Some Things Must Be Cut Off

Somethings must be cut off Genesis 17:9-14

• • Abram is 99 years old and God appear to him and gives him a new name, a covenant and a promise for his future generation 
  • Refer to the message Pastor Crystal preached last Wednesday

• Up to this point, God has been the one that has been doing all the heavy lifting – actually all the lifting 

• • Just in Genesis chapter 17- we see:
    • I will establish my covenant 
    • I will make you a father of many nations
    • I will make you exceedingly fruitful 
    • I will make nation of you and kings will come from you 
    • I will establish a covenant between you and your descendants 
    • I will give you and your descendants …land 
    • I will be their God 
  • The tone changes in vs 9

• Vs 9-10 (Nkjv) And God said to Abraham: “As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. 10 This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: 

• • As for you….
  • There comes a time when we have to put some skin in the game …literally
  • To “put some skin in the game” means to have a personal, stake or risk in an undertaking. It implies that by investing your own resources, you become directly affected by the outcome, which encourages careful decision-making and commitment

• Vs 9-11 (Amp) – Further, God said to Abraham, “As for you [your part of the agreement], you shall keep and faithfully obey [the terms of] My covenant, you and your descendants after you, throughout their generations. 10 This is [the sign of] My covenant, which you shall keep and faithfully obey, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised. 11 And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be the sign (symbol, memorial) of the covenant between Me and you.

• God is asking Abram to be invested in this relationship and to teach his generation to do the same
• This Christian walk is a contact sport – we can’t just sit on the side lines and just watch or rip the benefits 
• Yes, please come as you are – stay and get healed but after some color start coming back to your face – lets get involved 
• Mgeni siku ya kwanza – Swahili saying 
• I heard a Pastor say that they don’t agree with the Church is a hospital – He said Church is a military base where we train people to fight – fight the good fight 
• And I will add – yes there is triage, but not for us treat you and send you back home – we treat you and enlist you to fight for your country, your family, your church, your brothers and sisters 

Foreskin

• • God knows that sometimes we need motivation and reminders – and this is what we see here in Genesis 

• Vs 10 -11 Every male child among you shall be circumcised; 11 and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you. 

• • Why the foreskin not an ear rope, a slice of the pinky, tip of the tongue, take out a tooth, why not any other body part?
  • God does not haphazardly do things – something done in a random, disorganized, or unplanned manner.
  • Let’s look at God’s promise to Abram:

• Genesis 15:5 (NLT) Then the Lord took Abram outside and said to him, “Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have!”

• Genesis 22:16–17 (NLT) “This is what the Lord says: Because you have obeyed me and have not withheld even your son, your only son, I swear by my own name that 17 I will certainly bless you. I will multiply your descendants[a] beyond number, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. 

• • God’s promise to Abraham was centered around descendants
  • Why the foreskin? – the sign was placed directly on the organ connected to the promise itself
  • The covenant was placed right at the source of the promise to Abraham 
  • The reproductive organ that would bear the mark of the promise represented future generations, a promise for future generations – be fruitful and multiply 

• That every time Abraham and his generation knew their wives, there was visible and unmistaken evidence of God’s covenant 

• • I want you to realize that every covenant God made involved blood and this one was not any different 
  • The only difference was that the CHOICE was put in the man’s hands 
  • God can do a lot of things to bring you to a place of repentance, but He cannot repent for you 
  • You have to subject yourself to cutting/circumcision – because we all know that somethings have to be cut off before we can be right with God!

• Hebrews 12:1 (Nkjv) Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

• • There has to come a time in your life when you have to realize that there are things that you are carrying and those things are interfering with you on your race 
  • Some of you have the Kenyan blood in you – you are runners #runyourrace – But the issue is that your backpack is full of rocks from you past, your strength, your goals, your dreams, your hurts, your upbringing e.t.c 
  • When you hear let go and let God- some of you stop and start taking one out on rock at a time 
  • It’s time to cut of the straps and let that backpack go – somethings have to be cut off 

• Matthew 11:28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.

• Circumcision constantly reminded Israel: “You belong to Yahweh.” And He was their everything
• Even in the most private area of life, they were consecrated to God

Servants 

• Vs 12-13 From generation to generation, every male child must be circumcised on the eighth day after his birth. This applies not only to members of your family but also to the servants born in your household and the foreign-born servants whom you have purchased. 13 All must be circumcised. Your bodies will bear the mark of my everlasting covenant.

• From this part of the Bible, we see two things:

• Every male born in Abraham family must be circumcised 

• And this – every servant born in the household and even foreign -born servant who has been purchased 

• Here is proof again that you my friend – you gentile – you were not an after thought 
• Paul was not the one that first thought of gentiles been included – God had already planned for this 
• This is so significant
• Check out the parallel 

• Added 

• Genesis 17:12 (NkJV) …., he who is born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not your descendant.

• • • Foreigner, slave, not biological descendant 

• Ephesians 2:11–12 (NLT) Don’t forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders. You were called “uncircumcised heathens” by the Jews, who were proud of their circumcision, even though it affected only their bodies and not their hearts. 12 In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope.

• Bought

1. 1.  Abraham’s servants were bought with silver

• Vs 13: and he who is bought with your money must be circumcised…

1. You and I believers were bought with Christ’s blood.

• 1 Corinthians 6:20(Nkjv) For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body [a]and in your spirit, which are God’s.

• The covenant sign 

1. 1. 1. Covenant was a physical mark 

• Genesis 17:13 (Nkjv) ……and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant

1. 1. Now the Holy Spirit is the mark of promise 

• Ephesians 1:13-14 (Nkjv) In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

• Family and all privileges

• Exodus 12:48 (Nkjv)  And when a stranger [a]dwells with you and wants to keep the Passover to the Lord, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as a native of the land

• Ephesians 2:18-19(Nlt)  Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us.19 So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family.

As for you…. Your part 

• • Your Heart must be circumcised – somethings must be cut off 

• Proverbs 4:23 (Nkjv) Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.- Heart ( private and source)

• 1 Samuel 16:7(Nkjv) ….For[b] the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

• Deuteronomy 10:16  (AMPC) So circumcise the foreskin of your [minds and] hearts; be no longer stubborn and hardened

• • Moses is telling the Israelites – don’t just settle for the outside appearance that you bear the mark of circumcision – you need to check your hearts 

• Deuteronomy 30:6( Nkjv) – And 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, that you may live.

• Jeremiah 4:4 (Nkjv) Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, And take away the foreskins of your hearts, You men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, Lest My fury come forth like fire, And burn so that no one can quench it, Because of the evil of your doings.”

• Romans 2:28-29 (NLT) For you are not a true Jew just because you were born of Jewish parents or because you have gone through the ceremony of circumcision. 29 No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not merely obeying the letter of the law; rather, it is a change of heart produced by the Spirit. And a person with a changed heart seeks praise[a] from God, not from people.

• Colossians 2:11(NLT) – When you came to Christ, you were “circumcised,” but not by a physical procedure. Christ performed a spiritual circumcision—the cutting away of your sinful nature.

And this…

• vs 13 All must be circumcised. Your bodies will bear the mark of my everlasting covenant. 14 Any male who fails to be circumcised will be cut off from the covenant family for breaking the covenant.”

• • Anyone who fails to be circumcised in the heart will be cut off from the family of God for breaking the covenant 
  • They will not bear the mark of the Lord 

• 2 Corinthians 1:22 [He has also appropriated and acknowledged us as His by] putting His seal upon us and giving us His [Holy] Spirit in our hearts as the security deposit and guarantee [of the fulfillment of His promise].

Something must be cut off- what do you need cut off today?