WEBVTT

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 So let's hear the word of God as we find it in Genesis 17.

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 When Abraham was 99 years old, the Lord appeared to him and said,

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 I am God Almighty. Walk before me and be blameless.

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 I will confirm my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.

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 Abraham fell face down and God said to him, as for me, this is my covenant with you.

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 You will be the father of many nations.

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 No longer will you be called Abram.

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 Your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations.

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 I will make you very fruitful.

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 I will make nations of you and kings will come from you.

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 I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants

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 after you for the generations to come to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.

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 The whole land of Canaan where you are now an alien, I will give as an everlasting possession

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 to you and your descendants after you and I will be their God.

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 Then God said to Abraham, as for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after

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 you for the generations to come.

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 This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep.

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 Every male among you shall be circumcised.

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 You are to undergo circumcision and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and

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 you.

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 For the generations to come, every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised,

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 including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner, those who

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 are not your offspring.

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 Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised.

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 My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant.

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 Any uncircumcised male who has not been circumcised in the flesh will be cut off from his people.

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 He has broken my covenant.

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 God also said to Abraham, as for Sarah, your wife, you're no longer to call her Sarah.

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 Her name will be Sarah.

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 I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her.

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 I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations.

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 Kings of peoples will come from her.

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 Abraham fell face down.

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 He laughed and said to himself, will a son be born to a man a hundred years old?

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 Will Sarah bear a child at the age of 90?

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 And Abraham said to God, if only Ishmael might live under your blessing.

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 Then God said, yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son and you will call him Isaac.

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 I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.

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 And as for Ishmael, I have heard you.

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 I will surely bless him.

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 I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers.

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 He'll be the father of 12 rulers and I will make him into a great nation.

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 But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year.

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 When he had finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him.

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 On that very day, Abraham took his son Ishmael and all those born in his household or bought with his money,

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 every male in his household and circumcised them as God told him.

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 Abraham was 99 years old when he was circumcised and his son Ishmael was 13.

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 Abraham and his son Ishmael were both circumcised on that same day.

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 And every male in Abraham's household, including those born in his household or bought from a foreigner, was circumcised with him.

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 Now, I was walking through the meadows this week.

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 I was mentioning to a couple of people.

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 I saw this sign.

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 I have no idea what the sign was for.

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 Who put it there?

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 But it caught my eye.

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 It said, be defined by a vision of something bigger than you.

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 No idea.

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 It was probably something to do with selling falafels or something.

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 But it struck me as a great message for the Christian life.

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 And it seems really appropriate as we think about the story of Abraham.

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 You know, what is our something bigger as Christians?

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 Ultimately, that something bigger is the fact that the sovereign Lord is king.

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 We celebrate and we find our strength in the sovereign rule of God.

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 That is to define our vision for life, all of life, including our own.

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 The lordship of Christ and his kingdom is to dominate the horizons of his people.

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 Again, on a related theme, I was reading a book called The Preacher's Catechism this week.

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 And the author, Lewis Allen, he wrote this.

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 He said, faith is a hungry business and true faith must be continually fed.

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 Key to that diet is a robust confidence in Christ's lordship.

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 For our faith to be established and to grow strong, we need to understand that Jesus Christ is Lord.

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 As we come to this part of Abraham's life, we see that he needs his life of faith to be redefined.

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 Defined by a bigger vision, to be reminded of God's greater promise.

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 And the God who makes covenant promises comes again to him.

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 Just as he did last week, Genesis 15.

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 So we see him again coming to revive his faith.

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 In the middle of Abraham's doubts and questions and fears,

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 he discovers once again, our God reigns.

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 And that's good news for him.

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 It was Abraham Kuyper, the Dutch theologian, who said,

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 not a square inch of all, there is not a square inch of all creation over which God does not say mine.

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 So we live in that reality that every aspect of life,

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 every aspect of this created universe belongs to God, belongs to the Lord Jesus.

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 So we find ourselves as Christians trusting in the sovereign rule of God.

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 We are invited to live with faith that Christ is King.

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 We're invited to live in that reality in life's joys and in life's struggles.

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 But I'm sure we've probably all come to understand that maintaining that faith is hard.

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 There are many obstacles, barriers, challenges to that.

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 Abraham knew it.

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 He knew it as he waited to see how God was going to fulfill his promises.

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 And I'm sure we've come to find that too.

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 I still remember the first talk I ever gave on Christianity,

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 probably because it took place on a camp bus on the way to Alton Towers at six o'clock in the morning.

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 That's a tough shift, trying to talk truth to sleepy teenagers while riding a bus.

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 But I remember, because we're heading to Alton Towers,

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 talking about the theme of life being like a roller coaster,

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 bringing with it ups and downs and lots of times where you're thrown for a loop.

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 And how do we learn to trust God in that situation?

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 And the life of faith, likewise, can be for us something of a roller coaster

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 with ups and downs and highs and lows and sometimes thrown for a loop.

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 We see it in the story of Abraham.

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 We see it in many of the characters in the Bible.

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 So we have the reality that King Jesus rules and reigns over all.

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 And it's critical for our lives to see that, to trust that, and to rest in that.

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 But we also need to acknowledge that there are many ways in which that faith is challenged.

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 We are invited to trust in the promise-making God,

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 especially as he is revealed to us in the Lord Jesus.

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 Jesus, Jesus who is described as the cornerstone upon which our lives of faith are established.

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 Also the anchor holding us to God.

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 So we are invited to exercise faith, acknowledging that faith often is weak,

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 and often we struggle.

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 So it's good to remember the sovereign rule of God,

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 and that he is for his people.

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 I was reading Richard Sibbes this week.

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 He used the image of a mother and a baby when talking about faith.

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 You know, when a baby is little, for security it clings on to,

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 he or she clings on to their mum or dad.

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 But ultimately the child's safety doesn't rest in their grip,

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 it rests in their parents' strong arms.

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 And we need to know that reality.

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 At times when life makes no sense to us,

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 at times when our faith seems really stretched,

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 and we find ourselves confused,

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 struggling to hold on to the promises of God,

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 we need this.

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 We need Christ, the sure and steady anchor.

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 So we find ourselves diving again into Abraham's struggle of faith.

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 In Genesis 17, he's still living, as we said last week,

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 in that gap between the promise of God

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 and the reality in which he finds himself in.

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 It's 44 years that have passed.

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 Since in Genesis 12,

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 he was called from worshipping idols to follow the living God,

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 and he was given all those amazing promises.

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 44 years.

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 It's 13 years that have passed since Genesis 16.

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 Genesis 16 is when Abraham and Sarah decide to take matters

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 into their own hands

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 to try and establish a family through Hagar and Ishmael,

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 hoping that the covenant promises of God will come in that way.

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 Now we find Abraham is 99 years old.

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 Sarah is 90.

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 Still, there is no child of promise.

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 We see in chapter 17 and verse 18

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 an indicator that Abraham's faith needs revived

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 because we find him here settling for less than God's amazing promise.

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 So God had said that it would be through a child of Abraham and Sarah

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 that the promise would come.

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 But Abraham said to God,

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 if only Ishmael, the child of Hagar, his servant,

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 if only Ishmael might live under your blessing.

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 He needs his faith revived

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 so he can believe in that greater promise that he was given.

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 So again, let's think together,

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 how does God strengthen his faith in that moment?

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 How does God strengthen our faith?

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 How can we persevere and even grow in faith

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 when life is hard,

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 when challenges are frequent,

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 when we find ourselves very aware of our weakness and limitation?

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 Well, the answer, as we've seen all along,

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 is that we need to hear and be reminded of God's character

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 and to receive and lay hold on God's covenant promise.

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 So that's where we're going to focus our time.

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 Genesis 17 is one of those chapters

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 where we could say loads and spend loads of time in it,

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 but I just want to think about God's character

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 and God's covenant promise as we see it,

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 especially in the first 14 verses.

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 But let's begin with God's character

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 where we are reminded,

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 and Abraham is reminded,

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 that God is the God who is on the throne.

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 Chapter 17, verse 1.

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 When Abraham was 99 years old,

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 the Lord appeared to him and said,

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 I am God Almighty.

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 I am El Shaddai, the Almighty God.

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 Nothing is impossible with me, Abraham.

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 God comes and says to him.

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 When we think about Abraham's experience of life to date,

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 this is something that he has come to know and see in a profound way.

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 He has already experienced the powerful call of God,

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 bringing him from spiritual death to spiritual life.

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 He has been protected by God in a powerful way

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 through a period of unbelief.

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 When him and Sarah went down to Egypt

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 and Abraham tried to deceive the king of Egypt,

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 pretending Abraham and Sarah were just brother and sister,

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 God protected the family,

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 even as Abraham wavered in his faith.

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 And then Abraham has seen the power of God

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 in enabling him to rescue his nephew Lot,

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 though he was just a small household

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 compared to those who had raided Sodom and Gomorrah

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 and taken Lot captive.

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 So already, Abraham has evidence

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 that nothing is impossible to his God.

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 And ultimately, Isaac is going to be proof of that.

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 So that's what Abraham had.

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 Now we come back to our own day

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 and we think, what view do we have of God's character?

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 What proof do we have that God is almighty,

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 that nothing is impossible with him?

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 Well, we have the whole testimony of the Bible.

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 And we have the great stories of the Old Testament,

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 stories of God's faithfulness,

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 stories of God's amazing deliverance,

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 stories of God's miraculous intervention

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 on behalf of his own people.

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 And even more particularly,

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 that we live this side of the coming of Jesus.

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 What do we see when we look in the Gospels?

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 We discover Jesus,

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 the one who is Lord over the wind and the waves,

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 and he still is today.

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 We discover Jesus, Lord over sickness and death,

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 Lord over angels and demons,

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 Lord over life and death,

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 and we see it in his own resurrection.

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 And those realities are still true of Jesus today.

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 They're still true of our God today.

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 So we have the whole story of the Bible

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 to give us confidence that God is almighty,

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 that God is on the throne,

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 that nothing is impossible with our God.

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 But we also have the story of the church,

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 church throughout the pages of church history.

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 But we also have our own stories.

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 We have the experience of others,

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 where we can share stories of us praying

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 in a sense of need and God answering.

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 We have our own stories of God providing

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 in surprising ways to strengthen and to keep

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 and to encourage his people.

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 This is one of those essential building blocks of faith.

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 This is where we find stability in our Christian lives,

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 the absolute rule of the almighty God as our king.

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 It's something that we need to build into

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 our understanding of the Christian faith

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 in times when things are going relatively okay.

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 It's a good time to build this truth

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 that God is sovereign, that he rules over all.

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 And then it's also a truth that we need to cling to

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 in the bad times, in the hard times.

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 I think there might be someone at the door.

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 Oh, somebody's gone.

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 Fine, fine, fine.

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 So we've got God's character,

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 and we've got the fact that he is God on the throne.

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 We've also got God's covenant promise.

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 God's covenant promise.

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 I will be your God.

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 Look at verse two.

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 I will confirm my covenant.

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 I will make sure I will establish my covenant

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 between me and you,

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 and will greatly increase your number.

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 So he says, that thing that I promised,

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 I'm going to make it firm and sure.

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 And he goes on.

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 The Lord goes on to explain and to demonstrate to Abraham

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 how he's going to do that,

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 promising him a fulfillment that far exceeds Abraham's expectations.

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 You know, Abraham says,

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 oh, the Ishmael might live under your blessing,

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 and God is going to show how he will vastly exceed that.

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 So he says to him in verse five,

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 for example, no longer will you be called Abram.

00:16:57.019 --> 00:16:58.459
 Your name will be Abraham,

00:16:58.620 --> 00:17:01.539
 for I have made you a father of many nations.

00:17:01.539 --> 00:17:02.919
 That's what the name Abraham means,

00:17:03.079 --> 00:17:05.240
 father of many.

00:17:05.240 --> 00:17:08.200
 That kings will come from him.

00:17:08.359 --> 00:17:10.259
 Nations will come from him.

00:17:10.359 --> 00:17:14.460
 And he renames Abraham in the prospect of that fulfillment.

00:17:15.940 --> 00:17:18.099
 And we perhaps remember in the play,

00:17:18.259 --> 00:17:19.200
 Romeo and Juliet,

00:17:19.319 --> 00:17:21.259
 the question, what's in a name?

00:17:22.000 --> 00:17:24.200
 Well, in the Bible, a lot.

00:17:24.859 --> 00:17:27.740
 In the Bible, God is here renaming Abraham

00:17:27.740 --> 00:17:29.680
 as a statement of his intention

00:17:29.680 --> 00:17:31.660
 to keep his covenant promise.

00:17:31.660 --> 00:17:34.279
 In verse seven,

00:17:34.279 --> 00:17:37.860
 I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant

00:17:37.860 --> 00:17:40.820
 between me and you and your descendants after you.

00:17:41.420 --> 00:17:43.740
 One of the things that we see about covenants

00:17:43.740 --> 00:17:46.940
 is that God often chooses to work through families,

00:17:47.440 --> 00:17:50.220
 that blessing that passes down through the generations.

00:17:50.420 --> 00:17:51.680
 And because that's true,

00:17:52.680 --> 00:17:56.720
 God is promising that he will give Abraham a family

00:17:56.720 --> 00:17:58.480
 through Isaac.

00:17:58.480 --> 00:18:00.160
 Verse eight,

00:18:00.160 --> 00:18:01.240
 the whole land of Canaan,

00:18:01.360 --> 00:18:02.319
 where you are now an alien,

00:18:02.440 --> 00:18:05.140
 I will give as an everlasting possession

00:18:05.140 --> 00:18:07.279
 to you and your descendants after you.

00:18:08.000 --> 00:18:09.440
 The land of promise,

00:18:09.920 --> 00:18:13.500
 God's place will belong to them.

00:18:14.279 --> 00:18:17.860
 So just as he promised way back 44 years ago

00:18:17.860 --> 00:18:20.539
 to make him a great nation,

00:18:20.700 --> 00:18:21.740
 to give him the land,

00:18:22.240 --> 00:18:23.940
 to cause him to be a blessing,

00:18:23.940 --> 00:18:25.720
 to receive God's blessing,

00:18:25.720 --> 00:18:30.700
 the same is still being promised by God now.

00:18:32.299 --> 00:18:33.019
 And of course,

00:18:33.080 --> 00:18:34.700
 when we get to the true climax,

00:18:34.799 --> 00:18:36.039
 to the heart of God's covenant,

00:18:36.160 --> 00:18:40.900
 we find it here as well in verse seven and verse eight,

00:18:41.680 --> 00:18:45.100
 where he promises to be your God

00:18:45.100 --> 00:18:47.279
 and the God of your descendants.

00:18:48.519 --> 00:18:49.480
 And in verse eight,

00:18:49.680 --> 00:18:52.320
 I will be their God.

00:18:52.319 --> 00:18:54.819
 This is the Emmanuel principle,

00:18:55.539 --> 00:18:56.700
 the heart of the covenant,

00:18:57.019 --> 00:18:59.399
 God with his people.

00:18:59.659 --> 00:19:01.299
 This is the goal of salvation.

00:19:01.460 --> 00:19:03.819
 This is the promise of salvation,

00:19:04.559 --> 00:19:07.339
 God and his people together

00:19:07.339 --> 00:19:08.939
 because of God's grace,

00:19:09.039 --> 00:19:10.099
 because of God's initiative,

00:19:10.259 --> 00:19:12.059
 because of God's covenant

00:19:12.059 --> 00:19:15.240
 and his faithfulness to maintain the covenant.

00:19:17.000 --> 00:19:18.179
 Connected to that

00:19:18.180 --> 00:19:20.000
 and to strengthen Abraham's faith.

00:19:20.360 --> 00:19:20.960
 Again,

00:19:21.120 --> 00:19:23.500
 a covenant sign is given.

00:19:24.940 --> 00:19:26.560
 Verse 10 is striking language.

00:19:28.539 --> 00:19:30.860
 This is my covenant with you,

00:19:31.279 --> 00:19:33.060
 the covenant you are to keep.

00:19:34.660 --> 00:19:37.140
 Every male among you shall be circumcised.

00:19:37.240 --> 00:19:40.940
 So God makes the closest possible connection

00:19:40.940 --> 00:19:44.039
 between his covenant promise of grace

00:19:44.039 --> 00:19:45.960
 and the covenant sign.

00:19:47.119 --> 00:19:47.899
 How so?

00:19:48.920 --> 00:19:51.240
 Because the covenant promise,

00:19:51.319 --> 00:19:53.980
 when we think about how the promises work themselves out

00:19:53.980 --> 00:19:55.200
 in Abraham's experience,

00:19:55.599 --> 00:19:58.899
 they're all wrapped up in God keeping his promise

00:19:58.899 --> 00:20:01.420
 to give them a child of promise,

00:20:01.879 --> 00:20:03.839
 to give them a family.

00:20:04.859 --> 00:20:06.240
 And so circumcision then,

00:20:06.460 --> 00:20:07.220
 at one level,

00:20:07.299 --> 00:20:08.039
 is a permanent reminder

00:20:08.039 --> 00:20:11.599
 that God has made that promise

00:20:11.599 --> 00:20:15.180
 to build a family through Abraham and Sarah.

00:20:15.259 --> 00:20:17.980
 This is intended to strengthen his faith.

00:20:19.039 --> 00:20:20.000
 In Genesis 15,

00:20:20.099 --> 00:20:20.680
 Abraham was told,

00:20:20.859 --> 00:20:22.799
 look up at the stars and believe.

00:20:23.440 --> 00:20:24.920
 Now in Genesis 17,

00:20:25.019 --> 00:20:26.000
 to strengthen his faith,

00:20:26.079 --> 00:20:26.359
 he's told,

00:20:26.680 --> 00:20:27.680
 look at your own body

00:20:27.680 --> 00:20:29.039
 and remember and believe

00:20:29.579 --> 00:20:33.099
 the promise that I have made to you.

00:20:34.519 --> 00:20:36.700
 So here Abraham is being invited

00:20:36.700 --> 00:20:39.100
 to revive his faith,

00:20:39.460 --> 00:20:43.059
 to trust and rely on God's character,

00:20:43.420 --> 00:20:45.640
 to trust that God will keep his word,

00:20:46.000 --> 00:20:48.880
 to trust in the friendship of God

00:20:48.880 --> 00:20:51.080
 and the faithfulness of God.

00:20:52.840 --> 00:20:56.700
 Sometimes faith is caricatured

00:20:56.700 --> 00:20:58.779
 as a leap in the dark.

00:20:59.759 --> 00:21:02.080
 Maybe some of us will have seen

00:21:02.080 --> 00:21:04.920
 Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

00:21:04.920 --> 00:21:07.660
 Well, as Indiana Jones finds himself

00:21:07.660 --> 00:21:10.620
 looking for the treasure,

00:21:11.180 --> 00:21:13.019
 ultimately the medicine

00:21:13.019 --> 00:21:14.259
 that will heal his father,

00:21:15.000 --> 00:21:17.240
 there is the idea of a walk of faith.

00:21:17.800 --> 00:21:20.840
 He finds himself at a cliff edge

00:21:20.840 --> 00:21:23.039
 and in the vast distance,

00:21:23.180 --> 00:21:24.279
 there's a cliff on the other side

00:21:24.279 --> 00:21:26.900
 and then there's that huge drop in between.

00:21:27.380 --> 00:21:29.100
 And so the walk of faith

00:21:29.100 --> 00:21:30.080
 for Indiana Jones

00:21:30.080 --> 00:21:33.340
 is to step out into the abyss.

00:21:33.339 --> 00:21:35.319
 And only when he makes that step

00:21:35.319 --> 00:21:38.419
 does this invisible path become visible.

00:21:38.519 --> 00:21:39.759
 Now is that faith

00:21:39.759 --> 00:21:40.819
 as we find it in the Bible?

00:21:41.959 --> 00:21:42.639
 No, it's not.

00:21:43.319 --> 00:21:45.480
 It's not a leap in the dark.

00:21:46.359 --> 00:21:48.179
 Faith is trusting in God

00:21:48.179 --> 00:21:49.939
 as we find himself revealed

00:21:49.939 --> 00:21:51.579
 in his own word.

00:21:52.419 --> 00:21:54.199
 Faith is trusting in God

00:21:54.199 --> 00:21:55.799
 as he is revealed in the gospel

00:21:55.799 --> 00:21:57.980
 of his son Jesus.

00:21:57.980 --> 00:22:01.299
 So we're trusting in God's character,

00:22:01.539 --> 00:22:02.200
 God's word,

00:22:02.400 --> 00:22:03.240
 God's promise,

00:22:03.420 --> 00:22:04.500
 God's son.

00:22:04.599 --> 00:22:06.579
 It's not a leap in the dark.

00:22:07.720 --> 00:22:08.480
 And we have the Bible

00:22:08.480 --> 00:22:10.180
 to show us God's faithfulness

00:22:10.180 --> 00:22:12.180
 to his promise.

00:22:14.279 --> 00:22:15.759
 Abraham was finding,

00:22:15.940 --> 00:22:17.599
 even after 44 years,

00:22:18.420 --> 00:22:19.940
 that he was having to wait

00:22:19.940 --> 00:22:22.240
 and hope in future promises.

00:22:22.980 --> 00:22:24.259
 And so he was being called

00:22:24.259 --> 00:22:25.700
 to trust once again

00:22:25.700 --> 00:22:27.759
 in the promise-making God.

00:22:29.400 --> 00:22:30.480
 And that's so true

00:22:30.480 --> 00:22:31.819
 for ourselves as well.

00:22:32.299 --> 00:22:33.799
 We enjoy faith

00:22:33.799 --> 00:22:35.180
 and we enjoy salvation

00:22:35.180 --> 00:22:36.160
 in the present,

00:22:36.660 --> 00:22:37.539
 but ultimately,

00:22:38.160 --> 00:22:40.100
 our faith is future-oriented.

00:22:40.980 --> 00:22:43.100
 It's eternity-focused.

00:22:44.539 --> 00:22:46.299
 And Hebrews 11, verse 1,

00:22:46.380 --> 00:22:47.200
 reminds us,

00:22:47.700 --> 00:22:49.559
 faith is being sure

00:22:49.559 --> 00:22:51.539
 of what we hope for,

00:22:52.480 --> 00:22:55.519
 certain of what we cannot see.

00:22:55.700 --> 00:22:59.720
 faith is us exercising

00:22:59.720 --> 00:23:02.240
 every day trust

00:23:02.240 --> 00:23:03.920
 in the God of the promises

00:23:03.920 --> 00:23:05.840
 to keep going

00:23:05.840 --> 00:23:08.580
 on our journey of faith.

00:23:09.240 --> 00:23:11.680
 So we see God has given

00:23:11.680 --> 00:23:12.860
 to Abraham a reminder

00:23:12.860 --> 00:23:13.920
 of his character.

00:23:14.720 --> 00:23:16.559
 God has confirmed once again

00:23:16.559 --> 00:23:18.000
 his covenant promise.

00:23:18.960 --> 00:23:20.160
 And then we see

00:23:20.160 --> 00:23:21.880
 a little of Abraham's

00:23:21.880 --> 00:23:23.039
 covenant responsibility.

00:23:23.039 --> 00:23:24.460
 So there was the,

00:23:24.740 --> 00:23:25.240
 as for me,

00:23:25.319 --> 00:23:25.740
 from God,

00:23:25.779 --> 00:23:26.359
 I will do this,

00:23:26.399 --> 00:23:26.940
 I will do this,

00:23:26.980 --> 00:23:27.519
 I will do this.

00:23:28.019 --> 00:23:28.440
 And now,

00:23:28.559 --> 00:23:29.579
 as for you,

00:23:29.759 --> 00:23:30.799
 in verse 9,

00:23:32.180 --> 00:23:33.180
 God said to Abraham,

00:23:33.339 --> 00:23:34.200
 as for you,

00:23:34.659 --> 00:23:35.700
 you must keep

00:23:35.700 --> 00:23:36.799
 my covenant.

00:23:37.440 --> 00:23:38.359
 So we've said

00:23:38.359 --> 00:23:39.159
 all the way along

00:23:39.159 --> 00:23:39.720
 as we've been thinking

00:23:39.720 --> 00:23:40.420
 about the covenants,

00:23:40.500 --> 00:23:41.099
 they're established

00:23:41.099 --> 00:23:42.299
 by grace.

00:23:42.879 --> 00:23:44.500
 It's a one-sided initiative.

00:23:44.680 --> 00:23:45.740
 God is the king.

00:23:45.819 --> 00:23:47.000
 He is the all-powerful one.

00:23:47.000 --> 00:23:48.799
 He sets the terms

00:23:48.799 --> 00:23:50.680
 of the covenant relationship.

00:23:51.460 --> 00:23:52.680
 And yet we've also recognized

00:23:52.680 --> 00:23:54.039
 that two parties are present.

00:23:55.220 --> 00:23:55.960
 And we've seen

00:23:55.960 --> 00:23:56.740
 that God's people

00:23:56.740 --> 00:23:57.779
 have responsibility

00:23:57.779 --> 00:24:00.220
 within this covenant relationship.

00:24:00.359 --> 00:24:01.000
 So what does

00:24:01.000 --> 00:24:02.519
 Abraham's responsibility

00:24:02.519 --> 00:24:03.480
 look like?

00:24:04.420 --> 00:24:04.619
 You know,

00:24:04.640 --> 00:24:05.819
 God is going to deliver

00:24:05.819 --> 00:24:07.940
 a son and family

00:24:07.940 --> 00:24:08.660
 and nations

00:24:08.660 --> 00:24:09.900
 and kings and blessing.

00:24:10.039 --> 00:24:11.000
 What is Abraham to do?

00:24:11.299 --> 00:24:12.200
 He is to keep

00:24:12.200 --> 00:24:13.259
 my covenant.

00:24:14.240 --> 00:24:14.880
 Lots of detail

00:24:14.880 --> 00:24:15.759
 on God's part

00:24:15.759 --> 00:24:16.700
 for Abraham

00:24:16.700 --> 00:24:17.440
 is to keep

00:24:17.440 --> 00:24:18.180
 the covenant.

00:24:19.579 --> 00:24:20.519
 Boils down to

00:24:20.519 --> 00:24:22.200
 be committed,

00:24:22.660 --> 00:24:22.980
 Abraham.

00:24:23.579 --> 00:24:24.660
 Trust me,

00:24:25.160 --> 00:24:25.480
 Abraham.

00:24:26.259 --> 00:24:27.720
 Live like my covenant

00:24:27.720 --> 00:24:29.480
 promise is true,

00:24:30.220 --> 00:24:30.539
 Abraham.

00:24:32.359 --> 00:24:33.440
 How does God

00:24:33.440 --> 00:24:34.099
 talk to him

00:24:34.099 --> 00:24:34.940
 in verse 1?

00:24:35.900 --> 00:24:36.299
 He says,

00:24:36.460 --> 00:24:38.519
 I am God Almighty.

00:24:39.519 --> 00:24:41.000
 Walk before me

00:24:41.000 --> 00:24:43.879
 and be blameless.

00:24:43.879 --> 00:24:45.559
 Walk before me,

00:24:45.559 --> 00:24:45.980
 Abraham.

00:24:46.419 --> 00:24:47.659
 Live in awareness

00:24:47.659 --> 00:24:48.859
 that I am present

00:24:48.859 --> 00:24:49.759
 with you,

00:24:49.960 --> 00:24:52.019
 that I am for you.

00:24:52.359 --> 00:24:53.579
 Continue to trust me

00:24:53.579 --> 00:24:56.319
 and be blameless.

00:24:56.819 --> 00:24:58.240
 Not be perfect.

00:24:59.419 --> 00:25:00.059
 It was never

00:25:00.059 --> 00:25:01.139
 the expectation,

00:25:02.179 --> 00:25:02.740
 thankfully,

00:25:03.079 --> 00:25:04.460
 for our point of view,

00:25:05.139 --> 00:25:05.879
 because nobody

00:25:05.879 --> 00:25:06.720
 can live up

00:25:06.720 --> 00:25:08.099
 to God's perfect standard.

00:25:08.259 --> 00:25:09.419
 To be blameless

00:25:09.419 --> 00:25:10.500
 means to be

00:25:10.500 --> 00:25:11.440
 wholehearted.

00:25:11.440 --> 00:25:13.400
 not to be

00:25:13.400 --> 00:25:14.539
 double-minded,

00:25:14.700 --> 00:25:15.220
 not to be

00:25:15.220 --> 00:25:16.120
 hypocritical,

00:25:16.220 --> 00:25:17.519
 to be truly devoted

00:25:17.519 --> 00:25:18.559
 to God,

00:25:18.640 --> 00:25:19.860
 to live by faith

00:25:19.860 --> 00:25:21.799
 and trust.

00:25:25.299 --> 00:25:26.519
 The Christian life,

00:25:26.900 --> 00:25:27.059
 too,

00:25:27.519 --> 00:25:28.120
 is a call

00:25:28.120 --> 00:25:28.740
 to live

00:25:28.740 --> 00:25:29.700
 by faith.

00:25:29.759 --> 00:25:30.160
 It's a call

00:25:30.160 --> 00:25:30.820
 to live

00:25:30.820 --> 00:25:32.840
 as those

00:25:32.840 --> 00:25:33.880
 who believe

00:25:33.880 --> 00:25:35.220
 that God's promise

00:25:35.220 --> 00:25:35.960
 to us

00:25:35.960 --> 00:25:37.140
 is true.

00:25:37.140 --> 00:25:39.300
 So we thought

00:25:39.300 --> 00:25:39.800
 about this

00:25:39.800 --> 00:25:40.759
 morning.

00:25:41.560 --> 00:25:41.840
 We thought

00:25:41.840 --> 00:25:42.860
 about the death

00:25:42.860 --> 00:25:43.380
 of Jesus

00:25:43.380 --> 00:25:44.400
 establishing

00:25:44.400 --> 00:25:46.100
 the new covenant

00:25:46.100 --> 00:25:47.900
 for the people

00:25:47.900 --> 00:25:48.560
 of God.

00:25:48.820 --> 00:25:49.660
 And we are

00:25:49.660 --> 00:25:50.240
 to live

00:25:50.240 --> 00:25:50.780
 daily

00:25:50.780 --> 00:25:51.500
 trusting

00:25:51.500 --> 00:25:52.840
 in that promise

00:25:52.840 --> 00:25:53.360
 that Jesus

00:25:53.360 --> 00:25:54.600
 truly has

00:25:54.600 --> 00:25:55.740
 forgiven us.

00:25:55.880 --> 00:25:56.720
 Jesus truly

00:25:56.720 --> 00:25:57.580
 is the means

00:25:57.580 --> 00:25:58.259
 by which

00:25:58.259 --> 00:25:59.540
 we can be

00:25:59.540 --> 00:26:00.860
 reconciled to God

00:26:00.860 --> 00:26:01.380
 and enjoy

00:26:01.380 --> 00:26:02.300
 relationship

00:26:02.299 --> 00:26:03.180
 with God.

00:26:04.519 --> 00:26:05.159
 And so we

00:26:05.159 --> 00:26:05.799
 are to live

00:26:05.799 --> 00:26:06.599
 like God's

00:26:06.599 --> 00:26:07.419
 promised us

00:26:07.419 --> 00:26:08.000
 is true.

00:26:08.819 --> 00:26:09.659
 To trust

00:26:09.659 --> 00:26:09.899
 him

00:26:09.899 --> 00:26:11.519
 as children

00:26:11.519 --> 00:26:12.680
 trusting our

00:26:12.680 --> 00:26:13.399
 father in heaven.

00:26:14.299 --> 00:26:15.399
 To live

00:26:15.399 --> 00:26:16.000
 for him,

00:26:16.960 --> 00:26:17.500
 recognizing

00:26:17.500 --> 00:26:18.259
 his promised

00:26:18.259 --> 00:26:18.899
 reward is

00:26:18.899 --> 00:26:19.579
 greater than

00:26:19.579 --> 00:26:20.659
 anything else

00:26:20.659 --> 00:26:21.740
 that this world

00:26:21.740 --> 00:26:22.279
 can offer.

00:26:22.680 --> 00:26:23.259
 To live

00:26:23.259 --> 00:26:24.200
 with loyalty

00:26:24.200 --> 00:26:25.399
 to our

00:26:25.399 --> 00:26:25.700
 king.

00:26:26.339 --> 00:26:27.419
 To exercise

00:26:27.419 --> 00:26:28.200
 hope

00:26:28.200 --> 00:26:29.440
 in him.

00:26:30.839 --> 00:26:31.480
 Believing

00:26:31.480 --> 00:26:32.240
 that he

00:26:32.240 --> 00:26:32.779
 will keep

00:26:32.779 --> 00:26:33.700
 his covenant

00:26:33.700 --> 00:26:34.200
 promise.

00:26:34.660 --> 00:26:35.019
 That he

00:26:35.019 --> 00:26:35.480
 will keep

00:26:35.480 --> 00:26:36.240
 us safe

00:26:36.240 --> 00:26:36.620
 in his

00:26:36.620 --> 00:26:37.079
 strong

00:26:37.079 --> 00:26:38.360
 and loving

00:26:38.360 --> 00:26:39.099
 arms.

00:26:41.180 --> 00:26:42.000
 The story

00:26:42.000 --> 00:26:42.440
 of Abraham

00:26:42.440 --> 00:26:43.039
 reminds us

00:26:43.039 --> 00:26:43.339
 that even

00:26:43.339 --> 00:26:43.680
 when we

00:26:43.680 --> 00:26:44.339
 live within

00:26:44.339 --> 00:26:44.940
 the covenant

00:26:44.940 --> 00:26:46.599
 faith is

00:26:46.599 --> 00:26:47.519
 hard sometimes.

00:26:48.240 --> 00:26:48.700
 Faith is

00:26:48.700 --> 00:26:49.180
 tested

00:26:49.180 --> 00:26:50.000
 often.

00:26:51.460 --> 00:26:52.160
 But the

00:26:52.160 --> 00:26:52.519
 story of

00:26:52.519 --> 00:26:52.960
 Abraham is

00:26:52.960 --> 00:26:53.299
 also a

00:26:53.299 --> 00:26:53.579
 wonderful

00:26:53.579 --> 00:26:54.079
 encouragement

00:26:54.079 --> 00:26:54.640
 to us.

00:26:55.240 --> 00:26:55.599
 God the

00:26:55.599 --> 00:26:56.000
 Almighty

00:26:56.000 --> 00:26:56.720
 has committed

00:26:56.720 --> 00:26:57.900
 to be

00:26:57.900 --> 00:26:58.360
 the God

00:26:58.360 --> 00:26:58.640
 of his

00:26:58.640 --> 00:26:58.920
 people.

00:27:00.059 --> 00:27:00.480
 God has

00:27:00.480 --> 00:27:00.880
 committed

00:27:00.880 --> 00:27:01.460
 to keep

00:27:01.460 --> 00:27:01.819
 his

00:27:01.819 --> 00:27:02.420
 promises.

00:27:04.000 --> 00:27:04.319
 And as we

00:27:04.319 --> 00:27:04.720
 see in the

00:27:04.720 --> 00:27:05.140
 coming of

00:27:05.140 --> 00:27:05.380
 Isaac,

00:27:05.480 --> 00:27:05.819
 he didn't

00:27:05.819 --> 00:27:06.980
 fail Abraham.

00:27:07.660 --> 00:27:08.200
 And he

00:27:08.200 --> 00:27:08.759
 will never

00:27:08.759 --> 00:27:09.579
 fail his

00:27:09.579 --> 00:27:09.840
 own.

00:27:10.259 --> 00:27:10.920
 So we

00:27:10.920 --> 00:27:11.240
 can

00:27:11.240 --> 00:27:12.019
 completely

00:27:12.019 --> 00:27:13.160
 trust

00:27:13.160 --> 00:27:14.120
 in him.

00:27:14.119 --> 00:27:14.759
 Agile

00:27:14.759 --> 00:27:28.099
 Why is

00:27:28.099 --> 00:27:30.159
 shut natural

00:27:30.159 --> 00:27:31.359
ailing

00:27:31.359 --> 00:27:31.859
 Lion

00:27:31.859 --> 00:27:32.319
ока

00:27:34.319 --> 00:27:34.539
 little

00:27:34.539 --> 00:27:34.899
 fácil