29 Oct Abram to Abraham: The Covenant of Circumcision
Preacher Huijun - 25 June 2015
Being Called To Be Set Apart
We are chosen to be set apart. It's God's divine election, none of our faith and human merits play a part in it. Often, we ask God, "Did you really choose me? But I am a nobody, I can't be like Abraham or David who had great faith, I'm just a nobody." But through the story of Zechariah, God brings an emphasis to Zechariah and us - No matter how ordinary or utterly nothing we are, God's supremacy transcend all insufficiencies of man, i.e. there's no condition too ordinary that God cannot use; God shames the proud but lifts up the humble; because God wants to reveal to us His sovereign grace and will. Instead of sinking into fallible human conditions and desiring the good conditions of others, God wants us restore an upright heart before Him first, for God is a God who searches the heart of men. It is your believing heart in His promise that pleases Him; it is your believing heart that enables you to pray and open the spiritual eyes in anticipation knowing He is the Lord who hears your prayer and knows your deepest need; it is your believing heart that enables you to participate in His plan no matter how weak or tiny you feel, for He is great nonetheless; it is your believing heart that compels God to want to prove to you that indeed He is a faithful God. As we receive the calling of God through our believing heart, the spirit within us will move us into setting apart. But when you find it hard to be set apart, look to God's promise and find strength in Him. Rather be small in the eyes of men but great in the sight of the Lord! Let the "commissioned" heart lead you to each blessed and assured footstep of your life.
From Series: "All English Service"
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Abram to Abraham:
The Covenant of Circumcision
<Genesis 17:1-23>
1. Change of name (identity)
- v5: Abram (“exalted father”) >>> Abraham: (“father of many”)
- v15: Sarai >>> Sarah
- Name affects a person
- Name shapes perspective and behaviour
- Changed names so can remember and dispel unbelief
- After name change: God’s perspective >>> our fixed perspective
- Forget old name, register new name, and live in a fitting way
2. God’s covenant also involves man’s obedience
1) “Walk before me faithfully and be blameless” <v1>
- Walk before God, not man, nor self
- Man sins due to very low view of God
- Remember that God is Almighty <v1> >>> Trust and fear Him
2) Sign of covenant: Circumcision
- Outward sign of inward faith
- Reminder of obligations to God
- Similar to New Testament baptism
- Put away old self
- Be set apart
- Circumcision of the heart more important:
<Deut 10:16> “Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer.” - Irreversible: Permanent bond between God and His people
3) Obey promptly
- <Genesis 17:26> Abraham and his son Ishmael were both circumcised on that very day.
4) Do not let doubts hinder obedience
- Don’t trust our doubts more than we trust God!
5) God demands total commitment
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