Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev19991010.htm

GENESIS: THE SOURCES OF GOOD AND CALAMITY IN OUR ORIGINS
Part III - God's Ongoing Program Of Countering Man's Apostasy At Babel
G. Round Six: God's Way Out Of Our Shocking Defeats In The Life Of Faith
(Genesis 17:1-27)
  1. Introduction
    1. Every Christian's faith is eventually tested by adversity. Sometimes the battles are lost due to unbelief with great cost in emotions, mental welfare and physical drain. In times like these one needs insight.
    2. Genesis 17:1-27 records Abram's experiences following what had been a shocking event in his life that had proved to be an almost disastrous one as well. It provides us an encouraging, instructional insight:
  2. God's Way Out Of Our Shocking Defeats In The Life Of Faith, Genesis 17:1-27.
    1. As we already learned, Abram experienced a great personal trauma in faithlessly trying to "help God out":
      1. Sarai had seen she was without child by God's permission (Gen. 16:2), and had known God's Genesis 15:4 promise that Abram's son would come from his own reproductive system.
      2. Then she sacrifically suggested Abram have a son by union with her maid, Hagar, and then Sarai would adop t him as her own in accord with the customs of that era, Ryrie St. Bib., KJV, ftn. Gen. 16:2-3.
      3. This "help God out" scheme was accepted by Abram, but it terribly stressed his household, Gen. 16:4-9.
      4. Thus, Abram was left with a home full of strain between his wife, Sarai and the mother of his unborn son, Ishmael, and feelings of deep regret about having launched out on his own without God's help !
    2. With Abram reeling from this upsetting event, God supplied great encouragement mingled with a call for greater separation from sin and submission to God in his relationships and conduct, Genesis 17:1-27:
      1. God promised Abram great future blessings in connection with a call to live a holy life, Genesis 17:1-8:
        1. God called Abram to walk a life of separation from sin, a life of faith in Him, Genesis 17:1.
        2. Then, God promised Abram great multiplication of his seed (17:2), a great heritage as a father of many nations (17:3-5) and kings (17:6-7) and an everlasting possession of Canaan , 17:8.
        3. God renamed Abram as "Abraham," or "a father of a great number," Gn. 17:5; Ibid., ftn. Gn. 11:27.
      2. Following this promise with that call, God mingled deep demands for submission and holiness from Abraham coupled with a great additional promise regarding his wife, Sarai:
        1. God commanded Abraham to circumcise himself and all the males in his household, demonstrating God's sovereignty over the reproductive systems of the whole household, Genesis 17:9-14. In effect, this measure was a demonstration of the need for Abraham's household to FOLLOW God's lead in how they used their reproductive systems as opposed to past personal schemes!
        2. Connected with this circumcision covenant, God announced He would raise up the promised seed through the now-barren Sarai, Genesis 17:15. Since her offspring would be the one to produce the nations and kings of people, God changed her name from Sarai to Sarah, or from "my princess" to "Princess"! Contrary to the Genesis 16 "help God out" scheme, God signaled HE wanted to use SARAH, not Hagar as the vehicle of producing the promised seed and blessings to come!
        3. Abraham was torn by this announcement, for he already had a beloved firstborn in Ishmael, Gen. 17:18. However, God ordered Abraham to follow HIS lead and see Sarah's son as the standard bearer of the covenant, 17:19. God would bless Ishmael because of grace (17:20), but God would make Isaac of Sarah the one with whom the main covenant was established, Gen. 17:21-22.
        4. God then finished talking with Abraham, showing he demanded obedience from Abraham, 17:22.
        5. Finally realizing his need to follow God, Abraham circumcised himself and his household as an act of submission to the will and plan of God regarding how his "seed" would be blessed, Gen. 17:23-27.
Lesson: After his "help God out" scheme had dreadfully failed, God ENCOURAGED Abraham while demanding greater submission to Him and holiness to AVOID future similar failures. This was both helpful AND painful, for blessing was tied up with costly holiness and submission on Abraham's part!

Application: After painful spiritual defeat, God promises to BLESS, but also demands WITH that encouragement that we check and adjust in how we must submit more to His will, be more separate in our relationships and righteous in our acts to avoid f uture similar spiritual painful failures!