The Expectation of Grace (Genesis 17:1-27)
The Expectation of Grace
Genesis 17:1-27
April 13, 2014
As you know we are studying through the book of Genesis.
We are calling it “The Gospel According to Moses”
Galatians 3:8 “The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “ALL THE NATIONS WILL BE BLESSED IN YOU.”
Make no mistake what is being recorded here in Genesis is “the gospel”
Moses is carefully revealing that message to his congregation
As they travel through the wilderness.
We’ve seen sin in Adam
We’ve seen judgment in Noah
And now we are looking at salvation in Abram
And in Abram we have first seen grace
And are now presently looking at faith.
Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
Seeing both grace and faith in Abram’s life has not been difficult.
• God chose him when he was a pagan idolater
• God granted him the faith to believe
• And Abram did in fact believe in God so that God granted righteousness to Abram.
We are currently in the process of Abram’s life
In which God is growing Abram’s faith.
We know where his faith is headed.
In chapter 22, he will be asked to sacrifice his own son and Scripture records that Abram will do that believing that God is able even to raise him from the dead.
Abram’s faith will be great.
But it didn’t start out that way.
His faith started small, and we saw evidence of that last week.
• As the promise was 10 years old and still unfulfilled, Abram and Sarai resorted to fulfilling the promise through the flesh.
• Sarai gave her made Hagar to Abram, and Abram conceived a son with her named Ishmael.
• When the result was not as fulfilling as Sarai had hoped she mistreated Hagar and Hagar fled.
• However God sent her back.
• Her son was to be named “Ishmael” (God Hears)
• And she went back with a testimony that God sees
This Ishmael would be a living reminder to Abram
That even if the promise does not come as soon as think it should,
That does not mean that God does not see you
And it does not mean that God does not hear you.
So God has been growing Abram’s faith.
Well this morning it is time for Abram’s faith to grow again.
We are now 13 yrs. later.
Ishmael was born in chapter 16, he is now 13yrs old in chapter 17.
So Abram has now been in the land 23 years
And still yet to see the promise fulfilled.
He has believed God and God is growing his faith.
AND NOW COMES THE NEXT STEP.
And that is THE EXPECTATION OF GRACE
Grace requires a response from you.
Grace is offered free of charge, but those who respond to it
Are expected to respond in a certain way.
WHAT DO I MEAN?
Ephesians 2:8-10 “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”
Verse 10 indicates the expectation.
We are not saved by works, but we are saved for works.
In Romans 6 Paul asked:
Romans 6:1-2 “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?”
Paul was there refuting any abuse of grace.
• Grace is not a license to sin.
• Grace is not a free pass to do as you please.
• Grace is freely bestowed on undeserving people (like Abraham), but it does expect that it will have a positive effect on your life.
In short grace comes with an expectation.
And that is where we are in Abram’s story.
In fact the chapter begins by stating the whole point.
(1-2) “Now 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. “I will establish My covenant between Me and you, And I will multiply you exceedingly.”
These two verses reveal for us the point of the chapter.
God has been gracious and now He expects something from Abram in return.
WHAT DOES GOD EXPECT?
“Walk before Me, and be blameless”
Ephesians 1:3-4 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him.”
This is what God expects of Abram.
Now make sure you keep your theology correct.
God has already made the promise to Abram,
This is not a condition added later.
The promise belongs to Abram,
It is not a condition, it is an expectation.
God is still going to give the promise to Abram,
But He does expect Abram to respond to it in a proper way,
Which is to “be blameless”
Grace is not a license to sin.
Anyone who uses it in that fashion has perverted thinking.
Grace is a driving force to be holy.
And in the remainder of the chapter we see that unfold.
4 things
#1 THE SUMMARY OF THE COVENANT
Genesis 17:1-8
Here God just reminds Abram
Of all that He has done and is doing in Abram’s life.
Now let me quickly point out to you 4 realities
About the grace of God in Abram’s life.
1) YOUR POSTERITY (3-5)
“Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying, “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, And you will be the father of a multitude of nations. “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.”
There God again reminds Abram that
He has promised to make a great nation out of him.
And to further solidify that promise,
God has a name change in store for Abram.
• Abram means “exalted father” it insinuates an important man.
• Abraham means “father of a multitude” something Abram was not – YET
And isn’t that just like God?
He doesn’t name us for what we are, but for what He will make us.
Remember Simon?
John 1:42 “He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John; you shall be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter).”
Jesus saw Simon and said, “No, your name is Rock”
Now you know Peter, he was no rock.
If anything Peter was fickle
• One minute confessing, the next getting in the way
• One minute boasting, the next retreating
• One minute defending, the next denying
The only time Peter resembled a rock
Was when he sank while walking on the water
But Jesus didn’t name him Peter because he was a rock,
But because Jesus would make him a rock – and He did.
Peter was the rock who stood in the city which crucified the Lord
And boldly preached at Pentecost.
God names us according to what He will do in and through us.
That’s true for you.
If I ask you if you are a sinner, you will tell me “yes” because we still sin.
But if I ask you what God calls you, what is it? “SAINT”
Because that is what He is doing in you.
And so it is for Abram.
God is going to make him a great nation
And so God changes his name to Abraham.
“For I have made you the father of a multitude of nations”
That is God’s grace in Abram’s life to make him a posterity.
2) YOUR PROSPERITY (6)
“I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings will come forth from you.”
And you have to love that promise.
You won’t just have many descendants, but you will have important ones.
“I will make you exceedingly fruitful”
HOW FRUITFUL?
“nations…and kings”
I’m not make just some average race from you, but a great one.
Your Posterity, Your Prosperity
3) YOUR PERMANENCE (7)
“I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you.”
I hope you picked up on the two very important words there:
“everlasting covenant”
We love the fact that the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable.
• God did not make a temporary covenant
• God did not make a fragile covenant
• God made an “everlasting covenant”
He will not break it, nor let it fail.
What God is promising to Abraham will endure.
4) YOUR POSSESSION (8)
“I will give to you and to your descendants after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”
And there is another reminder that the land
Is for your descendants forever.
AND OF COURSE NONE OF THIS NEWS IS NEW.
We’ve seen all of this news before.
This is merely God reminding Abraham
Of all the grace that has been bestowed upon him.
Incidentally it is important that you also remember
All the grace that has been bestowed upon you.
• Once called sinner, you are now called Saint
• Once a dry tree, you are now promised to be fruitful
• Once in constant limbo, you are now firmly established and secure
• Once a spiritual beggar, you now have a heavenly inheritance
Ephesians 2:1-9 “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
Grace has been good to you, just as it was good to Abraham.
And it is important to remember that.
WHY?
Because that grace is supposed to motivate your obedience.
Grace comes with an expectation.
Ephesians 2:10 “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”
So having seen the covenant again, now let’s move on to the expectation.
#2 THE SIGN OF THE COVENANT
Genesis 17:9-14
Here we see the expectation
“God said further to Abraham, “Now as for you, you shall keep My covenant…”
The covenant was freely given and is totally permanent,
But it does come with the expectation that Abraham will keep it.
HOW DOES HE KEEP IT?
Through obedience
(10-11) “This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: every male among you shall be circumcised. “And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and you.”
There it is.
The sign of the covenant is circumcision.
To put it in terminology you can understand,
This is the “wedding ring” so to speak.
And you notice that everyone in the covenant is required to participate. And if they will not participate they are to be cut off from the people.
(READ 12-14)
So circumcision is the sign of the covenant.
WHY CIRCUMCISION?
You have to understand sin to understand circumcision.
Sin is a major problem, and it is passed down to us from our father Adam.
Romans 5:12 “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned”
Romans 5:18 “So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men…”
Romans 5:19 “For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners…”
1 Corinthians 15:22 “For as in Adam all die…”
In Adam all of humanity fell.
He is our father and through him we all inherited a sin nature.
Had a debate about this with a pastor last week.
He adamantly claims children have “no sin”
That is not true.
Children are referred to as “innocent” in the Scripture in the sense of
No awareness of their sin, but they are not without sin.
That is why God could command the destruction of men, women, and children in places like Jericho.
Children are born with a fallen sin nature, bent toward sin,
And that is why every human when given the opportunity chooses sin.
That’s also why Christ was virgin born.
He, like Adam, was born without a sin nature.
Christ is the second Adam.
But where Adam chose sin, Christ chose righteousness.
But thanks to Adam we are all now conceived in iniquity
And born with a sin nature.
That is why circumcision was the sign of the covenant.
It was the removal of the flesh from the procreative organ.
It was symbolic of a break with sin.
Now, did circumcision make you holy? No
It was a sign a symbol
IT WAS AN OUTWARD REPRESENTATION OF AN INWARD REALITY.
The fact was God didn’t just want His people to be
Circumcised in the flesh, but circumcised in the heart.
Deuteronomy 30:6 “Moreover the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live.”
Jeremiah 4:4 “Circumcise yourselves to the LORD And remove the foreskins of your heart, Men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, Or else My wrath will go forth like fire And burn with none to quench it, Because of the evil of your deeds.”
Jeremiah 9:25-26 “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the LORD, “that I will punish all who are circumcised and yet uncircumcised — Egypt and Judah, and Edom and the sons of Ammon, and Moab and all those inhabiting the desert who clip the hair on their temples; for all the nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised of heart.”
That’s why Paul even wrote:
Romans 2:28-29 “For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God.”
Circumcision then was the sign of the covenant.
It was the outward picture of
What God desired to do in the heart of Abraham.
NOW, WE ALSO HAVE A SIGN OF OUR COVENANT.
Our sign is not circumcision.
What is the sign of our covenant?
Baptism
1 Peter 3:21-22 “Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you — not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience — through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him.”
Peter is adamant there that it is not the water that God is talking about.
The water is the outward symbol.
The baptism that saves you is the “appeal to God for a good conscience”
The baptism that saves you is of the heart.
Water baptism is in outward picture of an inward reality.
We do it as a sign of what God has done in saving us.
And this is proven in Abraham.
Paul spends the entire chapter of Romans 4
Proving that Abraham was saved before he was ever circumcised.
Abraham was saved back in chapter 15. It has been at least 13 years since that day and Abraham is just now getting circumcised.
His circumcision did not save him – it was a sign
Our baptism does not save us – it is a sign
But it is an important sign
So important in fact, that if a person refuses to do it we have a problem.
In regard to circumcision if a person refused,
They were to be cut off from God’s people.
We indicate ourselves as one of God’s people through our baptism,
If a person refuses they are refusing
To identify themselves with the people of God.
Neither circumcision nor baptism saves you,
But the refusal to do it is a major problem.
For they are sign of the covenant.
The Summary of the Covenant, The Sign of the Covenant
#3 THE SPECIFICS OF THE COVENANT
Genesis 17:15-22
These few verses may actually appear to be a bit of a deviation
From the point of the chapter,
But in reality that address a very important issue
In regard to God’s command.
See, God is commanding a human work from Abraham.
But it is important that Abraham fully understand that
No physical work will ever usher in the promise of God.
Works of the flesh can never obtain the promise of God.
We know what obtains the promise of God – faith
And these verses drive that point home to Abraham.
God not only has a new name for Abraham,
But He also has a new name for Sarai.
(15) “Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name.”
WHY SARAH?
Sarah means “princess” and that is a fitting name for the mother of kings.
(16) “I will bless her, and indeed I will give you a son by her. Then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.”
See God is reiterating His plan to use supernatural means
To fulfill the promise to Abraham.
And this idea by God is so far-fetched that Abraham thinks it’s a joke.
(17) “Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, “Will a child be born to a man one hundred years old? And will Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?”
Abraham was pretty confident that Sarah wasn’t going to get pregnant.
That ship had sailed.
And yet God promised it – and Abraham laughed.
Then Abraham revealed what he had thought God was going to do.
(18) “And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before You!”
First Abraham thought it was going to be Lot
Now Abraham thinks it is going to be Ishmael.
And he points that out to God.
But pay special attention to verse 19 – it is SO IMPORTANT
To understanding Abraham’s walk of faith.
(19) “But God said, “No, but Sarah your wife will bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; and I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.”
This is now the first time that God ADAMANTLY and FORCEFULLY
Tells Abraham that it is not Ishmael, it is Isaac
Isaac is the franchise
Isaac is the promise
Everything that is coming is coming through Isaac
God is driving that point home to Abraham.
It is important that you understand that so when God asks Abraham to sacrifice Isaac you will understand why Abraham was so confident that God would at the very least raise him from the dead.
God was adamant – Isaac, Isaac, Isaac, Isaac
Now, that does not mean that Abraham is not capable of doing great things in his flesh – he is.
(20) “As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I will bless him, and will make him fruitful and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall become the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation.”
Abraham is very capable in his flesh.
In his flesh he is capable of starting a nation with 12 princes
There was nothing supernatural about that,
It was the natural course of human procreation.
Abraham was cable in his flesh
(21) “But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this season next year.”
WHAT WAS GOD SAYING?
Abraham I know that in your flesh you are capable of great things, BUT YOU CAN’T USHER IN MY PROMISE THROUGH THE FLESH.
You can accomplish a lot through your own works,
But you cannot accomplish enough.
My promise only comes through faith, not works.
AND WE DO GOOD TO REMEMBER THAT
(many have missed it)
God has also given us a physical act to perform, but that does not mean that our promise is ushered in through the flesh either.
Baptism is important, but it does not and can not usher in the promise.
ONLY FAITH CAN DO THAT.
The Summary of the Covenant, The Sign of the Covenant, The Specifics of the Covenant
#4 THE SEAL OF THE COVENANT
Genesis 17:23-27
WHAT DO WE SEE HERE?
Obedience
• Abraham did what God commanded. (he and all his household)
• And Abraham did it that same day.
• He fully obeyed God.
Did that save him?
No he was given righteousness way back in chapter 15
THIS WAS NOT THE SOURCE OF HIS SALVATION, IT WAS A SEAL.
Romans 4:11 “and he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while uncircumcised, so that he might be the father of all who believe without being circumcised, that righteousness might be credited to them,”
Paul said Abraham’s circumcision was a sign (that we got)
He also said it was “a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while uncircumcised”
Perhaps a better word than “seal” is the word “indicator”
Did Abraham receive righteousness before or after circumcision. (Before)
How do we know?
(well Scripture says so)
But apart from that, if that verse was not included, how would you know that Abraham already had a righteous believing heart?
You know that because he obeyed.
His obedience, his work was an indicator (a seal)
That he was righteous, that he had faith.
Now listen to me very closely, many stray here,
And I want you to understand this accurately.
There is seemingly a contradiction in Scripture.
Let me show it to you.
Romans 3:28 “For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.”
James 2:24 “You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.”
WOOPS – What do we do with that?
Could it get more contradicting?
Let me explain it to you.
NO FAITH = NO SALVATION
• Because we are justified by faith
• It was by faith that God credited righteousness to Abraham
If you have no faith then you have no salvation.
(That is what Paul was talking about in Romans 3)
Here it is:
NO WORKS = NO FAITH
And that is what James was talking about in James 2
James 2:18-26 “But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “AND ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS,” and he was called the friend of God. You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. In the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.”
Listen to me closely.
If you were to ask James if a man is justified by faith he would say, “Yes, but it must be real faith.”
You would ask, “What is the difference between real faith and fake faith?”
James would say, “Real faith obeys God”
James’ point is that we are certainly justified by faith,
But it must be real genuine faith,
The kind of faith that obeys the commands of God.
If you don’t obey the commands of God, then I don’t know what you have,
But it most certainly is not faith.
And if you don’t have faith, then you are not saved,
Because we are saved through faith.
So to say it again:
• No Faith = No Salvation
• No Works = No Faith
And that is what makes Abraham’s circumcision a seal or an indicator.
The fact that Abraham instantly obeyed God proved that his faith was real,
Thus indicating that his salvation was real.
Circumcision didn’t save him,
But his obedience in circumcision proved he was in fact saved.
Now, let me bring it home to us.
(You know I don’t push for flashy invitations)
I believe people are saved as they listen to the proclaimed word of God, not necessarily in a pushy invitation
Just like Cornelius was saved in the middle of Peter’s sermon
(Cornelius, incidentally, was also clearly saved
Before he was baptized since he had the Holy Spirit first)
So I know that it is possible that there are some who have been saved,
But never walked an aisle or made a public decision –
You simply believed the word and God has begun to change your heart.
If you are like that, then you need to listen.
You also have a work of obedience that you need to do.
There is a sign of our covenant
There is a seal of our covenant
It will not save you, it is not enough, but it is required of God.
That sign, that seal is water baptism.
Acts 2:38 “Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
I am NOT telling you that if you have never placed your faith in Christ
That you need to be baptized.
If you’ve never placed your faith in Christ, it won’t do you any good.
I’m telling you if you have trusted Christ
And He has granted to you His righteousness,
That it is time for you to be obedient and be baptized.
And just as Abraham went that same day and was circumcised,
That is the call to you.
And this obedience is another step that God has in store
In order to grow your faith.
He is teaching the value of obedience.
And so just as God required obedience of Abraham,
He now requires it of you.
And I want to ask you, to be obedient.
Ephesians 2:8-10 “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”
