A Life Marked By Faith.

Steve Gentry

[0:00] If you have your Bibles, go ahead and open them up to Genesis chapter 17. [0:04] We’re going to get back into our Genesis series this morning and talk about the promise [0:12] that God ultimately makes to Abram that changes his complete identity. [0:17] What’s interesting about this week is that this text that we’re going to go through [0:21] today is really what Christmas is based on. [0:25] The reality that as Christians, as followers of Jesus Christ, we set aside Christmas Day

[0:31] to celebrate the coming of our King Jesus, the birth through the Virgin Mary of Jesus [0:37] being born. [0:39] And rarely though do we look back in Scripture to see what God did to actually work history [0:47] towards Jesus. [0:48] And that’s what I want to do with you this morning. [0:50] In Genesis 17 is a pivotal passage as all of the promises that God makes to Abraham

[0:56] are in showing us what God is going to do and what God means to do in the life and [1:03] in the family of Abraham. [1:06] Now when we get to Genesis chapter 17, we find Abraham years after God initially called [1:12] him to follow him. [1:14] It’s been 24 years in Abraham’s life since God called him to leave the land of Canaan. [1:21] And it’s been, excuse me, to leave for the land of Canaan.

[1:24] And it’s been 13 years in Genesis 17 since Sarai birthed Ishmael. [1:33] And so at this point in Abraham’s life, he has been seeking to repent, seeking to obey [1:39] God for promises that have been made more than two decades previously. [1:46] And what I hope you understand through what we talk about today is the length of the [1:52] wait does not reveal inability of God to fulfill his promise. [1:59] Rather, what it reveals is that God desires us not just to trust that he’s going to deliver

[2:05] the promise, but also trust God’s timeline more than we trust our own. [2:11] In Genesis 15, God confirms a promise that he made to Abraham.

[2:16] And Abraham trusts God. [2:18] And the scriptures say it’s counted to him as righteousness that the ultimate command [2:22] that God has for us, what God requires of us, is belief that God is who he says he is [2:30] and he’s going to do what he says he’s going to do. [2:33] And the reality of God’s redemption of Abram through his belief is something that’s echoed [2:38] throughout scripture.

[2:40] In Habakkuk 2-4, we see the proclamation that the just are those who have been justified [2:45] by God will live by faith in God. [2:48] That’s going to be the distinction about us is that we believe God is going to do what [2:55] he says he’s going to do. [2:56] And then throughout the New Testament, this promise and this proclamation that we should [3:01] trust God, we should believe God, and that God’s going to make us righteous through

[3:05] that belief is echoed to represent what we are and what we do as Christians, that we [3:12] believe that God fulfills all his promises in Jesus. [3:16] And that the death of Jesus was no accident, but rather it was God’s conclusion to the [3:20] promise that he’s made to Abram. [3:21] And then ultimately we see God’s power in the resurrection of Jesus. [3:26] And because of that, we must understand that through faith, God changes everything about

[3:33] us. [3:34] And in Genesis 17, we see God use the life of Abram to show how these changes affect [3:42] us, how these changes will really come out in our lives. [3:45] And it’s not just one simple change or a little change in attitude or a little change in behavior, [3:50] but rather it’s an ultimate change in everything about who he is down to his very identity, [3:57] down to the way that he represents himself to the world, down to the way that he acts

[4:01] in this world, down to the way that he identifies himself among a world filled with unbelief.

[4:09] And so join me in Genesis 17, and we’ll start reading in verse 1. [4:15] When Abram was 99 years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, I am God Almighty. [4:24] Walk before me and be blameless, that I may make my covenant between me and you and may [4:30] multiply you greatly. [4:32] Then Abram fell on his face and God said to him, behold, my covenant is with you, and [4:38] you shall be the father of a multitude of nations.

[4:45] Now what’s interesting about this text is that this is not something that we haven’t [4:49] seen God say to Abram before, but rather this is a reminder of his promise. [4:56] If you go through Scripture, in any length of time, you’ll see God do this over and over [5:01] and over again. [5:01] He does it in the Old Testament, he does it in the New Testament, he does it through prophets, [5:05] then he does it through apostles.

[5:06] He gives us reminders. [5:09] Like I said, there’s been a great distance between when God originally called Abram [5:13] to the point where God’s going to now begin to show him through his practical living [5:19] the fulfillment of those promises.

[5:23] But God wants to come into Abram’s life and he wants to be at the forefront and he wants [5:28] to give him reminder after reminder after reminder, I am God and I’m going to do it. [5:34] But what God’s ultimately saying through these reminders is Abram, don’t trust yourself, [5:40] trust me. [5:42] Not only have I made the promise, but I’m in control of the promise. [5:45] The promise is dependent on God, the promise is not dependent on Abram, and God wants Abram

[5:50] to live in light of those promises that he has made. [5:55] So number one this morning, we should live in a way that reveals trust in God’s promises. [6:03] See in this text between verses one and four, God really says three ultimate things to Abram [6:10] that are distinctive and should impact our lives. [6:12] The first one is that he gives himself a name to Abram. [6:16] And it’s the name, it’s the first time we really see it in scriptures, the name El Shaddai,

[6:19] it’s the name God Almighty. [6:21] He identifies himself to Abram. [6:24] But the name that he uses for himself is important, for it is not simply a name of identification, [6:30] but rather it’s a name of ability. [6:32] God looks to Abram and he says, I am God Almighty, I have the ability to do what I [6:40] said I was going to do and you must trust it.

[6:46] When he says that he is God Almighty, he is telling Abram about what he is going to do.

[6:54] See after a length of time, after you come to faith in Christ, you are so excited about [6:58] the promises that God has made you, you are so excited about the redemption that God is [7:02] putting in you. [7:03] But as time goes by, ultimately the world and everything that happens in it, whether [7:09] it be pain, whether it be success, whether it be people’s voices, different messages [7:14] other than God that comes in our head, but ultimately our trust begins to wane.

[7:20] And we begin to point our life towards and we begin to pour ourselves into things that [7:25] have nothing to do with God. [7:27] And sometimes in life we begin to experience things, maybe it’s over years at a time where [7:32] we don’t even hear the voice of God in our life, He seems so distant from us. [7:38] So we begin to distrust. [7:40] And more than that, it’s not just an academic distrust, but we begin to live in such a way

[7:44] that shows that we don’t really trust God.

[7:47] And so decades after he originally calls Abram, God reinserts himself and he says, Abram, [7:53] I’m still that same God. [7:57] Nothing has changed about me even though your situation continuously changes.

[8:05] He says, I’m God Almighty, I’m in control. [8:11] I can do this. [8:13] You simply trust me more than you trust anything else in your life. [8:20] And this name is always connected to God’s promises. [8:25] You see throughout the book of Genesis, especially, and throughout much more of scripture, you [8:29] actually see God refers to Himself in this way again and again.

[8:33] You also see other people begin to describe God in this way. [8:37] And I believe for our purposes in our practical life, this is the most important name of God [8:44] to really be familiar with because in the hard moments and even in the good moments [8:48] when you begin to trust yourself because things are going so well, we must have reminders [8:53] of who God is. [8:55] He’s not simply a God who can, He’s a God who will.

[8:59] He’s God Almighty. [9:02] He’s not to be trifled with, He’s not to be compromised with. [9:07] He’s God. [9:09] He will do it. [9:11] And we are called to trust it. [9:15] Ultimately, we see way back here in Genesis, God makes these promises.

[9:19] He says who He is. [9:21] And Abram never sees in his lifetime the ultimate fulfillment of this promise.

[9:28] See Abram, he’s going to see kids born. [9:31] He’s going to have kids, he’s going to have grandkids, and he’s going to see children. [9:35] But what God says here in verse 4 is something so amazing that it had to be hard for Abram [9:41] to trust, and that is you be the father for multitude.

[9:46] But God says I’m God Almighty. [9:49] I can do it. [9:50] I will multiply you among the nations.

[9:55] Abram didn’t get to see that on earth, but he got to see it in heaven. [10:00] Matthew chapter 1 verse 1, we ultimately see the fulfillment of this promise when God says [10:06] the disciple Matthew, he says that Jesus is the son of Abraham.

[10:14] Centuries later, God works through history, God brings, God forms, and then God fulfills [10:21] this promise that Abraham would be the father of a multitude of nations when God says I’m [10:28] now sending my son. [10:31] Every promise I made will be kept. [10:34] I’m God Almighty. [10:36] If you want to believe in God, if you want to believe that he will fulfill his promises

[10:42] to you, if you want to believe and have ultimate faith, you must look to Jesus. [10:49] Because every promise that God made, everything that God will do has been and will be kept [10:55] in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

[11:01] He looks to Abram and he says there are two things that you must do in light of the faith [11:06] that you have in me. [11:08] It’s not that God is looking to Abraham and saying in order to earn righteousness for [11:12] me you must keep these things. [11:14] No. [11:15] In Genesis 15, God declared him righteous.

[11:17] Why? [11:17] Because he believed. [11:19] But God then looks to Abraham and says there are two things that having faith in me will [11:24] ultimately cause in your life because you believe me. [11:28] See we don’t believe anything if we don’t live by that belief. [11:32] The way that we live our lives really does show what we believe.

[11:37] We can assent, we can agree and we can academically find and say well I think that’s true. [11:41] I absolutely believe that if I ate a salad every day I’d be in great shape and the weight [11:46] that I needed to be but I don’t really believe that by the way I eat. [11:51] Ultimately what you really believe is shown by how you live and God says to Abram if [11:56] you really believe me you’ll do two things you’ll walk before me and you’ll be blameless.

[12:02] And so God when he says to Abram he says walk before me he’s showing him that obedience [12:07] is based on trust. [12:10] Activity and direction show what we believe in our lives and so when God looks to Abraham [12:16] he says the first thing that you must do in your belief is show me through the direction [12:21] of your life through where you’re going and through what you’re doing that you trust me. [12:27] You see when Abraham agreed with Sarai that he would go into Hagar to have a child did

[12:32] he show that he trusted God? [12:34] Absolutely not. [12:36] When he lied to the Egyptian Pharaoh and said this is not really my wife I’m coming here [12:41] for protection does he really believe? [12:44] God no. [12:45] He’s showing by the direction of his life he’s showing by where he is going and what

[12:50] he is doing. [12:50] He doesn’t really trust God. [12:53] So God looks to him and says if you trust me walk before me. [12:57] The direction of your life and the things that you do do matter. [13:02] They matter eternally. [13:05] And ultimately we need that message for our lives because many days I think that we live

[13:09] as though what we do and where we go and what we have happening in our lives and the [13:14] direction we’re taking ourselves and the direction we’re taking our family they don’t really [13:18] matter. [13:20] Little old me I’m insignificant nothing I do matters. [13:24] But God looks to Abraham and he says absolutely it matters not because of who Abraham was [13:29] but because of what God had called him to.

[13:33] So the very same message is true for you especially if you’ve come to faith in Jesus Christ or [13:38] even if you’re just hearing the message of Jesus Christ God wants you to hear that message [13:43] and God is calling you through that message and he’s saying change your life through belief [13:47] in me. [13:49] Walk before God. [13:52] In Ephesians chapter 5 we’re informed by Paul that our walk is determined by the decisions

[13:58] that we make about the direction of our lives when he says look carefully then how you walk. [14:05] Not as unwise but as wise because the days excuse me and make the best use of the time [14:11] because the days are evil. [14:14] Therefore do not be foolish but understand what the will of the Lord is. [14:19] These texts are pointing us to the fact that there is some wisdom to what the gospel informs [14:24] us about with God and that should change the way that we live our lives.

[14:29] Through faith in Jesus Christ we understand that we have a life that is not going to be [14:34] forever on this earth but rather it’s going to be forever in heaven therefore what we [14:38] do in this life will echo for eternity. [14:42] And that the decisions that we make ultimately will not just matter to us but they will matter [14:46] to those all around us because we have a good news of Jesus that everyone needs. [14:52] And Paul then says because of that do not walk as those who are unwise.

[14:59] Walk as those who have been made wise by God. [15:03] Do not be foolish. [15:06] And I love the way he caps it. [15:07] He says understand what the will of the Lord is. [15:10] See when he says this in Ephesians chapter 5 he is echoing back to Ephesians chapter [15:14] 1.

[15:15] This part is free by the way. [15:16] He is echoing back to Ephesians chapter 1 when he says we know what the mystery of God’s [15:21] will is. [15:22] It has been shown in Jesus. [15:25] See it’s not a mystery what God’s will is. [15:27] It’s not a mystery what God wants you to do with your life.

[15:31] If you are looking for God’s will for your life I will save you a lot of trouble. [15:35] It’s the gospel of Jesus Christ. [15:37] You are to live every single day to get the gospel to as many people as possible in your [15:43] life and that is the only wise life. [15:47] Through everything that you do, through everything that you are point to Jesus. [15:50] That’s how you walk before God as one who is wise.

[15:55] And then he tells them a second thing. [15:56] He tells them to be blameless. [15:58] If you know one thing about the life of Abram it’s that he was not blameless. [16:06] In no way did Abram ever live up to this call of God. [16:12] So is God giving him something that he can’t possibly do and that he won’t do? [16:18] I don’t believe that because what does it mean to be blameless?

[16:22] It means that in everything that you do in your life ultimately God will get the glory. [16:27] So how was Abram blameless? [16:30] Because he believed. [16:32] You see how are you blameless? [16:35] It’s not because you are sinless. [16:37] I know enough of you to know that.

[16:40] It’s not because you are good. [16:43] It’s not because you can be moral. [16:45] It’s not because you can pick yourself up by your bootstraps and walk in ways that are [16:50] absolutely obedient to where you never even have a course thought. [16:55] No! [16:57] It’s by the very hand of God that you are made blameless.

[17:01] In Genesis chapter 6 verse 9 the scriptures say that Noah was blameless and walked before [17:05] the Lord. [17:06] It’s not because Noah wasn’t a sinner because after God saves him through the flood Noah [17:11] cracks open the whiskey and gets stone drunk.

[17:15] No! [17:15] He was a sinner. [17:17] Abram was a sinner. [17:18] Abram was a liar. [17:19] Abram was not good. [17:21] If we knew Abram and the things that he did we would probably think he was very despicable

[17:25] but instead it was the calling of God on his life and the redemption that God sewed into [17:31] his life through his belief that made him blameless. [17:35] And then as Abram saw his sin as Abram was confronted with who he was without God Abram [17:41] repented. [17:42] Abram turned from his sin. [17:44] I said a few weeks ago your life is not determined by how many times you fail.

[17:48] Rather your life is determined by how many times you repent.

[17:54] How many times you turn from your sin when you are confronted with it. [17:57] This is a God of grace. [17:58] We see the God of grace so active in the life of Abram that it’s remarkable. [18:05] And it should give hope to every single one of us when we look at a God who calls for [18:12] blamelessness and we see a God who calls us to the action of repentance.

[18:20] Abram trusted God for forgiveness. [18:24] Abram trusted God to fulfill his promise that he told him and he continually turned [18:30] towards God with his life. [18:34] See I believe that some of you are sitting in here and you are sitting in here with a [18:37] great deal of guilt. [18:38] You see a phrase in scripture like be blameless and you say I could never do that.

[18:44] You see a command in scripture to have faith and you say I’ve already blown that one. [18:50] I didn’t trust him yesterday. [18:52] I’m struggling to trust him this morning.

[18:56] And I want to tell you that you are not without hope as I am not without hope. [19:02] God is a God whom every time you turn to him he will be there. [19:07] And see the promise that God has for us in redemption is the same promise that God has [19:12] for Abram in redemption. [19:13] And that is he will be his God as Abram will be his people. [19:19] Why?

[19:20] Because God is good. [19:23] Not because I’m good and not because you’re good. [19:27] In Galatians chapter 3 verse 16 we see the ultimate fulfillment of this promise to Abraham. [19:32] When he says be blameless before me we know this is a prophecy of the one who would count [19:38] us all as blameless. [19:40] It says now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring.

[19:44] It does not say into offspring referring to many but to one. [19:49] And to your offspring who is Christ. [19:53] How can you be blameless? [19:54] Turn to Jesus who lived his life so that you could have his obedience counted towards [20:03] you. [20:04] And you say but in Abraham’s life Jesus hadn’t even been born yet.

[20:07] That’s how amazing the promises of God are. [20:10] That God will make a promise to someone centuries before he fulfills it and it still counted [20:15] towards him. [20:16] How was Abram made righteous? [20:18] Through Jesus Christ. [20:20] God exists outside of time so he just went forward and counted it backward.

[20:23] And you say that’s crazy math. [20:25] Well that’s God. [20:26] Do I understand it? [20:27] No, but I’m trusting it because I want to be made righteous. [20:31] Secondly this morning our identity is built on what we believe about God. [20:38] Our identity is built on what we believe about God.

[20:42] Look in verse 5. [20:44] In verse 5 God looks to Abram and he says no longer shall your name be called Abram [20:48] but your name shall be Abraham. [20:51] For I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. [20:56] I will make you exceedingly fruitful and I will make you into nations and kings shall [21:01] come from you and I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after

[21:06] you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant to be God to you and to your offspring [21:12] after you. [21:13] I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the [21:18] land of Canaan for an everlasting possession and I will be their God. [21:25] You see God looks to Abram and he changes his name to Abraham. [21:29] You say that seems somewhat insignificant because all we did was we added a few letters

[21:33] and it’s strange but the meaning of these two names is vastly different. [21:37] Abram as we saw the first week of the series it means that he’s the exalted father. [21:42] See that was a name from his father Tyra and what it really meant is that Abram would [21:46] in the light of who his father was that all of Abram’s successors were to point to his [21:50] dad who was a pagan. [21:53] God comes into his life and says no longer will you be marked by your past but instead

[22:01] you’ll be marked by me. [22:04] He changes his name from Abram to Abraham from exalted father to the father of a multitude. [22:11] You see God wants our identity to be made up by his promises. [22:19] Not by who we think we are, not by what we think we’ve done, not by where we came from [22:25] because some of us came from really dark places. [22:29] Some of us came from family situations that were not so joyous.

[22:33] Some of us come from family situations and we say if only I could have come from a different [22:37] place maybe my life would be different. [22:41] Maybe I wouldn’t struggle with all this pain. [22:43] Maybe I wouldn’t struggle with all this turmoil in my life. [22:46] Maybe I wouldn’t have the past that I have if I could only point to a different lineage [22:50] than the one that I already have.

[22:53] Some of you find yourself on the other side of that. [22:55] You have nothing but pride in where you came from. [22:58] You have nothing but pride in who you are. [23:01] You came from a family that is marked and is famous and that is purposeful and that [23:05] is great and you look back and you say I’m everything that I am is because of where I [23:10] came from.

[23:11] Everything that I have is because of where I came from. [23:13] I come from a great name and I’m going to make my family name great and God looks at [23:18] both of them and he says I don’t want you to be known by either.

[23:23] I don’t want you to be marked by the pain in your life and I don’t want you to be marked [23:26] by how great you think you are. [23:28] I want you to be marked by my promises is what God says. [23:32] And so when God changes his name to Abraham he’s giving a message for the ages and that [23:39] our lives have purpose outside of ourselves. [23:44] That what we exist for is bigger than who we are.

[23:48] What we exist for is greater than any family name whether good or bad. [23:54] We are to be marked by God and for God. [23:59] We’re to exist for him and his purposes. [24:02] Our destiny is not made up of where we’ve been. [24:07] Our destiny is made up for where God has called us. [24:11] And that’s why God changes his name.

[24:14] God changes his name so he’ll be marked by God rather than himself. [24:18] You know we’ve had our name changed if we trusted in Jesus Christ. [24:22] Look at Ephesians chapter 2 verses 4 and 5 real quick. [24:26] In Ephesians chapter 2 verses 4 and 5 we read but God being rich in mercy because of the [24:35] trespasses made us alive together with Christ. [24:40] By grace you’ve been saved.

[24:43] You see our identity was in death. [24:48] Our identity was in sin. [24:52] Our identity was made up in the reality that we’ve been born into a sinful world and we [25:00] are sinful people. [25:02] See that was Abram’s identity when all that he had was the name of his father Tyra. [25:08] But God calls us and in his rich mercy he says I’m going to take that death and I’m

[25:14] going to give you life. [25:17] You see as Abram went from Abram to Abraham we through Jesus can go from dead in our [25:24] sin to alive in Jesus Christ. [25:27] When you trust in God he changes the identity of our lives.

[25:34] And no matter where you came from is a bad place all the memories that you have are [25:40] hard or where you came from is the brightest of all brights in this world it’s not as [25:45] good as what God has called you to. [25:48] You see God does not want you to live a life in light of sin because that’s all we can [25:54] get in this world. [25:54] That’s the best that this world has to offer us is less than God’s will.

[26:00] But through God and through Jesus we can go from who we are to who God has called us [26:06] to be and he will not simply mark us with a name like Abraham. [26:11] Scriptures tell us that he will mark us by the name of his very son whom in Romans 8 [26:18] says that he desires to be the firstborn among many brethren. [26:22] That we can be called to be joint heirs with Jesus Christ. [26:26] Brothers and sisters of the covenant of God and that is the name that God stamps us with.

[26:32] That is what the name of Christian means. [26:35] It goes above and beyond who you were named by your mom and dad. [26:39] It goes above and beyond by how you define yourself whether it be in sin or whether it [26:44] be in great fame. [26:45] It goes to the mark of the God who spoke the world into existence when God marks you and [26:51] he says mine.

[26:54] That is the name that he wants to be the most important to you. [26:57] That is the calling that he wants to mark your very life. [27:02] What we have been known for is gone. [27:06] We were dead in our sin but God has made us alive in Jesus and his righteousness now belongs [27:13] to us and everything about our lives must point to him. [27:20] He desires for our identity to be built on what we believe about God.

[27:28] Regardless of whether you trust Jesus Christ you are marked by what you believe about God. [27:36] You are marked by either a great faith in him through Jesus or your life will be marked [27:41] by lack of faith in him. [27:45] Your direction will simply go the direction of all those who find their hope in their [27:50] sin. [27:52] All those who point their lives away from God and that will be your identity.

[27:57] God says it doesn’t have to be that way. [28:00] In his great grace as he came to Abraham he also has come to us. [28:05] He has come to us through the cross of Jesus Christ. [28:10] Thirdly this morning faith in God will be the distinct devotion of those who trust [28:16] in him. [28:18] Look in verse 9.

[28:20] And God said to Abraham as for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your offspring after [28:26] you throughout their generations. [28:28] This is my covenant which you shall keep between me and you and your offspring after you. [28:33] Every male among you shall be circumcised. [28:36] You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins and it shall be a sign of [28:41] the covenant between me and you.

[28:43] He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised. [28:46] Every male throughout your generations whether born in your house or bought with your money [28:53] from any foreigner who is not of your offspring. [28:56] Both he who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money shall surely be [29:01] circumcised. [29:02] So shall my covenant be in your flesh an everlasting covenant.

[29:07] Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut [29:12] off from his people. [29:14] He has broken my covenant.

[29:21]

[29:23] Circumcision is an interesting subject especially when you are the preacher. [29:28] For some it is a medical thing. [29:31] It is also a religious thing and a cultural thing. [29:33] For Abraham though as God has told him it is a non-negotiable thing. [29:39] 99 years old and God calls him to this. [29:43] God said that this was to be the distinct mark of his people.

[29:47] Some pastors and commentators say that God uses the most important thing to most men [29:52] to show their devotion to him. [29:55] I will be frank with you most of us are just glad it happened before we had any memories.

[30:02] There is a correlation between the promise of God’s offspring through Abraham and the [30:08] role of circumcision as the signifier of trusting that promise. [30:13] There is more at work here than simply painful devotion. [30:20] God wanted his people to be distinct in this world and he still does. [30:26] Here is a conversation starter because why in the world would God do that as the mark [30:32] for his people?

[30:33] Wouldn’t it have been simpler to burn a brand in our arms? [30:36] I think all the men in here would say I would rather be burned with a brand than to go through [30:40] that. [30:41] But the reality is that God desired for all things to be devoted to him. [30:46] Ultimately I think he is literally sanctifying reproduction through Israel. [30:52] He is literally showing us what he is doing through Abrams reproduction.

[30:59] That God’s promise is to Abraham’s offspring and God says I want that to be marked for [31:05] me. [31:05] Ultimately I am probably not going to have an answer for this until I get to heaven [31:09] and I don’t know that I want an answer right now. [31:11] But the reality is that God called the nation of Israel that would come through the line [31:17] of Abraham.

[31:18] He wanted them to be distinct in this world. [31:21] And he did choose that which most of us would say is very important to us. [31:25] The last thing that we want anybody taking a knife towards. [31:29] In Deuteronomy chapter 10 verse 16 though we see that this goes deeper than just physical [31:35] Because none of God’s commands to us though we do them with our actual activity though [31:42] they actually involve us being obedient in very physical ways none of them only manifest

[31:49] themselves in the physical because God wants more than that. [31:53] He doesn’t simply want my behavior modification he wants my desires. [31:57] And in Deuteronomy chapter 10 verse 16 Moses writes to the nation of Israel he says circumcise [32:04] therefore the foreskin of your heart and be no longer stubborn. [32:11] You see God doesn’t just want thoughtless activity. [32:15] He doesn’t want mindless devotion.

[32:18] He doesn’t want your obedience if your heart is not in it because it is not what he desires [32:24] from us. [32:25] He desires to transform us from the inside out. [32:29] And when in Deuteronomy chapter 10 Moses makes this statement he understands what he [32:34] is saying because in Hebrew the term for heart was also used as the term for the conscience [32:41] or the inner man mind and will.

[32:46] It is the figurative way of explaining what we are basing our very lives on. [32:53] That God looks to Abraham and he says I want you to do this externally because when you [33:01] are willing to do that I know I have got your heart.

[33:06] And so Abraham gives over the freedom of his own body to God and he marks himself for the [33:14] purpose and work of God’s will. [33:17] And God looks to him and says now I know I have your heart. [33:24] You see when we turn our hearts towards God we will turn absolutely everything else over [33:29] to him. [33:31] When we turn everything that we are desiring for the direction of our lives and we simply

[33:35] look to God in an act of surrender and say I am yours use me. [33:42] That is what it means to follow God. [33:45] It is not a list of do’s and don’ts. [33:49] It is not a checklist for you to go through in your life and say I was pretty obedient [33:55] today because look at how good I have been. [33:57] It does not begin with that.

[33:59] It begins with your very will. [34:02] It begins with your very desires. [34:06] God wants you to have passion for him. [34:09] He wants you to be marked by living differently because you love him. [34:15] Commentator Eugene Merrill puts it this way that circumcision was the sign of outward [34:20] conformity to the covenant ideal and was not only perfectly acceptable but required.

[34:27] However it was not enough if it was only physical and formal. [34:31] More important was an inner conformity to the requirements and purposes of God. [34:36] A circumcision of the inner person. [34:39] And that is what we see through what Jesus does in our lives. [34:43] Look in Colossians chapter 2 verses 11 through 13. [34:48] Paul writes in him Jesus also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands by

[34:56] putting off the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ having been buried with him in baptism [35:02] in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God who raised [35:08] him from the dead and you who were dead in your trespasses in the uncircumcision of [35:14] your flesh. [35:15] God made alive together with him having forgiven us all our trespasses. [35:21] God means to cut off the sin of our lives.

[35:26] God means to change us from the inside out. [35:30] And friends often times that is harder and more painful than any physical circumcision [35:35] that we will ever have. [35:37] Because giving God our very will is truly the surrender of everything in your life. [35:44] It’s truly the surrender of your morning and your afternoon and your evening. [35:47] It’s the surrender of your career.

[35:49] It’s the surrender of your marriage. [35:51] It’s the surrender of your social life. [35:53] And it’s the surrender of your direction. [35:55] It is the surrender of you saying God I believe that you are wiser than I am and I believe [36:01] that your promises are surer than anything else this life affords me. [36:07] Anything else this life can give me.

[36:09] You are surer. [36:11] You are better and I give myself wholly to you. [36:15] Use anything and everything in my life for your will. [36:18] That is faith. [36:23] Jesus has marked our hearts with an eternal circumcision. [36:28] We’ve been raised to a new life with a new identity that should cause a distinct devotion

[36:33] in our lives that marks our entire being for his glory. [36:38] Because just as Abraham was we are motivated by a promise from God. [36:45] And that is the promise that not only has he forgiven us of our sins but ultimately [36:51] that he will give us the eternal joy of knowing him and being with him forever. [36:58] The Bible tells us that God’s promise through Jesus is that he redeems us from our death [37:03] and sin and gives us a new life in him, through him and for him.

[37:10] We’re made alive because Jesus paid the penalty for our sins. [37:16] You see some of us we believe that our lives have been changed by God but we struggle [37:23] with regret.

[37:25] We struggle with guilt. [37:29] We struggle with following God because we still struggle and look at him and say but [37:33] I’m still not worthy. [37:36] But I’m still not righteous. [37:39] You see when the promises of God come through Jesus and when it says because the promise [37:43] that was given to Abraham has been fully fulfilled by Jesus Christ and then Jesus

[37:48] comes and he says as I have circumcised your flesh I have cut your sin off from you. [37:53] I have removed it. [37:55] What he’s saying is no longer do you need to be defined by your past. [38:00] No longer do you need to be defined by your guilt. [38:05] Friend not even the guilt of yesterday. [38:06] But rather your life must be marked by the promise that God will forgive you continually.

[38:16] That God will eternally grant you the power to repent of your sins. [38:23] That every time that you turn towards him he’ll be there. [38:27] Not with a look of disregard, not with a look of anger but the look of a father who loves [38:33] you because you have been forgiven by the obedience and righteousness of Jesus Christ [38:39] who has power over sin and death. [38:43] No longer are you marked by the identity of sin from this world.

[38:50] You are marked by the promises of Jesus Christ. [38:56] To have the promise of God means to be changed by God. [39:02] Friends, live your life in the direction of Jesus Christ because with him there’s [39:10] no regret. [39:12] With him guilt gone. [39:15] With him forgiveness realized.

[39:18] With him glory is certain. [39:21] With him destiny is true. [39:25] You can have Jesus today. [39:30] Have you been changed by him? [39:34] Do you trust his promises?

[39:37] Friends, as he fulfilled his promise to Abraham through Jesus Christ he will fulfill his [39:44] promises to you. [39:46] He’s good and he’s in control. [39:49] He’s powerful. [39:50] We have Christmas in just a few days. [39:54] Do not go through this holiday season without trusting the promises that God made to Abraham

[40:03] and to you. [40:04] As the band comes up I want to take some moments together as a church to reflect on the Lord’s [40:13] Supper. [40:14] Man, I love the promises of God because in the promises of God the nation of Israel that [40:20] came from Abraham started reflecting on this meal in recognition of God moving to fulfill [40:27] his promises, in recognition of God moving to bring his will about for them but ultimately

[40:33] what they didn’t realize is that they were doing it in prophecy of Jesus Christ’s death [40:37] on the cross. [40:40] Friends, Jesus was born to die and he lived in that direction for you and for me. [40:48] So that he could bring us direction. [40:51] The cup represents the shed blood of Jesus and the bread represents his broken body. [40:57] Today when we reflect on this he calls us, he says come forward and through this you

[41:02] are proclaiming a great trust in me. [41:06] That you are proclaiming a trust that God will forgive us and give us life through Jesus [41:12] Christ’s work on the cross. [41:14] It’s finished. [41:15] We take joy in this meal. [41:18] We take joy in it because Jesus rose from the dead.

[41:22] If you are a follower of Jesus, if you have believed in him, there are six stations in [41:27] this room and in just a moment I am going to call you to come. [41:30] I am going to call you to proclaim your trust in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

[41:36] If you have not believed in him I am going to ask that you not come and proclaim that [41:41] you do. [41:41] I am going to ask that you not lie. [41:43] Not because anyone in here is better than you. [41:47] But because God wants this meal to mean something to you. [41:53] You see there is nothing holding you back from trust in Jesus but yourself and your

[41:57] sin. [41:59] Today is the day of salvation for you. [42:02] Today is the day where this meal can be a holy meeting between you and God. [42:09] What I want to call you to if you don’t believe in Jesus is I want to call you to believe. [42:15] I want to call you to simply trust. [42:17] I want to call you to surrender your life to this great God who can work through the

[42:23] centuries to bring forgiveness of sins to his people. [42:29] Jesus died for your sins. [42:32] Trust him today. [42:34] I would love the opportunity to pray with you. [42:37] I will be over here. [42:38] There will be some in the foyer.

[42:40] When you are ready, come.