Genesis 17:1-27 - Belief in God’s promise calls for demonstration

Josh/I took weightlifting in high school

A skill that has clearly not carried over into adulthood.

We shared a lifting bench

Same size, lift similarly—We weren’t very big. We just kind of did our own thing.

Justin was next to us, and he loved to tout how awesome he was/how much he could lift.

He took too much preworkout one day

A side effect of preworkout is heightened confidence.

He threw about 135lb on the bar, and we just watched as he psyched himself up

He struggled.

He was bound to continue to try because he truly believed he could.

He had to prove that he could do it.

Big Idea: Belief in God’s promise calls for demonstration

Context

SCREEN - TIMELINE of EVENTS? FLYOVER?

25 years of history between Genesis 12-17.

Abram goes the Land of Canaan (Genesis 13)

God reassures His promise to give Him the Land and a nation (13:14-16)

God reassures His covenant and Abram asks:

“O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless…” (15:2)

Abram has to be wondering “God how are you going to do this? When are you going to do this? It’s been YEARS.”

We get angsty if God doesn’t answer our prayers faster than Amazon Prime can get to our house.

God promises that he will have his very own heir (15:4) and that the number of the stars will come from him.

“And he believed the LORD, and He counted it to him as righteousness” (v. 6)

Abram believed the Lord before God did anything.

**Don’t get ahead…We’ll come back to this

Sarai gets worried because she’s been barren (11:30/16:1)

Abram is now 86 (16:16)

She makes Abram have a child with Hagar, her Egyptian servant, so that she can have children that way.

They were trying to cheat God’s promise.

This obviously causes some marital issues.

Hagar has a son named Ishmael, but he would not be the son of promise .

God comes to Abram at 99 years old and tells him “It’s time” (Genesis 17).

Stand to read

Genesis 17:1–10 ESV

1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless, 2 that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly.” 3 Then Abram fell on his face. And God said to him, 4 “Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. 5 No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. 6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you. 7 And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. 8 And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God.” 9 And God said to Abraham, “As for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations. 10 This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised.

Leader: This is God’s Word

Everyone: Thanks be to God

The Lord reminds Abram of His promise 25 yrs ago.

He begins by explaining exactly who He is: “God Almighty”

Hebrew: ‘El Shadday’ —Emphasizes God’s power.

He opens the reminder that there is nothing that He can’t do. Nothing is more powerful than Him.

He is sovereign over all things.

The Lord gives Abram a new name, which means “Father of a multitude of nations (v. 5).

Notice how God speaks the promise as if it has already happened.

When God gives a promise, it’s trustworthy.

This promise is as good as done.

God not only reminds him of the promise, but speaks of a permanent promise.

An everlasting covenant between Abraham and his offspring.

God will accomplish His plan to restore the world back to Himself, and establish Abraham through obedience.

Whenever you see a covenant in the Bible, it usually comes with a sign.

Covenant with Adam—Adam was given Eve.

Covenant with Noah—He was given a rainbow.

Covenant with Abraham—Circumcision.

Abraham was given a sharp end of the deal.

If this is your first time here, welcome to Graceland.

Circumcision involves a cutting away.

In removing a part of the most intimate part of the body, the men of Israel would be marked by God’s promise.

They would be a multitude.

From one old man, God was going to establish His covenant people, who He will bless and be with as their God.

He was going to pour out all His affections, love, and mercy on this people.

It would start with Abraham and Sarah.

God had promised to make Abraham many nations—How do you do that?

This physical marking will serve as a reminder of God’s promise.

This is a reminder that EVERY PART of Abraham would belong to the Lord.

As Abraham and Sarah would *WINK* “be fruitful and multiply,” he would be reminded of God’s covenant to bless his children’s children’s children.

Every time a man looks down, he will be reminded of this promise.

What in the world does this have to do with us?

Church,

Every part of your life belongs to the Lord

If you are a Christian, there is no part of your life that doesn’t belong to Him.

When you surrender to the lordship of Jesus Christ, you become a new creation.

The old you, full of sin and death, dies and you are made new.

God gives you a new life that is marked by Jesus’s death.

Gospel presentation

At one point in your life you were dead in your sins (Some of you still are), there was nothing that you could do to get to heaven.

There are some of you who do not know, love, and follow Jesus.

You and I deserve to be separated from God forever.

Instead of leaving us in our sin, God bought us back from sin.

He sent His Son Jesus to lay down His life on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins.

Jesus gave His life for ours!

Jesus was cut off from God’s presence and blessing so that you wouldn’t have to be!

Now the life that He gives us when we trust in Him is abundant life!

If you put your faith in Jesus, you past self with its sins, are washed away and you are given a new life—Which belongs to God.

Now we cut away our old lives in order to live in the new life provided by Jesus!

If you’re not a Christian, you can have new life today.

Repent of your sins, surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, and live the abundant life through faith in Jesus!

So now what?

If we believe God’s promise that when we trust in Jesus we will be saved, how do we demonstrate that?

Baptism is the first step of obedience to Jesus after becoming a Christian.

If you haven’t been baptized, you need to be baptized!

Circumcision for Abraham was the mark that showed that he trusted God’s promise.

Now, baptism is the mark that proclaims we trust God’s promise fulfilled in Jesus..

The sign of the covenant that God was making with Abraham was to remind him that every part of His life is for God’s glory.

Transition

The Lord continues to remind Abraham that this isn’t only about him. Sarah was included in this promise.

Genesis 17:15–18 ESV

15 And God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. 16 I will bless her, and moreover, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall become nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.” 17 Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, “Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?” 18 And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!”

Abraham questions God because this is impossible.

“I’m 100 years old! She’s 99!”

Abraham knows that his body is as good as dead.

He appeals to God to use Ishmael—As if his plan was better than God’s!

Physiologically this is impossible. But God promised, and nothing is impossible with Him.

This is something only God can do.

The Lord introduced Himself as “El Shadday”—God Almighty.

There is nothing impossible for Him.

God reminds him that the promise involves Abraham and Sarah

Genesis 17:19–21 ESV

19 God said, “No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him. 20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I have blessed him and will make him fruitful and multiply him greatly. He shall father twelve princes, and I will make him into a great nation. 21 But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this time next year.”

From Abraham and Sarah will come a son named Isaac, the son of the promise.

The Lord will honor Ishmael, but the promise will be with Isaac.

Through Isaac God will bless the world!

Despite hearing this jaw-dropping promise, Abraham believes God’s promise and responds in obedience.

Genesis 17:26–27 ESV

26 That very day Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised. 27 And all the men of his house, those born in the house and those bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.

Abraham obey’d as the Lord said.

He did not wait for the promise to come—He believed that God was completely capable to do what He said He would do.

His obedience was not determined by what He saw, but by the God he trusted.

Abraham modeled faithful obedience.

Church,

We must put our faith in action.

Many of us have bartered with God.

“If you will… then I will…”

We determine our obedience by what God does first.

The Lord is in charge of ALL THINGS.

He doesn’t need our obedience in order to function.

Faithful obedience trusts God’s promises and acts on God’s Word alone.

Silas is a very cautious kid. He’s so wise.

He wont jump off the couch from knowing that falling on the floor hurts

He’s very skeptical.

We went swimming last year and I was trying to get him to jump off the side and into the pool with me.

“I’ll catch you, just jump!”

Without hesitation, he leaped from the side of the pool and had an absolute blast.

All because he trusted my promise “I’ll catch you.”

I would not catch him if he did not jump.

He would not jump if I didn’t promise to catch him.

God’s commands always come with a promise.

God’s promises always demand obedience.

If we actually believe what God says, then faith prompts us to walk by the Spirit and live according to God’s promises.

If you’re a Christian, taking the next step of faith toward Jesus is not optional.

There are people that you know who don’t follow Jesus, and God has placed you in their lives for a particular purpose—To make His name and glory known to them.

He has placed you in their lives to demonstrate your faith in Christ.

God placed a call on Abraham’s life and gave Him a promise.

Jesus did the same for us.

He has called us to “Go, make disciples” and gave us this promise: “I will be with you.”

If we believe that God sent His Son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins so that we can be forgiven, and that He rose again from the dead so that we can have eternal life—Then we are mandated to make disciples!

The only reason you will go to heaven is because Jesus died for your sins and someone was obedient to God and told you!

Who are you bringing to Jesus?

Who are you praying for?

Take the Next Step

Genesis 13-17.

What next step will you take this week?

Invite someone.

Start a text right now

Set up dinner, bring them to church with you.