WEBVTT 0 00:00:04.890 --> 00:00:07.354 Welcome to the Willow Ridge Sermons podcast. 1 00:00:07.482 --> 00:00:11.150 This is where you can find audio from Sunday morning messages and more. 2 00:00:11.300 --> 00:00:14.442 Make sure you're subscribed so that you don't miss future episodes. 3 00:00:14.506 --> 00:00:16.030 And thanks for listening. 4 00:00:21.650 --> 00:00:35.442 All right, if you're a guest with us this morning, I just want to say thank you for worship been with us and being a part this morning and all the craziness that it was today as we were in our second week of getting started with our studies and all of those schedules. 5 00:00:35.586 --> 00:00:39.094 It's been a good morning so far with everything that's going on. 6 00:00:39.132 --> 00:00:44.170 But for our first time guests, we want to say thank you for choosing to be here with us this morning. 7 00:00:44.240 --> 00:00:50.202 At the end of every row, there's a little card there, if you wouldn't mind, at some point in time during the service, just filling that out. 8 00:00:50.256 --> 00:00:55.414 And then as you leave today, you can walk out these double doors that are right here at the back of our auditorium. 9 00:00:55.462 --> 00:00:57.630 And there's a basket you can drop that right there. 10 00:00:57.700 --> 00:01:03.402 But what we would honestly prefer is at the end of the service, my wife Erin and I will be back here at this back table. 11 00:01:03.466 --> 00:01:08.370 And if you could just stop by, you could hand us that card if that's all you want to do because you've got somewhere to be, that's fine. 12 00:01:08.440 --> 00:01:23.206 But if you've got questions to ask, we would love to answer your question and at a bare minimum, just thank you personally for worshipping with us and so we would love to have you come and join us back there after the service, if you wouldn't mind. 13 00:01:23.308 --> 00:01:34.458 So with that said, if you have your Bibles, and I hope you do, I want to encourage you to join me in Genesis, chapter 17, which is where we're going to be this morning. 14 00:01:34.624 --> 00:01:48.718 Now, we have been making our way through this wonderful, wonderful book, the first book of the Bible, when we open up and see of all of the things that God wants to teach us and grow with us and do this. 15 00:01:48.884 --> 00:02:01.214 And someone was just talking about how much they've enjoyed walking through this book, I'll say I've taught out of Genesis repeatedly in my life as being a pastor. 16 00:02:01.342 --> 00:02:09.350 I've never worked this way, verse by verse through it and it has been wonderfully excruciatingly good. 17 00:02:09.420 --> 00:02:10.600 Do you know what I mean? 18 00:02:11.450 --> 00:02:12.966 It does wear you out. 19 00:02:13.068 --> 00:02:19.458 It is hard, it is difficult a lot of times to work through this, but God has just been wonderful through that. 20 00:02:19.484 --> 00:02:21.078 And so I'm excited. 21 00:02:21.174 --> 00:02:26.710 If you're curious, when on the calendar are we going to be finished with Genesis? 22 00:02:26.870 --> 00:02:28.746 I can give you a definite answer. 23 00:02:28.848 --> 00:02:29.514 All right. 24 00:02:29.632 --> 00:02:30.522 I don't know. 25 00:02:30.656 --> 00:02:34.318 That is the definite answer that we have this morning. 26 00:02:34.404 --> 00:02:36.446 So we're going to cover all of. 27 00:02:36.468 --> 00:02:40.046 Chapter 17 this morning. 28 00:02:40.148 --> 00:02:40.686 So let's start. 29 00:02:40.708 --> 00:02:43.026 We're going to read verses one through eight as we get going. 30 00:02:43.128 --> 00:02:51.662 When Abram was 99 years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, I am God Almighty. 31 00:02:51.726 --> 00:03:01.010 Walk before me and be blameless that I may make my covenant between me and you and may multiply you greatly. 32 00:03:01.170 --> 00:03:11.766 Then Abram fell on his face, and God said to him, behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. 33 00:03:11.958 --> 00:03:17.734 No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be called Abraham. 34 00:03:17.862 --> 00:03:22.698 For I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. 35 00:03:22.874 --> 00:03:25.386 I will make you exceedingly fruitful. 36 00:03:25.498 --> 00:03:27.642 And I will make you into nations. 37 00:03:27.786 --> 00:03:30.478 And kings shall come from you. 38 00:03:30.564 --> 00:03:38.830 And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations. 39 00:03:38.990 --> 00:03:46.646 For an everlasting covenant to be god to you and to your offspring after you. 40 00:03:46.748 --> 00:03:52.818 And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings. 41 00:03:52.914 --> 00:03:56.706 All the land of Canaan for an everlasting possession. 42 00:03:56.898 --> 00:03:59.260 And I will be their god. 43 00:04:00.670 --> 00:04:04.700 So we see this big piece that is happening. 44 00:04:05.230 --> 00:04:15.050 It's that piece where we have been talking about this guy named Abram who will become this man named Abraham. 45 00:04:15.210 --> 00:04:20.526 And we see this journey that we've been walking through with this. 46 00:04:20.708 --> 00:04:34.034 And continuously what we have seen is this call on God from that very first time in the life of Abram to go and that God is going to do something with this. 47 00:04:34.072 --> 00:04:39.782 And we've looked at this covenant relationship that's there that is from God. 48 00:04:39.836 --> 00:04:43.830 It is maintained by God, it is carried out by God. 49 00:04:43.980 --> 00:04:47.254 It is all of these things that we see in the work of God. 50 00:04:47.292 --> 00:05:06.800 And it's been this beautiful picture as we've walked through this, because we see this dynamic of like, man, God is always getting it right then and today, and he's working through a group of people that don't always get it right then and today. 51 00:05:08.130 --> 00:05:24.670 And what we see here, what I want us to kind of take a brief moment and pause at, is look at and see the expectations of the Lord, because it's been this little bit of a journey that we've gone on with Abram. 52 00:05:24.750 --> 00:05:36.230 Now, from what we looked at last week to what we look at this week, what we're going to look at this week, there's about a 13 year gap. 53 00:05:37.470 --> 00:06:06.158 We don't know a ton of what's happened in this 13 year gap, but in the record of scripture, we see this 13 year gap, and then God comes and he has this conversation with Abram, who in this conversation becomes Abraham, and God identifies himself in a new way to Abram. 54 00:06:06.254 --> 00:06:08.174 He says, I'm God Almighty. 55 00:06:08.222 --> 00:06:08.722 Right? 56 00:06:08.856 --> 00:06:15.394 If you go back, if you were a Christian in the 80s, el Shaddai, Amy Grant, right? 57 00:06:15.512 --> 00:06:17.954 You heard that Tamara's nodding her head, right? 58 00:06:18.072 --> 00:06:19.902 It's all coming together, all this, right? 59 00:06:19.976 --> 00:06:24.774 So this is the name that we see and what we believe. 60 00:06:24.972 --> 00:06:39.690 What I believe in scripture of what happens here is what we see is we see Jesus in bodily form in the Old Testament standing before Abram. 61 00:06:40.430 --> 00:06:46.138 And in this he does three things that I want us to look at in these expectations of the Lord. 62 00:06:46.234 --> 00:06:47.342 He does three things. 63 00:06:47.476 --> 00:06:51.882 Number one, what we've already talked about, he reveals Himself to Abram. 64 00:06:52.026 --> 00:06:54.110 And Abram sees the Lord. 65 00:06:55.170 --> 00:06:58.534 This isn't a vision during a sleep. 66 00:06:58.682 --> 00:07:11.270 This isn't how the God is going to work as this figment in his mind, as Abram is here, just as you are looking at me, abram looks and sees the Lord. 67 00:07:11.770 --> 00:07:16.230 And then secondly, God gives Abram an expectation. 68 00:07:17.050 --> 00:07:22.090 He says, Walk before me and be blameless. 69 00:07:23.070 --> 00:07:26.326 Walk before me and be blameless. 70 00:07:26.438 --> 00:07:36.170 And in this, there's two things in the language here that is used that God is communicating. 71 00:07:36.330 --> 00:07:38.462 He says, walk before me. 72 00:07:38.596 --> 00:07:39.374 The first, right? 73 00:07:39.412 --> 00:07:41.658 So this is going to go all the way back to the beginning. 74 00:07:41.754 --> 00:07:44.320 If you are walking, you are going. 75 00:07:44.850 --> 00:07:53.570 And so this is an affirmation of what God has been doing in the life of Abram when he called Him from the very beginning to go. 76 00:07:53.720 --> 00:07:56.022 But he now says go. 77 00:07:56.156 --> 00:08:01.970 And as you go, go before me, Abram. 78 00:08:02.050 --> 00:08:02.680 Go. 79 00:08:03.610 --> 00:08:05.400 But know that I see you. 80 00:08:06.250 --> 00:08:07.846 Know that I see you. 81 00:08:08.028 --> 00:08:10.258 We were talking to some friends of ours this weekend. 82 00:08:10.354 --> 00:08:13.654 We went away for a cross country meet at Polly's Island. 83 00:08:13.702 --> 00:08:17.770 And so the team left on Friday to go run. 84 00:08:17.840 --> 00:08:24.030 And so us as parents, many of us went down because the race was early that morning and pretty long way to drive. 85 00:08:24.100 --> 00:08:32.046 And so we went and we were talking to some parents and they had left their 15 year old at home alone, right? 86 00:08:32.228 --> 00:08:33.940 I haven't done that yet. 87 00:08:34.870 --> 00:08:36.420 I've got good kids. 88 00:08:37.030 --> 00:08:39.060 It terrifies me, right? 89 00:08:39.510 --> 00:08:41.442 And they were telling us before they. 90 00:08:41.496 --> 00:08:45.414 Left, they put cameras all over their. 91 00:08:45.452 --> 00:08:55.474 House and randomly they would get on their phone and say through the cameras. 92 00:08:55.522 --> 00:08:59.626 In the house, son, we see you. 93 00:08:59.728 --> 00:09:00.380 Right? 94 00:09:01.230 --> 00:09:03.260 Not that he was doing anything wrong. 95 00:09:03.790 --> 00:09:08.460 They just wanted him to know, we see you. 96 00:09:08.830 --> 00:09:12.510 So God says, Walk before me. 97 00:09:12.660 --> 00:09:16.880 Go and know that I see you. 98 00:09:17.970 --> 00:09:18.478 Right? 99 00:09:18.564 --> 00:09:22.786 Wherever you go, whatever you do, I see you. 100 00:09:22.808 --> 00:09:23.522 I'm there. 101 00:09:23.656 --> 00:09:30.050 And then the next expectation that he gives him is be blameless. 102 00:09:31.030 --> 00:09:33.700 That just kind of has to feel a little heavy, right? 103 00:09:34.710 --> 00:09:35.460 Go. 104 00:09:37.210 --> 00:09:38.840 I'm watching you. 105 00:09:39.450 --> 00:09:42.742 I can see you now. 106 00:09:42.876 --> 00:09:43.762 Be blameless. 107 00:09:43.826 --> 00:09:46.902 So let's understand what this word means. 108 00:09:47.036 --> 00:09:50.214 A lot of times we can hear the word blameless and think for perfection. 109 00:09:50.262 --> 00:09:52.298 But when this word here is used. 110 00:09:52.464 --> 00:09:57.580 It'S talking about a wholeness of something, somewhat a wholeness that's there. 111 00:09:59.970 --> 00:10:11.354 The expectation that is there is not for a man that we've seen has had his struggles and we will see have his struggles. 112 00:10:11.482 --> 00:10:13.490 He says know that I see you. 113 00:10:13.560 --> 00:10:18.610 Be blameless, which means wholeness. 114 00:10:19.510 --> 00:10:22.900 God's saying, Be wholly devoted to me. 115 00:10:23.750 --> 00:10:26.694 Be wholly devoted to me. 116 00:10:26.892 --> 00:10:28.646 So in your successes and in your. 117 00:10:28.668 --> 00:10:30.166 Failures and in the journey that you. 118 00:10:30.188 --> 00:10:38.138 Will go on Abram, god says, be wholly devoted to me. 119 00:10:38.224 --> 00:10:57.102 Now, I love this because what this is communicating, what God expects of what we see in the life of Abram is this that what God expects from us as we obey Him comes out of this real, tangible way. 120 00:10:57.156 --> 00:11:21.014 Of how we know him in our relationship with Him, that he is our Father who sees us, who knows us, who invites us to know Him and says that within that, the expectation to communicate back to us right. 121 00:11:21.212 --> 00:11:23.080 Is be devoted to me. 122 00:11:23.610 --> 00:11:27.240 Be wholly devoted to me. 123 00:11:27.790 --> 00:11:30.486 And so Abram responds. 124 00:11:30.598 --> 00:11:31.770 He responds to God. 125 00:11:31.840 --> 00:11:36.922 He falls on his face, is what Scripture tells us. 126 00:11:37.056 --> 00:11:49.422 And so in this moment when God gives this challenge, when God gives this expectation, I see you be wholly devoted to me. 127 00:11:49.556 --> 00:12:02.098 Abram responds to the Lord, and he does so in a manner of not chest out, I can do this, but is face down in submission and honor, right? 128 00:12:02.264 --> 00:12:06.754 So his response to the call is not within me and myself. 129 00:12:06.872 --> 00:12:08.614 Man, Lord, I got this figured out. 130 00:12:08.652 --> 00:12:10.022 I'm just going to go and do this. 131 00:12:10.076 --> 00:12:17.894 It's that in the expectation of the Lord to go and do that, his response is submission and honor. 132 00:12:17.942 --> 00:12:24.220 And so Abram's response shows the glory to God, the submission of who he is, and complete surrender, right? 133 00:12:25.390 --> 00:12:26.940 Take this in our life. 134 00:12:27.870 --> 00:12:33.020 Go make disciples, go and proclaim My name. 135 00:12:33.550 --> 00:12:36.720 Go and walk in the power of the Spirit, right? 136 00:12:37.330 --> 00:12:39.566 Did Abram always get this right or always we'll get this right? 137 00:12:39.588 --> 00:12:39.726 No. 138 00:12:39.748 --> 00:12:41.294 Are you and I going to always get this right? 139 00:12:41.332 --> 00:12:41.630 No. 140 00:12:41.700 --> 00:12:43.822 But what do we walk in is. 141 00:12:43.876 --> 00:12:46.242 Submission and honor for the Lord as we see this. 142 00:12:46.296 --> 00:12:49.442 And then what God does here is God does something. 143 00:12:49.576 --> 00:12:50.818 God then changes. 144 00:12:50.904 --> 00:12:52.450 This is the third thing of what we see here. 145 00:12:52.520 --> 00:12:54.850 God changes Abram's name. 146 00:12:54.920 --> 00:12:57.570 He changed it from Abram to Abraham. 147 00:12:57.990 --> 00:13:10.550 And when we look at these words, it's pretty cool, especially when we think of the work of the nations, of what God has the word Abram, which is kind of the piece that Abram's been working with through all of this, right? 148 00:13:10.620 --> 00:13:16.874 Because we know he and his wife Sarah sarah at this time, I'm sorry, when we jump back, not ahead of where we're going to go, right? 149 00:13:16.912 --> 00:13:27.530 They have not been able to have children, but he is finally able to have a child when he steps out of the God's plan for him and he gets hagar pregnant and has ishmael. 150 00:13:27.610 --> 00:13:34.154 But for all of his adult life, for mostly all of it, we see that he's one without child. 151 00:13:34.212 --> 00:13:37.586 But the name Abram means father of many. 152 00:13:37.688 --> 00:13:43.806 And so what God does here in this moment is God changes his name from Abram to Abraham. 153 00:13:43.918 --> 00:13:46.920 And the name Abraham means father to many. 154 00:13:50.650 --> 00:13:54.870 You know, God changes names in the Bible. 155 00:13:55.610 --> 00:14:05.514 It's one of the things that I love when I see God doesn't always change names in the Bible, but it is definitely a practice that he does. 156 00:14:05.552 --> 00:14:10.918 Probably the most common one for us is when God changes Saul to Paul. 157 00:14:11.014 --> 00:14:16.350 There's this distinctive that happens in the ministry of Paul that's there. 158 00:14:16.420 --> 00:14:23.746 And God moves his name from the past of who he was to the future of who he is now. 159 00:14:23.768 --> 00:14:26.740 I grew up with my name. 160 00:14:27.910 --> 00:14:35.170 My brother in law who's working, he's an attorney and he's working on some legal documents for Aaron. 161 00:14:36.010 --> 00:14:39.030 And he sent her a text message yesterday. 162 00:14:39.450 --> 00:14:44.358 And the text message said, I know Bo's real name isn't Bo. 163 00:14:44.444 --> 00:14:47.254 I'm pretty sure there's a Vernon somewhere in there. 164 00:14:47.452 --> 00:14:49.260 Can you send me his name? 165 00:14:49.870 --> 00:14:55.606 And Aaron showed me the text message and many of you maybe didn't know that my name was Vernon. 166 00:14:55.638 --> 00:14:57.020 So there's that, right? 167 00:14:58.750 --> 00:15:02.186 And I would show a hands if anyone else here is named Vernon. 168 00:15:02.218 --> 00:15:03.280 But no. 169 00:15:05.250 --> 00:15:08.000 And it took me back to a spot in life. 170 00:15:08.690 --> 00:15:11.230 19 85 86. 171 00:15:11.300 --> 00:15:21.390 As I was early on in school, in elementary school, there was a commercial that came through, right, with a guy named Ernest. 172 00:15:21.470 --> 00:15:22.770 Y'all remember Ernest? 173 00:15:23.350 --> 00:15:29.880 And I don't remember what the commercial was about, but I know the catchphrase was, anybody remember it? 174 00:15:30.490 --> 00:15:32.710 Hey, Vern, you know what I mean, vern. 175 00:15:34.650 --> 00:15:43.580 That first day of school, little awkward bow, I'm not kidding you. 176 00:15:44.030 --> 00:15:45.814 My head has not gotten any bigger. 177 00:15:45.862 --> 00:15:48.780 Since I was seven, right? 178 00:15:50.370 --> 00:15:56.190 And I'm sitting there and the teacher says, Vernon. 179 00:15:57.250 --> 00:15:59.840 And it hit me, bo's not my real name. 180 00:16:00.450 --> 00:16:02.320 I have to answer to this. 181 00:16:03.250 --> 00:16:07.326 And then from that moment on, moving forward, you know what I mean, vern? 182 00:16:07.358 --> 00:16:08.046 You know what I mean, vern. 183 00:16:08.078 --> 00:16:09.330 You know what mean vern. 184 00:16:09.670 --> 00:16:10.418 Right? 185 00:16:10.584 --> 00:16:15.534 And so in scripture, we see that God changes names. 186 00:16:15.582 --> 00:16:28.278 It's not what he always does, but it's what he and when we're coming through, when we look at our relationship with the Lord, maybe some of you are thinking like me, that would be really cool to have had the name change. 187 00:16:28.364 --> 00:16:30.502 Not a name change because I changed my name. 188 00:16:30.556 --> 00:16:41.482 Not a name change because my parents gave me a nickname that I go by, but that there is this name change that happened, that marked this time in my life that before I was this person. 189 00:16:41.616 --> 00:16:44.574 And now moving forward, I am this person, right? 190 00:16:44.612 --> 00:16:46.302 Like it would be really cool in that moment. 191 00:16:46.356 --> 00:16:52.560 Like Abram is going to walk out of this moment and no, I'm not Abram any longer. 192 00:16:53.430 --> 00:17:01.860 I'm Abraham and my name points to the faithfulness of God and what he is doing in my life. 193 00:17:03.910 --> 00:17:09.540 Can you imagine what it would be like on the day that you got saved, whether you were seven or 77. 194 00:17:10.550 --> 00:17:12.694 If God came to you and said. 195 00:17:12.892 --> 00:17:15.526 Your name is no longer going to be this because this is who you. 196 00:17:15.548 --> 00:17:18.540 Were, but your name is going to be this, because this is who you are. 197 00:17:19.070 --> 00:17:20.540 But here's what happened. 198 00:17:21.150 --> 00:17:22.380 That did happen. 199 00:17:23.310 --> 00:17:24.620 That did happen. 200 00:17:25.310 --> 00:17:27.660 You see, your name before. 201 00:17:28.670 --> 00:17:34.030 Your identity before was sinner, was enemy. 202 00:17:34.530 --> 00:17:38.478 And in salvation, what God did was God changed your name. 203 00:17:38.564 --> 00:17:40.058 He changed your identity. 204 00:17:40.154 --> 00:17:44.366 God said, no, you're no longer marked by what you did. 205 00:17:44.468 --> 00:17:46.706 You're marked by who you are in Christ. 206 00:17:46.808 --> 00:17:50.450 And so you're not a sinner, but believe it or not, you're a saint. 207 00:17:51.190 --> 00:17:52.814 You're no longer an enemy. 208 00:17:52.862 --> 00:17:59.526 You're a child of God, and this is who you are. 209 00:17:59.708 --> 00:18:08.780 You're no longer identified by what you've done, but you're now identified by the covenant that you're marked in, in the blood of Jesus Christ. 210 00:18:09.710 --> 00:18:13.260 And this is who you are. 211 00:18:13.630 --> 00:18:37.038 And so I love as I sat there this week and just kind of read through and saw this interaction between God and now Abraham, and we can see these two takeaways that we can apply in what we've gone through and what we're going through as God revealed himself, as God shared his expectation, as Abram responded in obedience. 212 00:18:37.134 --> 00:18:39.470 And then God changes his identity. 213 00:18:39.550 --> 00:18:41.330 Well, we see that in salvation, right? 214 00:18:41.400 --> 00:18:43.170 God revealed himself to us. 215 00:18:43.240 --> 00:18:45.926 He shared his expectation with us. 216 00:18:46.028 --> 00:18:51.462 We respond to this gracious call and offer of grace on our life. 217 00:18:51.516 --> 00:18:57.346 And in that, God changes our identity, but not just in that moment of salvation. 218 00:18:57.458 --> 00:19:03.530 But the other way is how God continues to do this for us in our daily obedience to Him. 219 00:19:03.680 --> 00:19:11.434 God continues over and over again through the truth of His Word, to reveal Himself to us. 220 00:19:11.552 --> 00:19:12.746 This is who I am. 221 00:19:12.848 --> 00:19:14.430 This is what I've done for you. 222 00:19:14.500 --> 00:19:18.398 This is my expectation, as he reminds us that as well. 223 00:19:18.484 --> 00:19:30.820 And then every single day, in moment by moment, you and I get the wonderful, beautiful opportunity to respond again to Him in submission and humility for the glory of God. 224 00:19:33.110 --> 00:19:34.850 And then God continues. 225 00:19:35.450 --> 00:19:44.280 Our identity has been changed, but God continues to shape us and mold us more and more into being like Christ. 226 00:19:45.210 --> 00:19:48.486 And we see this over and over again. 227 00:19:48.588 --> 00:19:49.978 So I want to ask you a. 228 00:19:49.984 --> 00:19:52.598 Couple of questions before we move on to the rest of 17. 229 00:19:52.694 --> 00:19:54.940 Number one, who are you? 230 00:19:55.310 --> 00:19:56.540 Who are you? 231 00:19:57.310 --> 00:19:58.460 Who are you? 232 00:19:59.310 --> 00:20:01.434 Is your identity marked by what you've. 233 00:20:01.482 --> 00:20:03.342 Done and what you're doing? 234 00:20:03.396 --> 00:20:17.938 Are you a sinner or is your identity marked by the blood of Christ who saved you and redeemed you, and you're a saint, the defining point of salvation, who are you? 235 00:20:18.024 --> 00:20:23.170 But then the second question is this are you living in an identity crisis? 236 00:20:25.610 --> 00:20:36.470 Are you trying to in your mind you're a saint but just wants to jump back and live in this life and this pattern of sin? 237 00:20:37.530 --> 00:20:38.762 That's you one of two things. 238 00:20:38.816 --> 00:20:41.980 Number one, live in who you are. 239 00:20:42.430 --> 00:20:48.954 Live in the confidence of your salvation repent and live in the boldness of christ. 240 00:20:49.152 --> 00:20:50.102 Number two. 241 00:20:50.256 --> 00:20:51.280 Number two. 242 00:20:51.730 --> 00:21:00.910 It's the journey that I went through as I came to faith in Christ is asking yourself the question, am I even saved? 243 00:21:01.570 --> 00:21:04.740 Have I been trying to fake this thing through? 244 00:21:05.270 --> 00:21:14.286 Have I not submitted to God through humility and obedience to Him and his power and his work and his expectation? 245 00:21:14.398 --> 00:21:16.600 Have I been trying to do this all on my own? 246 00:21:17.770 --> 00:21:22.470 And then you need to fall down before the Lord in submission and obedience. 247 00:21:22.890 --> 00:21:25.030 Let's look verse nine through 14. 248 00:21:26.490 --> 00:21:29.146 And God said to Abraham, right now. 249 00:21:29.168 --> 00:21:32.422 This is the part where his name has changed. 250 00:21:32.486 --> 00:21:34.700 Moving forward, here's what you're to do. 251 00:21:36.190 --> 00:21:43.150 As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations. 252 00:21:43.490 --> 00:21:45.466 This is my covenant, which you shall. 253 00:21:45.498 --> 00:21:48.574 Keep between Me and you and your offspring after you. 254 00:21:48.692 --> 00:21:51.434 Every male among you shall be circumcised. 255 00:21:51.562 --> 00:21:53.594 You shall be circumcised in the flesh. 256 00:21:53.642 --> 00:21:55.394 Of your foreskins, and it shall be. 257 00:21:55.432 --> 00:21:58.530 A sign of the covenant between Me and you. 258 00:21:58.680 --> 00:22:01.054 He who is eight days old among. 259 00:22:01.102 --> 00:22:02.782 You shall be circumcised. 260 00:22:02.926 --> 00:22:07.974 Every male throughout your generations, whether born in your house or bought with your. 261 00:22:08.012 --> 00:22:18.838 Money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring, both he who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money shall surely be circumcised. 262 00:22:18.934 --> 00:22:23.654 So shall my covenant be in your flesh, an everlasting covenant. 263 00:22:23.782 --> 00:22:26.934 Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised. 264 00:22:26.982 --> 00:22:31.550 In the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people, and. 265 00:22:31.620 --> 00:22:34.314 He has broken my covenant. 266 00:22:34.442 --> 00:22:43.694 And so now what we get is this passing on clearly of the covenant and what this is going to be and what this is going to look like. 267 00:22:43.732 --> 00:22:50.002 God says, now it's going to be different than this conversation, Abraham, that you and I have had. 268 00:22:50.056 --> 00:22:54.290 There's actually going to be this sign of the covenant that is there. 269 00:22:54.360 --> 00:22:58.914 And so God tells Abraham, now you shall keep My covenant. 270 00:22:58.962 --> 00:23:06.038 You will live in obedience what I've called to you to do as well, but that those after you should then do the same. 271 00:23:06.124 --> 00:23:11.078 And then God gives the command of circumcision to Abraham. 272 00:23:11.174 --> 00:23:17.270 And Abraham was to obey God, mark every male with the sign of the covenant. 273 00:23:17.430 --> 00:23:19.180 And now the question why? 274 00:23:20.110 --> 00:23:22.480 Why was God doing this? 275 00:23:22.930 --> 00:23:27.614 And there's lots of thoughts about this. 276 00:23:27.812 --> 00:23:31.774 There's lots of things that we can go to and read and try to draw from this. 277 00:23:31.812 --> 00:23:50.440 But when I come to a practical nature of this is what we've seen and what we're experiencing and what we're going to continue on with ishmael and what will happen from Him is God has chosen for Himself a people, and that these people were going to be different. 278 00:23:50.890 --> 00:23:58.114 They're going to be marked different from those around them as they obey the Lord, and that they're going to be known. 279 00:23:58.162 --> 00:24:03.866 We see this throughout Scripture, over and over again, that these are God's people. 280 00:24:03.968 --> 00:24:23.458 We'll see it as we continually read through the Old Testament of God speaking through the prophets to them, of God taking their experiences and imparting them on Scripture so that thousands of years later, you and I can read these and understand what it means to be a part of God's people, but also understanding the very character and nature of God and who he is. 281 00:24:23.624 --> 00:24:29.294 But the question has come up from time to time is that did this circumcision? 282 00:24:29.342 --> 00:24:37.570 Is this the moment that when Abraham would obey, did circumcision save Abraham? 283 00:24:38.250 --> 00:24:41.302 And that's going to be something that Paul has to deal with. 284 00:24:41.436 --> 00:24:49.980 It's going to be something that's going to continue on through the church of are there these practices that we have to do? 285 00:24:50.670 --> 00:24:56.620 And in order of doing those, that's really going to be what saves us? 286 00:24:57.950 --> 00:25:00.540 And I would say no. 287 00:25:01.630 --> 00:25:04.334 And Scripture, I believe, agrees with me. 288 00:25:04.372 --> 00:25:06.446 In that what we saw from three. 289 00:25:06.468 --> 00:25:08.814 Weeks ago, no, that's not what happened. 290 00:25:08.852 --> 00:25:13.374 It wasn't that Abraham did this and then he saved is that Abraham had faith. 291 00:25:13.422 --> 00:25:14.820 Genesis 15 six. 292 00:25:15.270 --> 00:25:24.610 And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him, abraham as righteousness. 293 00:25:25.370 --> 00:25:26.790 He believed. 294 00:25:27.770 --> 00:25:43.500 I read an author this week that said circumcision was not the means of his salvation, but the mark of his separation as a man in a real covenant relationship with God. 295 00:25:44.030 --> 00:25:47.100 Paul writes about this in Romans four, nine through twelve. 296 00:25:48.270 --> 00:25:50.798 Is this blessing then only for the. 297 00:25:50.884 --> 00:25:54.026 Circumcised or also for the uncircumcised? 298 00:25:54.218 --> 00:25:58.990 For we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. 299 00:25:59.410 --> 00:26:01.694 How then was it counted to him? 300 00:26:01.812 --> 00:26:05.406 Was it before or after he was circumcised? 301 00:26:05.438 --> 00:26:07.700 So pretty clear on the question. 302 00:26:08.550 --> 00:26:12.798 It was not after, but before he was circumcised. 303 00:26:12.974 --> 00:26:21.410 He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had made by faith while he was still uncircumcised. 304 00:26:21.490 --> 00:26:50.026 The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, and to make him the father of the circumcised who were not merely circumcised, but who also walk in the footsteps of faith that our Father Abraham had before he was circumcised. 305 00:26:50.138 --> 00:27:06.790 So the external efforts then and today are not the means about salvation which it's granted, but instead it's this internal working of salvation that brings about the external change. 306 00:27:06.860 --> 00:27:12.520 It's what God's going to do in us before God does anything through us. 307 00:27:14.090 --> 00:27:20.682 Paul in Romans 228 for no one is a Jew who is merely one. 308 00:27:20.736 --> 00:27:25.690 Outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. 309 00:27:26.110 --> 00:27:36.590 Verse 29 but a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart by the Spirit, not by the letter. 310 00:27:36.930 --> 00:27:41.280 His praise is not from man, but from God. 311 00:27:42.290 --> 00:27:51.620 And so we see this beautiful picture of what God's going to do, but it goes back to that moment. 312 00:27:52.390 --> 00:27:57.830 And Abraham believed, and it was counted to him as righteousness. 313 00:27:59.450 --> 00:28:13.100 Verse 15 and God said to Abraham as for Sarai, your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai but Sarah shall be her name. 314 00:28:13.870 --> 00:28:18.620 I will bless her and moreover, I will give you a son by her. 315 00:28:19.070 --> 00:28:23.550 I will bless her and she shall become nations. 316 00:28:24.850 --> 00:28:28.080 Kings of people shall come from her. 317 00:28:29.250 --> 00:28:33.442 Verse 17 then Abraham fell on his. 318 00:28:33.496 --> 00:28:42.946 Face and laughed and said to himself shall a child be born to a man who is 100 years old? 319 00:28:43.128 --> 00:28:47.270 Shall Sarah, who was 99 years old bear a child? 320 00:28:47.420 --> 00:28:50.902 And Abraham said to God, oh, that. 321 00:28:50.956 --> 00:28:54.440 Ishmael might live before you. 322 00:28:55.450 --> 00:28:57.480 And God said no. 323 00:28:57.870 --> 00:29:01.082 But Sarah, your wife shall bear you. 324 00:29:01.136 --> 00:29:04.890 A son and you shall call his name Isaac. 325 00:29:05.230 --> 00:29:07.898 And I will establish my covenant with. 326 00:29:07.984 --> 00:29:12.990 Him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him. 327 00:29:13.140 --> 00:29:17.054 As for ishmael I have heard you. 328 00:29:17.252 --> 00:29:24.606 Behold, I have blessed him and will make him fruitful and multiply him greatly. 329 00:29:24.798 --> 00:29:31.566 He shall father twelve princes and I will make him into a great nation. 330 00:29:31.758 --> 00:29:38.998 But I will establish my covenant with Isaac whom Sarah shall bear to you. 331 00:29:39.164 --> 00:29:41.960 At this time next year. 332 00:29:42.730 --> 00:29:50.010 And so what we see here is the son of promise and the son of flesh. 333 00:29:50.750 --> 00:29:58.090 We see the son of promise in Isaac that God has been clear with. 334 00:29:58.240 --> 00:30:01.062 This is what I'm going to do, Abraham. 335 00:30:01.206 --> 00:30:04.266 This is what I'm going to provide, Abraham. 336 00:30:04.378 --> 00:30:09.118 This is how I'm going to do this, Abraham in the promise of God. 337 00:30:09.284 --> 00:30:16.466 And then we see the son of flesh that is born where Abraham says, no. 338 00:30:16.648 --> 00:30:17.294 Abraham. 339 00:30:17.342 --> 00:30:25.758 And Sarah, we step out of what you've said and we take control of this our way. 340 00:30:25.944 --> 00:30:27.910 And we see the conflict. 341 00:30:28.250 --> 00:30:36.630 We see the peace that is there and then here's, so many times you and I live in that conflict. 342 00:30:38.170 --> 00:30:52.874 The promise of what God's told us the promise of the truth of God's word the promise of truth of the obedience that God has called us to and he's called us to live in the truth of the Son of promise. 343 00:30:52.922 --> 00:30:56.362 But you and I choose to respond in the son of flesh. 344 00:30:56.426 --> 00:30:58.522 Now ishmael has been born. 345 00:30:58.586 --> 00:30:59.674 This has been established. 346 00:30:59.722 --> 00:31:01.774 This is Abraham's appeal here. 347 00:31:01.892 --> 00:31:11.780 And what we miss in those and what I love that these six verses point us to is the goodness and the mercy of God. 348 00:31:13.910 --> 00:31:16.550 And so God takes Sarah. 349 00:31:18.810 --> 00:31:56.000 Can you imagine last week when we were reading about this plan that Sarah comes up with for Abraham to conceive a man who she loves a man who she left many behind to follow after a man who has not treated her extremely well and she can't provide him what he needs? 350 00:31:57.170 --> 00:32:17.780 And so she comes to the point of saying, Take my servant because in Saria's words at the time my womb has been closed and cannot provide for you what God has for you. 351 00:32:20.570 --> 00:32:36.250 God says, in all that she's done, we're going to take her and we're going to change her name too, her new name, Sarah. 352 00:32:37.070 --> 00:32:38.490 It means princess. 353 00:32:40.030 --> 00:32:50.000 And now not only will a son come from her, but royalty will come from her. 354 00:32:50.610 --> 00:32:54.510 Royalty will come out of this lineage. 355 00:32:55.650 --> 00:32:58.450 And scripture tells us that Abraham laughed. 356 00:32:59.030 --> 00:33:00.370 They laughed. 357 00:33:00.950 --> 00:33:03.650 Now, it's unclear of why he laughed. 358 00:33:04.230 --> 00:33:07.140 Was it in mocking the Lord, maybe. 359 00:33:07.510 --> 00:33:09.762 Was it in, like, whoo God? 360 00:33:09.816 --> 00:33:13.720 If you're going to do that, that's going to be all you in this moment, right? 361 00:33:14.890 --> 00:33:16.040 We don't know. 362 00:33:16.730 --> 00:33:20.134 But we do know that there was. 363 00:33:20.172 --> 00:33:32.554 This practical nature of Abraham that goes, and I'm going to be 100, she's going to be 99 God. 364 00:33:32.592 --> 00:33:34.380 You know, there could be another way. 365 00:33:35.650 --> 00:33:37.200 There could be another way. 366 00:33:37.890 --> 00:33:43.920 God could ishmael could Ishmael walk before you? 367 00:33:45.570 --> 00:33:52.820 Could my plans, Lord, of what I've done, could they go and do this instead? 368 00:33:53.270 --> 00:33:54.020 Right? 369 00:33:55.350 --> 00:34:00.290 And God says, no, I'm going to give you Isaac. 370 00:34:00.710 --> 00:34:02.086 I'm going to give you a son. 371 00:34:02.188 --> 00:34:07.574 His name will be Isaac, which, by the way, means laughter, the irony and. 372 00:34:07.612 --> 00:34:09.800 Sense of humor of the Lord, right? 373 00:34:10.810 --> 00:34:13.450 His name will be laughter. 374 00:34:14.030 --> 00:34:30.320 But God does answer Abraham's prayer, and he says, But Abraham, I have blessed past tense, I have blessed Ishmael, and I will continue to do so. 375 00:34:31.330 --> 00:34:37.380 A source of conflict from the moment he was conceived until today. 376 00:34:38.230 --> 00:34:42.702 But God's faithful in the extremes. 377 00:34:42.846 --> 00:34:44.258 It's what we see. 378 00:34:44.424 --> 00:34:48.980 And so verse 22, we'll close with this 22 through 27. 379 00:34:50.090 --> 00:34:54.550 When he had finished talking with him, god went up from Abraham. 380 00:34:55.450 --> 00:35:13.258 Then Abraham took Ishmael, his son, and all those born in his house or bought with his money every male among the men of Abraham's house, and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that very day, as God said to him. 381 00:35:13.424 --> 00:35:21.082 Abraham was 99 years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin in Ishmael. 382 00:35:21.146 --> 00:35:27.178 His son was 13 years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 383 00:35:27.354 --> 00:35:34.706 In that very day, Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised in all the men of his house. 384 00:35:34.888 --> 00:35:42.440 Those born in the house and those bought with money from a foreigner were circumcised with him. 385 00:35:44.090 --> 00:35:50.710 So God's done communicating of what he needs to communicate, and then he leaves. 386 00:35:52.430 --> 00:35:59.450 Very simply, Abraham made the decision to obey. 387 00:36:00.110 --> 00:36:01.290 To obey. 388 00:36:01.870 --> 00:36:08.910 Living by the faith of his heart, right, and not the flesh of his skin. 389 00:36:09.490 --> 00:36:13.630 Abraham made the decision to obey. 390 00:36:14.050 --> 00:36:20.020 Logically, the deck is stacked against him. 391 00:36:21.030 --> 00:36:27.730 Logically, what God is saying is going to happen is an impossible task. 392 00:36:28.710 --> 00:36:35.046 He has been asked to do something difficult in the literal, what he has been called to do. 393 00:36:35.148 --> 00:36:38.178 You're going to go, you're going to be circumcised. 394 00:36:38.274 --> 00:36:40.050 Your son is going to be circumcised. 395 00:36:40.130 --> 00:36:42.562 Everyone in your house is going to be circumcised. 396 00:36:42.626 --> 00:36:45.030 Everyone of your family is going to be circumcised. 397 00:36:45.110 --> 00:36:50.134 Every male, every male servant, every male slave, they're all going to be circumcised. 398 00:36:50.182 --> 00:36:52.538 And you are going to do this. 399 00:36:52.624 --> 00:36:54.134 But his obedience. 400 00:36:54.262 --> 00:37:04.960 That we see here is not in his abilities of what he has to do, but his obedience is in the God who has called Him to do these things. 401 00:37:08.630 --> 00:37:11.650 And we see the work that God. 402 00:37:11.720 --> 00:37:20.680 Does in Abraham is the work that God does in all who place their faith in Him. 403 00:37:21.610 --> 00:37:25.650 In Colossians two nine through twelve, we're going to close with this passage of Scripture. 404 00:37:25.730 --> 00:37:33.020 It says this for in Him the whole fullness of the deity dwells bodily form. 405 00:37:33.550 --> 00:37:43.370 And you have been filled in Him who is the head of all rule and authority, in him being Christ also. 406 00:37:43.440 --> 00:37:55.440 Were you circumcised with a circumcision made without hands by putting off the body of flesh, by the circumcision of Christ. 407 00:37:56.050 --> 00:38:02.290 Having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised with. 408 00:38:02.360 --> 00:38:10.950 Him through faith, in the powerful working of God who raised him from the dead. 409 00:38:11.850 --> 00:38:15.720 You see, you and I, we were not there. 410 00:38:16.090 --> 00:38:29.340 In Genesis 17, you and I did not follow this same description of what God would say must happen to be obedient to me. 411 00:38:30.190 --> 00:38:41.040 But he says that through the work of Christ, your body of flesh, it's been removed because of the work of Christ. 412 00:38:41.410 --> 00:38:49.300 And when we're found in Him that flesh has been cut off and has been removed from you. 413 00:38:49.830 --> 00:38:57.122 And that in that that you are buried with Christ, that as he died, you died too. 414 00:38:57.176 --> 00:39:04.322 As he paid for your sin, your past life has been removed. 415 00:39:04.466 --> 00:39:10.120 But now your past, your present and your future of sin, it's been paid for. 416 00:39:10.890 --> 00:39:17.420 And so now you're raised, you're raised in new life. 417 00:39:18.110 --> 00:39:25.600 Now live in who you are, don't live in who you were. 418 00:39:30.510 --> 00:39:31.820 We've been called. 419 00:39:33.870 --> 00:39:41.440 We'Ve been chosen, we've been marked to be different. 420 00:39:43.650 --> 00:40:08.680 And our difference is not because we've in ourselves figured out some great morality and developed within ourself some high level of character that we then go and do, but it's because of the work of Christ in us. 421 00:40:09.530 --> 00:40:25.980 And our response of obedience is submission and glory to the King so that we can go into this world and truly be different. 422 00:40:26.750 --> 00:40:40.106 To be a people of peace, to be a people of hope, to be a people of the promise, the covenant that we have in Christ in Christ alone. 423 00:40:40.298 --> 00:40:47.730 A covenant that was made and set in his blood, not in ours. 424 00:40:48.150 --> 00:40:49.540 Would you pray with me? 425 00:40:55.030 --> 00:41:01.000 God, I thank you so much for the truth, the power of Your word. 426 00:41:04.660 --> 00:41:06.700 God, I thank you for Your grace. 427 00:41:06.860 --> 00:41:11.540 And Your kindness that is displayed and that is shown. 428 00:41:17.480 --> 00:41:44.990 Lord, I thank you that you are still doing the impossible, that, Lord, you choose to use a group of people that in and of themselves are imperfect, all with a past, all with a debt to be paid. 429 00:41:48.020 --> 00:42:20.810 And in Your kindness and in Your mercy, you pay the price you make the way, you establish a covenant, you establish a promise, lord, you circumcise our hearts to make us truly different. 430 00:42:22.700 --> 00:42:41.170 And so, Lord, I thank you that I am not trapped in having to fake through a bunch of religious rules to try to appease a holy God. 431 00:42:43.460 --> 00:42:46.450 But, Lord, you changed me. 432 00:42:47.140 --> 00:42:48.610 You made me different. 433 00:42:50.660 --> 00:42:53.120 You moved me from sinner to saint. 434 00:42:53.700 --> 00:42:56.690 You moved me from enemy to friend. 435 00:42:57.620 --> 00:42:58.544 You moved me. 436 00:42:58.582 --> 00:43:01.730 You made me a child of God. 437 00:43:03.340 --> 00:43:08.632 And now, Lord, in my obedience, it's because it's who I am. 438 00:43:08.766 --> 00:43:16.008 It's because the work of Your Spirit that's in me, it's the reminder of life through the power of the Spirit. 439 00:43:16.104 --> 00:43:18.844 It's the reminder that I died with Christ. 440 00:43:18.962 --> 00:43:21.230 And I walk in the newness of life. 441 00:43:21.600 --> 00:43:34.780 And when, Lord, when some of that old skin tries to rise up and come from me, Lord, you and Your kindness and Your grace, Lord, you bring me back to you in submission. 442 00:43:34.860 --> 00:43:40.550 You bring me back to you in repentance, in the reminder that that's not who I am. 443 00:43:43.960 --> 00:43:45.430 This is who I am. 444 00:43:48.040 --> 00:43:49.780 And God, I pray. 445 00:43:50.600 --> 00:43:55.690 I pray because there's some people in this room. 446 00:43:57.180 --> 00:43:59.880 There's some people in this room, Lord. 447 00:44:01.100 --> 00:44:08.670 Who are sinners marked and identified by the sin of their life. 448 00:44:10.880 --> 00:44:21.730 And today, Lord, you're calling them to take that step of faith, of trust in you. 449 00:44:25.860 --> 00:44:35.380 And, Lord, today I pray that they would take that step of faith, put their faith, hope and trust in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. 450 00:44:36.120 --> 00:44:39.060 And, Lord, today they would step from sinner to saint. 451 00:44:40.760 --> 00:44:48.200 Lord, I also pray that there may be some people in here today who are saints. 452 00:44:49.740 --> 00:45:00.830 But, Lord, they've slidden back into a pattern to a behavior, and their life is not marked by who they are in Christ. 453 00:45:02.240 --> 00:45:06.190 But, Lord, what people see is who they were before Him. 454 00:45:07.120 --> 00:45:19.936 And God, in Your goodness and Your kindness, Lord, would they come back to you repenting before you and experiencing the freedom that comes in you. 455 00:45:20.118 --> 00:45:22.028 It's in Jesus name we pray. 456 00:45:22.204 --> 00:45:23.200 Amen. 457 00:45:26.500 --> 00:45:30.924 Thanks again for listening and be sure to check back next week for another episode. 458 00:45:31.052 --> 00:45:38.740 In the meantime, you can visit us@willowridgechurch.org or by searching for Willowridge Church on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.