Make Sharp Knives: Prepare for the Battle Ahead

Sept 13,2026

Announcements:

Need additional Volunteers for Trunk or Treat…/ When you are thinking about your trunk and planning, lets try to avoid….

Oct. 11- Announcers 6pm/ Oct. Evening service

Recap of Chapters 1-4….

Status Update vs. 1

The author is letting us know what is going on Militarly with the opposing forces.

They have just entered a 7 year military campagin

31 kings he will defeat Joshua 12:7-24

How would we feel if the Jackson River Dried up….

Our Jobs and livelyhoods would be gone…

Our water is threatened, No drinking water….

Water can affect their crops, and livestock

Spirit- Wind… breath… They had the wind let out of their sails… Dead in the water…

The Command and the Cause… Vs. 2- 7

The Command to Circumcise Vs. 2&3

The First Command to Circumcise to Abraham

Genesis 17:9–14 “And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations. This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised. And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you. And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed. He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant.”

Genesis 17:23–27 “And Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all that were born in his house, and all that were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s house; and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the selfsame day, as God had said unto him. And Abraham was ninety years old and nine, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. In the selfsame day was Abraham circumcised, and Ishmael his son. And all the men of his house, born in the house, and bought with money of the stranger, were circumcised with him.”

The Covenant that God made with Abraham…. Genesis 12:1–3 “Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”

Covenant centered on three interconnected promises…

The promise to multiply Abraham exceedingly, making him a father of many nations from who kings would come… Gen. 17:1-19

promising to be their God and to give them the land of Canaan as an everlasting possession Gen. 13:14-17

become a great nation with a great name, and he would be a blessing (JESUS) Genesis 22:15–18 “And the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.”

Token- Sign…. Of what…

Cause…. Why did he have to circumsize them…

BC they had stopped the practice while in the wilderness…

If you are not circumcised you are a stranger and can not partake in the passover celebration…

Exodus 12:43–49 “And the Lord said unto Moses and Aaron, This is the ordinance of the passover: There shall no stranger eat thereof: But every man’s servant that is bought for money, when thou hast circumcised him, then shall he eat thereof. A foreigner and an hired servant shall not eat thereof. In one house shall it be eaten; thou shalt not carry forth ought of the flesh abroad out of the house; neither shall ye break a bone thereof. All the congregation of Israel shall keep it. And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the passover to the Lord, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land: for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof. One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you.”

God’s Provision for healing…. vs.8

God gives time for us to heal before we celebrate & do battle…

God can heal Miracuoulosly….

Men of Shechem were circumcised and Levi and Simeon attacked them when they were vulnerable...Genesis 34:25 “And it came to pass on the third day, when they were sore, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brethren, took each man his sword, and came upon the city boldly, and slew all the males.”

The Results…. Vs. 9

Reproach of Egypt was rolled away…

Reproach…= Shame/ Disgrace/

=an expression of Disapproval

Disapproving

Cause or occasion of blame, discredit, or disgrace

Get it off us!!!

Conclusion:

Jerusalem Council Acts 15: 1-29

We have a sharp knife to cut away flesh…Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

Revelation 19:15 “And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.”

Ephesians 6:17 “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:”

Application & Reflection Questions

What is there in my life that God has already told me to cut away, but I have allowed to remain?

Have I become comfortable with something during my “wilderness” that God does not want me carrying into the next season?

Am I asking God for victory while resisting Him in an area of obedience?

— Hebrews 4:12What does the Word of God reveal in me when I allow it to cut beneath the surface and expose the “thoughts and intents of the heart”? 

Is there a sin, habit, attitude, relationship, bitterness, pride, or secret compromise that needs to be cut away?

Is there something God needs to do in me before He does something through me?

Am I willing to obey God even when obedience leaves me uncomfortable, vulnerable, or dependent upon Him?

Have I confused a season of healing with a season of uselessness? Could God be preparing me rather than punishing me?

What “reproach” am I still carrying that Christ has already dealt with?

What would change in my life if I truly believed that my past does not have to define my future?

Am I merely carrying an outward sign of religion, or has God truly changed my heart?

If God’s Word is the sword of the Spirit, am I allowing it to cut away my flesh—or am I continually resisting its conviction?

Invitation Questions

I would especially emphasize the circumcision of the heart here, because Acts 15 makes clear that physical circumcision is not required for salvation under the New Covenant.

You could move into the invitation with questions like these:

Christian: What needs to be cut away from your life today? What has the Holy Spirit put His finger on during this message? What are you holding onto that God is telling you to surrender? Are you willing to say, “Lord, whatever You reveal through Your Word, I will obey”?

Hurting believer: Are you in a season where God has stopped you long enough to heal? Instead of fighting His timing, will you trust Him? Maybe your prayer today needs to be, “Lord, heal what is wounded in me and prepare me for what is ahead.”

Person carrying shame: What reproach are you still carrying? What shame, failure, or past sin keeps defining you? Have you brought it to Jesus? Are you willing to believe that what Christ forgives does not have to remain chained to your identity?

Unbeliever: Has there been an inward change of your heart? You can attend church, know Bible stories, and possess outward signs of religion while never knowing Christ. Have you repented of your sin and trusted Jesus Christ alone to save you?

And I think your strongest final question could be:

“If the Word of God has cut your heart this morning, what are you going to do about it?”

That connects beautifully with Hebrews 4:12 and keeps the sermon from becoming primarily about the physical act of circumcision. The point becomes: Israel bore the covenant sign in their flesh; God desires a people whose hearts belong wholly to Him. Deuteronomy 10:16, Deuteronomy 30:6, Jeremiah 4:4, Romans 2:28–29, and Colossians 2:11–13 would strengthen that transition considerably.

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Circumcision functioned as “a token of the covenant” between God and Abraham (Gen 17:9–14), establishing a physical mark that carried multiple layers of meaning. At its essence, circumcision was a covenantal sign between Israel and its God1—not merely a national identifier, but a tangible reminder of God’s promises and the relationship between the divine and human spheres.

The practice expressed faith that God’s promises would be realized, serving as a permanent bodily reminder after Abraham’s faith had wavered2. When the covenant was expressed through circumcision, it symbolized the totality of divine promise—personal, national, and spiritual—applied to the divinely nominated recipients3. This relationship shows that circumcision signified God’s gracious movement toward humanity, with human consecration to God as a secondary implication3.

The sign also carried inward spiritual dimensions. The outward sign of cleansing symbolized the inner purification necessary for a life of obedience and love to God1. God’s intention from the beginning was for circumcision to symbolize the inner purification necessary for establishing a proper relationship between the holy Creator and the unholy creature1. This spiritual reality became explicit when Moses admonished Israel to circumcise the foreskin of their heart and indicated that God would circumcise the hearts of Israel’s descendants so they would love the Lord completely1.

Abraham received circumcision as “the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised” (Rom 4:11), demonstrating that the rite authenticated God’s covenant promises rather than human achievement. Yet though sign and thing signified are identified in Genesis, the Bible allows that it is possible to possess the sign without the reality, making it spiritually defunct and condemnatory3.

1

THE WAY….

Yes, early Christians were identified as followers of “the way.” (Acts 9:2; 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22) This designation appears throughout Acts as a descriptor for the Christian movement in its earliest phase.

When Saul sought to persecute believers, he requested letters to Damascus targeting those who belonged to this movement. (Acts 9:2) Paul himself later acknowledged that he had actively opposed this group, imprisoning both men and women who followed it. (Acts 22:4) The term gained wider recognition as the movement expanded—when opposition arose in Ephesus, some publicly spoke against the way (Acts 19:9)—and the controversy surrounding it became significant enough to generate considerable public disturbance. (Acts 19:23)

Interestingly, the designation carried ambiguous connotations. Paul described it as something others labeled a “heresy,” though he maintained that his adherence to the way represented faithful worship of the God of his fathers and belief in the law and prophets. (Acts 24:14) This suggests that “the way” functioned as both a self-identifier for believers and a term used by outsiders—sometimes derisively—to distinguish this emerging movement from mainstream Judaism.

The terminology reflects how early Christianity was initially understood: not as a separate religion, but as a distinctive path or manner of living out faith in God through Jesus. The phrase captures the movement’s emphasis on a transformed way of life rather than merely doctrinal belief.

Circumcising and celebrating all at the same time…

The “reproach of Egypt” was removed from Israel when they completed circumcision at Gilgal (Josh 5:2–9). But what exactly constituted this reproach?

The reproach stemmed from Israel’s failure during the wilderness wandering. The generation that left Egypt had been circumcised, but during the forty years in the wilderness, the new generation born along the way remained uncircumcised because the people had not performed the rite (Josh 5:2–9). This left Israel in a state of covenant violation—an entire generation lacked the physical sign of their covenant relationship with God.

The reproach also connected to Egypt’s potential mockery of God’s power. Similar language appears elsewhere in Scripture: if God destroyed Israel in the wilderness, the nations would say that the Lord was unable to bring this people into the promised land (Num 14:13–16). Egypt, having witnessed God’s mighty deliverance of Israel, would naturally question why God allowed His people to perish before entering Canaan. This would cast doubt on both God’s ability and His commitment to His covenant promises.

By completing the circumcision at Gilgal—restoring the covenant sign to the new generation—Israel removed this stigma. Once they had finished circumcising all the people and recovered in the camp, the Lord declared that He had rolled away the reproach of Egypt (Josh 5:2–9). The act symbolically restored Israel’s covenant standing, demonstrated their readiness to possess the land, and vindicated God’s faithfulness before the watching world. The reproach was not merely internal shame but the potential for God’s honor to be questioned by those who had seen His power displayed in Egypt.

The New Testament presents a fundamental shift in how circumcision relates to salvation and covenant membership. Early Jewish believers insisted that circumcision according to Mosaic law was necessary for salvation, but this position faced decisive apostolic opposition.

Some from Judea taught that unless people were circumcised after the manner of Moses, they could not be saved. (Acts 15:1–29) This sparked significant conflict, leading to the Jerusalem Council where the apostles addressed the question directly. Peter argued that God had already chosen to allow Gentiles to hear the gospel and believe, and that God bore witness by giving them the Holy Spirit just as He did to Jewish believers, purifying their hearts by faith. (Acts 15:1–29) He questioned why they would place a yoke on disciples that neither their fathers nor they could bear, affirming instead that salvation comes through the grace of Jesus Christ for both Jews and Gentiles. (Acts 15:1–29)

Paul developed this position theologically. He declared that if people are circumcised, Christ profits them nothing, and anyone circumcised becomes obligated to keep the entire law. (Gal 5:2–6) In Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision matters—only faith working through love. (Gal 5:2–6) True Jewish identity and circumcision are inward matters of the heart in the spirit, not outward physical signs. (Rom 2:25–3:2)

Paul reframed circumcision’s significance: Abraham received circumcision as a seal of the righteousness he possessed through faith while still uncircumcised, making him the father of all believers, whether circumcised or not. (Rom 4:9–12) Believers are circumcised spiritually through Christ’s circumcision—putting off the body of sins of the flesh through baptism and faith. (Col 2:11–13)

The New Testament employs the language of circumcision and crucifixion to describe the spiritual removal of sinful nature. Believers are circumcised spiritually through Christ’s circumcision, putting off the body of sins of the flesh (Col 2:11)—a metaphorical cutting away that parallels the physical rite but operates at a deeper level.

This spiritual circumcision involves decisive action. The old self is crucified with Christ so that the body of sin might be destroyed, freeing believers from serving sin (Rom 6:6). Those belonging to Christ have crucified the flesh along with its passions and desires (Gal 5:24). This language of crucifixion emphasizes the totality and finality of the break with the old nature—not a gradual weakening but a decisive death.

The removal of the sinful self necessitates replacement with a new identity. Believers have put off the old self with its deeds and put on the new self, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of the Creator (Col 3:9–10). The old self, corrupt according to deceitful desires, must be put off, and believers must put on the new self created in righteousness and true holiness (Eph 4:17–32).

Practically, this cutting away requires ongoing vigilance. If you live according to the flesh you will die, but if through the Spirit you mortify the deeds of the body, you will live (Rom 8:13). Believers are instructed to put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh to fulfill its lusts (Rom 13:14). The spiritual circumcision accomplished through Christ’s work must be continuously applied through the believer’s cooperation with the Spirit, actively resisting fleshly impulses and cultivating righteousness.