July 30, 2006

Is Your Faith Firmly Placed?
Genesis 17: 1-14

And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I [am] the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.

And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying, As for me, behold, my covenant [is] with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.

And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan , for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.

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.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

The heart of the matter.

Co 3:3 [Forasmuch as ye are] manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.

Rom. 2: 25 -29 For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision. 26 Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision?

27 And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfill the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law? 28 For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither [is that] circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: 29 But he [is] a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision [is that] of the heart, in the spirit, [and] not in the letter; whose praise [is] not of men, but of God.

For today I want to look at the difference between outward show of religion and the inward reality that pleases God. Throughout history many religions have developed and most have at their core a plan or ritual or sacrifice meant to appease their God. In truth much of the basic religion of the Jews seemed to have this appearance, but lets take a closer look and see what it is that pleased God then, and what it is that pleases God now.

First a little background on the development of the Jewish religion, a development away from its roots to a cumbersome unwieldy system of legalism that God never wanted to see.

In the beginning of the Jews walk with God it was Just God and Abraham. There was no Moses, no "law" as we think of it, and no organized religion.

Yet even from the beginning of time God had established certain things that bridged the sin gap to some extent between Himself and mankind. Cain and Abel were asked to offer a sacrifice to God, and we can assume that Adam himself had passed along the need for it to his offspring. Anytime man approached God there was a sacrifice, a sacrifice that said,” I am a sinner and I know it and I offer this sacrifice as a covering for sin so that I may approach Thee".

As the Nation grew in Exodus God established a national code of ethics and a religious code, both intertwined to educate His chosen people in the strict requirements of holiness. The intent here was not to ostracize other nations, but that the Israelis would be a light to other nations and draw them to know this Only True God. But that was a washout for the most part because like all legalists, they became rather an exclusive club. They relied more on the fact that God had given them the law than on God and faith. Paul said that "they are not all Israel who are of Israel " indicating that only those who have faith are true Israel . The great Jewish scholars began to sit and interpret the laws and jot down the most minute declarations.

This "interpretation" is the Talmud and it is the basis of today's Judaism. There are stacks and stacks of these writings and they are hotly and ably discussed in Jewish circles. Do you know what Jesus said about this sort of thing? Whether it be in Judaism or Christianity?

He said in Mark 7: 1-9 Then came together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, which came from Jerusalem . And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashed, hands, they found fault. For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash [their] hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders. And [when they come] from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, [as] the washing of cups, and pots, brazen vessels, and of tables. Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?

He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honors me with [their] lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching [for] doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, [as] the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.

See, these guys had themselves a set of rules, standards they called them, and they became more important than the book of the Law of God.

Now into this surrounding comes God Himself, pure and Holy walking as they least expected Him in the guise of a simple Nazarene carpenter.

And what He said about all of this is the point of what I would like to say today and that is this: Ro 2:29 But he [is] a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision [is that] of the heart, in the spirit, [and] not in the letter; whose praise [is] not of men, but of God.

Co 3:3 [Forasmuch as ye are] manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.

Turn to Matthew 5:21 -23 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. He then goes on to illustrate what that means in real life, 23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there remember that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.

In other words, If you desire to worship me, then your horizontal relationship must first be right, your heart, to be right with me, must be right with your brothers.

Then in the next section he says:" 27-28 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looks on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. "

Notice the focus here? "You have heard it said, The traditions of men" BUT I SAY ..The inner workings of God. He takes their outward commandment and makes it internal. I want right hearts, people.

Six times he repeats this and each time he says” You have a list of outward rules, I offer you a new heart, a new attitude, a new way of life. I want heart felt obedience not just conformity to a set of standards. This MUST be from the heart.

You call yourself the circumcision, you make a big deal of it, listen, Here is what I want: Rom. 2:28 -29 For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither [is that] circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he [is] a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision [is that] of the heart, in the spirit, [and] not in the letter; whose praise [is] not of men, but of God. “I want your hearts.”

In choosing a king for Israel God did no t look at stature or status He told Samuel:1Sa 16:7 ...for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.

And God cried out to His people in Jeremiah: 4:14 O Jerusalem , wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved. How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee?

Mt 23:25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. God wanted His people to follow Him With their hearts, full knowing that obedience would follow .

Jesus told the Pharisees:

Lu 11:39 Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness.

What was he talking About? Were they adulterers? Murderers? No they were very upríght, but filled with self righteousness, bitterness, and lust. They Had rotten hearts with polished exteriors. That is EMPTY DEAD RELIGION and it was a stench to God then and it is today.

Remember what Jesus told the woman at the well about Worship? Recall she said that the Jews Worshipped in Jerusalem and he Samaritans in what she called "This Mountain" He said: Joh 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

Indeed God had promised His people when He gave them the law that He would give them real life, and desired inward reality not just adherence to a set of standards.

De 30:6 And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.

And in Jeremiah he begged for reality and offered motivation to change within

Jer 4:4 Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench [it], because of the evil of your doings.

In Colossians .Paul talks to us and shows us How God finally made this Inward circumcision real in His people, In His Son.(2:11) In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:

That means He killed this troublesome old man and made us anew and gave us what John termed Power to become sons of God .

Does that mean we are instantly perfect? NO! But it means that we are enabled to overcome sin in our lives because we have the indwelling word of God, or Spirit of God. We are told to have reality inside and outer life will conform to the image of Christ as well.

Mt 12:34 “ O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. Out of the abundance or fullness of the heart your mouth speaks. Or to put it another way: Proverbs 23:7 a “For as he thinketh in his heart, so [is] he:

You see? What is inside is what is real. It behooves each of us to examine what is inside and bring that which we find to the altar and lay it before a Holy God. God has never wanted an outward show, he has always wanted people who serve Him because they love Him. He hates our bondage to piles of rules, rather desires to set us free. If Christ hall make you free you shall be free indeed. Yes, we are to serve, but Jesus says My yoke is easy and my burden is light.

That is explainable if you have ever had to carry a heavy pile of books. they are a drudgery, a heavy load, but if you are carrying that pile of heavy books for a delightful young lady to let her know how much you care, why that load becomes easy and that burden becomes light as a feather. So it is with Jesus. If you love Him then what He asks of you isn't heavy, it is a delight.

This reality of religion is what God, and what your heart desperately desires.

In the aftermath of Martyrdom all our efforts look feeble, but it is not our efforts that matter, just our faith. Is your faith firmly placed? Do you trust ONLY in Jesus for you eternal life? Does He own you? Have you given it all away and does all you are belong to Him?

I have been blessed to have that illustrated in my life. I stood and watched as my folks approached the charred remains of 50 years of their lives, and as we all gathered to offer consolation we saw a couple who had no need to grieve because they had already given it all away.

It is humbling to realize what we who say we've given it all away, would actually do if God took us up on that.

My Father was promoted to the “Church Victorious” A few short weeks ago, and still, my mother lives well in trust in the truth of heaven and that our dad, her beloved, is safe in the arms of Jesus.

And recently the sacrifice of faith has been felt anew as “The end of The Spear” depicts for this generation an offering to God made by 5 men who sum up tier lives in the words of Jim Eliot: “Lord Take the worthless sticks of my life and kindle in them a flame to honor you.”

Abraham Bininger was a young Swiss boy from Zurich who came to America on the same ship that brought John Wesley. His parents both died on the voyage and were buried at sea and it was alone that he stepped off the ship onto these strange shores where he knew no one. When he grew to manhood he asked to be sent to St Thomas island to tell the story of the cross to the Black slaves there after hearing of their misery and degradation.

When he arrived there, he found out that it was illegal for a free man to preach to slaves as their masters wanted to keep them in darkness, in ignorance and superstition. Shortly after this the governor of St Thomas island received a letter signed Abraham Bininger in which the writer begged to be allowed to become a slave for the rest of his life so that he could bring the gospel to these people. He promised to work hard and faithfully if in his free time he could preach the cross to fellow slaves.

The governor sent the letter to the king of Denmark , who was so touched by the request

that he sent back an edict empowering Abraham Bininger to tell the story of the Messiah when and where he chose, to man or woman, black or white, slave or free.

I do not know if I have that devotion, the devotion of submission of my very freedom to the Christ who bought me, and I am not sure I could say with Paul in Romans 9, "I would spend eternity in Hell if only my people could be saved" That is total submission

And 2 weeks ago in Greenville, the daughter of my friend Rick Tenenhoff, martyred a few years back in Colombia, stopped to visit with her friends there...on her way with her husband to Indonesia to keep the flame burning.

YOU? Will you be a sacrifice to that same all knowing God