I’m in glory. Here he is later in life and he’s just he’s not quitting and being a servant of the Lord. And Abraham, here he is doing the same thing. God, whatever you call him to. He wants to live for God’s glory. And in this story, circumcision was was intended to be a temporary mark identifying God’s people. And the reason circumcision became a temporary marker to identify God’s people is because God’s people were the people through which God wanted to bring His blessing, to bless all the people on Earth. The mark of the circumcision was a way to identify that this is the people group through which God has promised the Messiah would come, so that when the Messiah was was on Earth, we would not fail to recognize him and we would grab a hold of him. And in the Messiah we would find freedom. The point of that story is not so that we go get circumcision. The point of the story is to remind us to look for the Messiah, that when he comes we can embrace the Messiah and find life in the Messiah. And now that the Messiah has come. There’s freedom in him. God pursuing us by His grace, and we are better off for it. And here’s what he’s saying at the end of Romans that we’re reading these last couple of verses, in a way, a chapter for.
Doesn’t matter where you’ve come from. Doesn’t matter what you’ve done. There is nowhere that you can be that God’s grace. Can’t reach you. It’s not about you. It’s about him. You don’t merit this. He’s done this on your behalf, that you can find freedom. And this is what they’ve been saying in the scriptures from the beginning, from the life of Abraham to the life of David. You you can be like Abraham and you can live the blessing that David described because it’s wrapped up in the goodness of God. He does his greatest work while we rest in him. Solomon with this story. There was this mother, single mother living in Rio de Janeiro. With her daughter. And they had a very humble life. But the daughter longed for more and she romanticized what she could have in this world if she could just get out on her own. And one day, when the mother woke up, she noticed the daughter had gone missing. And the mother worried for her. So the mother ran to the store and she immediately had printed all all kinds of copies of the latest photo that she had of her daughter. And the mom of just very meager living. She jumped on a bus and she rode that bus all over Rio de Janeiro looking for her daughter. And she went anywhere that she knew that someone lived on the streets might go, or maybe even someone that got involved in the prostitution might might frequent because she knew her daughter was full of pride and prideful people.
When they get desperate, they will do anything. And she just went looking for her daughter. And everywhere she went, she she placed those pictures on on mirrors, on billboards, in hotel lobbies and motels at shelters, wherever she could find. She just placed that picture and she she wrote a note on the back of that picture seeking her daughter and finally out of money. She went home. One day after spending the night in a motel. Her. Daughter came downstairs and some time had passed and her face was sunken and her eyes darkened. And she looked across this motel lobby. And she saw to her shock, her picture. And she walked over to that mirror and she pulled the picture off and she turned it over. On the back of that picture. That’s a note from her mother. I don’t care what you’ve done. I don’t care who you’ve become. I just want you to come home. And she did. Romans, Chapter four. Is that story for your soul. God sang whatever you’ve gone through. Whatever you’ve done. It doesn’t. Take away what Christ has done for you. Come home. Come home. From the saints of the Old Testament all the way to the new. They have found the grace of God. God does his best work while we rest and him. And in that our soul has a place to rejoice. If we would come home.