Second Sunday in Lent February 28 and March 1, 2026
“It All Depends on Faith” Romans 4:1-8, 13-17
Rev. John R. Larson Ascension Lutheran Church Littleton, Colorado
How do you live your life? How do you face your hardest moments? How do you seek direction for what lies ahead? How do you get peace in your soul? How do you prepare for your next life?
Here is the answer. It all depends on faith.
When you look at the people that you admire the most, what do they possess? They possess an unshakeable confidence in their God. Someone else is making them tall and strong. It is their God.
You’re not living this life alone. The burdens of life don’t sit solely on your shoulders. The joys that come to your life aren’t there simply by your genius. It all depends on faith. Romans 4:16, part of our reading from Romans today says, “That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring.”
Faith is resting in someone else. It is relying on someone else. It is being sure that someone else will take up the matter and solve the problem. Who we rest in is our God. Who we have confidence in is our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul, to support his argument that it all depends on faith in God’s action gives us some examples. First of all, he speaks of Abraham. “What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, discovered in this matter? If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about – but not before God. What does the Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.’” (Romans 4:1-3) It goes on, “However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness.” (Romans 4:5) As Abraham got older, now almost 100 years old, and the son God had promised through him had not arrived, it was faith in God’s faithfulness that sustained him. “Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations.” (Romans 4:18)
If you are going to add a name to the resume of those who walked in faith, you had better add David. He depended on God for forgiveness and the declaration that God looked at him as righteous. That forgiveness was given by grace and held onto in faith. David says of this, “Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him.” (Romans 4:7-8, Psalm 32:1-2)
It all depends on faith because it all depends on grace because it all depends on Christ. In the previous chapter Paul is clear: “But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.” (Romans 3:21-22) In the chapter after the one we read Paul goes on, “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:1)
It all depends on faith. Hebrews 11:6 begins, “Without faith it is impossible to please God.” Isn’t that most famous passage from John 3:16-17 all about faith? “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” Faith. Trust. Reliance. Confidence. Who do you trust in? Who do you rely on?
Dr. Jeff Gibbs was talking about watching his house being built from the ground up in Oregon. He said that in houses there are two different types of walls. There are “load-bearing walls” and what is called “curtain walls.” Curtain walls just separate one room from the other – like a curtain. When the house is being built it is obvious which ones are the load bearing walls. They are holding up the second story of your house. They are holding up the roof. But when the house is all done, all the finished work is accomplished, and the paint is applied, it is not as obvious, as least to some dumb pastor, which is carrying the load.
How can you really tell which is the “load-bearing wall” and which is the “curtain wall”? You get out your sledgehammer and knock it down and see what happens. If it is a “curtain wall” you’ll have a mess, but your house will still be standing. But if it is a load-bearing wall you’ve got a problem.
Jesus spoke about a man who built his house on rock and another who built his house on sand. To both of them they had terrible inclement weather and the question on whether the house would stand was raised. Rain came down, streams rose and the winds blew and beat those houses up. The one builder built solidly and his house stood. But the one that had no foundation, the one built on sand, crashed. Jesus said that the ones whose house crashed are the ones who heard His words but they failed to put His words into practice. They had no faith in what He said. (See Matthew 7:24-27)
Do you have false hopes? Do you have a failing foundation? Is your house ready to collapse? Sometimes we get into the curse of comparison and try to prop ourselves up to determine our worth and our place in life. We look at someone and say, “I’d never do that!!” “I’m glad I’m not like him.” “I’m glad I’m not like her.” And just like that our life crashes. Our arrogance was the “load-bearing wall”, and it can’t stand. We put such pride in our achievements and our success and quickly it disappears. We thought we had the approval and the respect of others, and we count on it more than anything else, and we find ourselves on the outside. God takes a sledgehammer and brings down the house.
So, what do we do? How do we stand? It all depends on faith. Our focus isn’t on ourselves anymore – our focus is on Him. You see -It is all given to us by grace. It all rests on Christ and His work. St. Paul had his life thrown into confusion and turmoil by God. God shattered all of his false securities and then gave him a life that was full and complete. Initially this lesson of not looking inward to self, but outward to God, was a hard one. He begins his word, “If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more…” And then he lists his button-popping, slap-on-the-back accomplishments. And then in a life that was going to boast in God rather than self he says, “Whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ – the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.” (See Philippians 3:7-9)
It all depends on faith! Got it? Faith is opposite of working. It is resting. Leaning. Trusting. In Jesus. The load-bearing wall? It’s Christ. All the burden of the world’s sins were put on Him. In the Garden and at the cross He bore our failures. Do you know this hymn?
I am trusting Thee, Lord Jesus, Trusting only Thee;
Trusting Thee for full salvation, Great and free.
I am trusting Thee, Lord Jesus; Never let me fall.
I am trusting Thee forever And for all.
(Lutheran Service Book, 729, Verses 1,6)
Some years ago, an online magazine asked the question, “If you could summarize your life in six words, what words would you use?” One wrote in, “Savior complex makes for many disappointments.” Another, “Thought I would make more impact.” How about these words for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego? “King was hot. Furnace was not.” How about this for the prodigal son? Bad. Sad. Dad glad. Brother mad.” Good Samaritan? “I came. I saw. I stopped.”
The six words for us? “Walked by faith, not by sight.” (II Corinthians 5:7) Folks – It all depends on faith. It all depends on grace. It all depends on Christ. Got it? Good!! Amen!!
