The Promise To Abraham

Romans 4:13-17
[13] For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. [14] For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. [15] For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression.

[16] That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, [17] as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. 
DEEP SHEET: Sermon Study Questions
1.   How does Paul define the promise made to Abraham and his offspring? Discuss the relevant passages in Genesis.
2.   What do the promises made to Abraham have to do with us? How do they provide peace and joy in tumultuous times?
3.   How does law-based inheritance render the promise void? How does v. 15 clarify Paul’s point?
4.   What makes Abraham so significant in God’s redemptive plan? Why does Paul keep referring to him as “father”?
5.   How does v.17 provide clarity on what is means to believe in God?
References: Romans 3:23-24; 4:4-5; Genesis 15:6; Genesis 12:1-3; 3:15; Psalm 2:8; Matthew 5:5; Isaiah 65:17; Romans 3:20; Galatians 3:10; John 3:36; Colossians 2:13-14; Galatians 3:7; Genesis 17:5.