The God Who Seals the Covenant

The God Who Seals the Covenant

12 October, 2025

Thesis: God sovereignly establishes, seals, and fulfills His covenant promises through grace and faith.

Summary: The sermon, titled "The God Who Seals the Covenant" from Genesis 17, introduces God's holiness and the significance of biblical names as it explores God's covenant with Abram. It establishes that God sovereignly fulfills His promises through grace and faith, structured around the covenant's shape, sign, and Son. The "shape" details God's self-revelation as El Shaddai, His purposeful timing in waiting for a miraculous birth, and the responsibilities and relationship—including Abraham's renaming—that underscore the covenant's powerful and eternal nature. The "sign" of circumcision is presented with its four aspects: confirming belonging, picturing the removal of sin for heart consecration, including the household, and warning of exclusion; its ultimate fulfillment in Christ's spiritual circumcision and crucifixion is also discussed, along with its New Covenant correspondence with baptism. The sermon concludes by briefly addressing Isaac as the promised "Son" and emphasizing Abraham's public, parental, and personal obedience to the covenant sign, linking all divine promises to their ultimate fulfillment in Jesus.

Sermon

Good job. Yes, our God is holy. His holiness is unparalleled—He exists in a class by Himself. This holiness defines His character, making Him worthy of our worship and unwavering obedience. As the God who seals the covenant, His holiness underpins every promise He makes. Praise His name.

This morning, we'll be in the book of Genesis chapter 17. Genesis 17. The title of my sermon is The God Who Seals the Covenant.

Now, I'll give you an attention step this morning. I'm going to ask you a question. What's in a name, and how does it relate to God's covenant promises? Maybe you've heard that question before. What's in a name?

Now, some people may be named after a famous person, a celebrity, somebody's favorite actor. Maybe you carry a family name that's been passed down from generation to generation. I have heard of some people disliking their name so much that they go to court and get it legally changed. But in the Bible, names are very significant. They often reveal a person's character or an aspect of their calling or a divine purpose. And in this chapter, we find that God firstly reveals Himself to Abram by a new name. Then He renames Abram and Sarai. He gives them identities that align with His covenant promises. And He also names the promised son that they will have.

Now, just to give you the context, remember God first called Abram in Genesis 12. He was 75 years old when He said, "Leave Ur of the Chaldeans and I'll make you a great nation. Go to the land I will show you." Okay? He's 75 years old. By the time we get to chapter 17, over two decades have passed. Abram has received promises. He has built altars, lived a life of obedience, and faced moments of doubt. Remember the Hagar incident we talked about last week. He has been declared righteous by the Lord in Genesis 15:6. He has passed many tests of faith. But now he is 99 years old. As Paul would later state in the book of Romans, his body is as good as dead. And yet, there is still no promised seed. He's had Ishmael, but there's no promised seed from Sarai through him. And it's in this chapter that God reveals something glorious to us—when Abram's strength is gone, God reiterates, reconfirms, and then seals His promise.

Now, for the third time in the book of Genesis, God meets with Abram and He reaffirms this covenant. But this time, He adds something new. What does He do? He adds a permanent sign of the covenant.

Now, an important detail about this chapter, Genesis 17. This is a significant aspect of God’s covenantal revelation. Circumcision, though often overlooked, carries profound theological weight. It is not merely a ritual but a permanent sign of the covenant God establishes with Abram. Did you know this chapter is referenced over two dozen times in the New Testament? This underscores its enduring significance. In this chapter, God demonstrates His commitment to sustain the covenant He has made. He then provides the sign of the covenant, a tangible mark of His promise. Through the chosen Son, He will ultimately fulfill the covenant’s purposes. Therefore, the central message of my sermon this morning is this: God sovereignly establishes, seals, and fulfills His covenant promises through grace and faith. God sovereignly establishes, seals, and fulfills His covenant promises through grace and faith.

And we're going to look at this chapter in three movements. We're going to look at, number one, the shape of the covenant. Number two, we're going to look at the sign of the covenant. And number three, we're going to look at the Son of the covenant.

So let's look, firstly, at the shape of the covenant. We're going to read verse 1. When Abram was 99 years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, I am Almighty God. Walk before me and be blameless.

Now, in chapter 15, we learn that God is the God who speaks—revealing His sovereign will to establish covenant promises. In chapter 16, we learn that God is the God who sees—actively overseeing the fulfillment of His covenantal purposes. In chapter 17, we're going to learn that God is the God who seals—permanently binding His covenantal promises to His redemptive plan. Now, nearly 13 years have passed since the Hagar incident. And we meet God as the God who seals His covenant, demonstrating His sovereign authority to both initiate and guarantee the fulfillment of His promises through the ages.

Well, firstly, we realize that the covenant is initiated by God—His sovereign act of establishing promises that define the relationship between Him and Abram. And we see that God gives Abram a revelation: He says the Lord appears to Abram, revealing Himself as "I am God Almighty," or Almighty God. Now, we've studied the attributes and names of God a little over a year ago. You may remember this name: in the Hebrew, it is El Shaddai—God Almighty. This revelation is central to understanding how God, as the sovereign Creator and all-sufficient Provider, establishes and fulfills His covenant promises through Abram.

Now, this is the first time that this name appears in Scripture. El is the basic name for God. It's used by Moses in Creation Week when it speaks of God creating the heavens and the earth. He speaks everything into existence. So, He is God. Shaddai means to be strong. And it's very similar to a Hebrew word, which means mountain. And mountains are symbols of what? Strength. Durability. So, putting those together, God is saying, I am God, the Creator, the all-powerful One, the all-sufficient One, the One who is able to do all things and meet every need.

Now, remember, 13 years ago, for Abram, he had the bright idea: I'm going to help God out. I'm going to go into Hagar. We're going to have the promised son through her. But 13 years later, God says no. That's not how the promised son is going to be born. And 13 years later, God still is communing with Abram. And God is still revealing Himself to Abram in a fresh way. This is a powerful reminder of God's sovereignty—His plan is not derailed by human failure. Even when we blow it big time, and Abram blew it big time in chapter 16, God still chooses to reveal Himself through fresh mercies. Praise God that His mercies are indeed new every morning. Even when I do not deserve it, He still reveals Himself in a fresh way to me. This underscores the covenant promises: God's faithfulness is not contingent on our obedience, but on His unchanging character.

Now, sometimes we assume, when we read the book of Genesis or other books of the Bible, that God is continuously speaking to people. It just seems like God is appearing to them as one vision, one prophecy, one revelation after another. And then we're like, Lord, why don't you speak to me like that? It's been years since I've felt anything, since I've heard your voice. Can I tell you that in between the appearances of God, in between the chapters of the Bible, there are years, even decades. So what are they doing in all this time? They are doing the same thing that you and I are called to do: to wait on the Lord, to trust God's plan, to trust His promises. God wasn't speaking to these people every day, like we assume when we read the Scripture. There were years and years that went by. So Abram had to trust God's promise. Abram was living a normal life, working, doing life, just like we do. And he was waiting on the Lord.

So maybe you find yourself in one of those seasons of life. Maybe you've prayed for something years ago. Maybe it's a wayward child. Maybe it's a broken marriage. Maybe it's a financial crisis. Maybe it's a disease, and you're like, Lord, I've been waiting 13 years for You to answer this prayer. And I haven't heard Your voice, and I don't see how You're working. God has a word for you this morning. He is still El Shaddai. He is the Almighty God. He is still able to do exceedingly abundantly beyond whatever you can even ask or imagine. His promise remains true. God is still faithful. Wait on the Lord. Trust Him. He hasn't forgotten about you, friends. His silence does not mean His absence. He is the Almighty God. And He is working even when we can't see it.

So we have to ask ourselves, Why did God wait another 13 years to reveal Himself to Abram? Why did God wait so long to give them the promised son anyway? I mean, here, Sarah's like 89. He's like, I don't know, 99. Why didn't God just give them the promised son years earlier? Had they not trusted Him? Had they not done everything right, almost?

Well, Paul tells us why in Romans 4:19. He says, Without weakening in his faith, Abraham faced the fact that his body was as good as dead, and that Sarah's womb was dead also. Yet he did not waver in unbelief, but being fully persuaded, God had the power to do what He had promised. In other words, God waited until it was humanly impossible for them to have a child. That is when He stepped in. That is when He did His work. Why? Because this child of promise would be entirely by faith in God's promise, by His plan, according to His power, and in His timing.

Friends, God often waits to work. When nothing else will. In fact, God does His best work when nothing else will. When you have nowhere else to turn, no one else to turn to, when you are at rock bottom and you are wondering, Lord, what's going to happen? You have nowhere else to look but up. God delights in working when all human effort has failed. Twelve different times in this chapter, God says, I will. Abram, not you will. Not collectively, we will, but I will. God has made the promises, and God is going to make sure that those promises are fulfilled. And by the way, God's power is put on display when nothing else will work, so that He receives all the glory. In fact, this is precisely why Paul tells us in Ephesians 1 that this power was put on display when God raised Christ from the dead.

But maybe you face an impossible situation this morning. You don't know how things are going to turn out. And things are beyond your control. Trust that He is the Almighty One. He is sufficient. He is enough. He has the power to speak universes into existence. He has the power to take care of our lives as well.

But also, spiritually speaking, we are dead. We are as dead as Abraham's body and as dead as Sarah's barren womb. What does that mean? It means we are all born spiritually dead in trespasses and sins. And there is no way we can help or save ourselves. It is a miracle of grace through the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit. See, Isaac being born would be a miracle of God, bringing life into spiritual deadness. Friends, salvation is no less a miracle of God, breathing life into the spiritual deadness of our souls.

But after God gives him a revelation, He gives him a responsibility. Notice that God tells him, Walk before Me and be blameless. Friends, God's promises are received by faith. But true faith always results in a life of obedience—walking with God.

Now, Abraham, make sure you know, he did not earn God's covenant through his obedience. However, he would enjoy the benefits of God's covenant through his obedience. Abraham is told to walk before the Lord. What does that mean? That means he is to walk before the Lord with the awareness that God sees all and knows all. And he is to live in the light that one day he is going to be held accountable. How does that make you feel this morning? That God hears every word you speak. He sees every deed. He even knows the thoughts and intents of the heart. He knows not only what you do, but why you do it. We are to walk before the Lord.

And notice how he is to walk before the Lord. He is to be blameless. Now, blameless does not mean sinless. It literally means singleness—single-heartedness and sincerity. Walk before the Lord with wholehearted devotion.

I love what the reformers used to say. They said that we as believers live our lives quorum Deo. Quorum Deo is a Latin phrase and it means before the face of God. That means I am to live before the Lord as if he is always watching me because he is, in fact, always watching. And that is not to live in fear of condemnation. But rather that is to live before a God who so loves me and has shined upon me with his love. And I am to bring a smile upon his face. I am to walk with him in integrity and with singleness of heart and wholehearted devotion. I am to live as if I love him with every fiber of my being because I am called to. All of my heart, soul, mind, and strength. It all belongs to him, and I am to walk before him in sincerity.

Thirdly, God establishes a covenantal relationship with Abram. Now, God begins to renew his covenant with Abram for the third time, outlining the blessings of this covenant. In verse 2, God declares, "I will make my covenant between me and you, and I will multiply you exceedingly." Then Abram fell on his face, and God spoke to him, saying, "As for me, behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be called Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. I will establish my covenant between me and you, and between me and your descendants after you, and their generations, for an everlasting covenant to be God to you and your descendants after you. Also, I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger—all the land of Canaan—as an everlasting possession, and I will be their God."

Indeed, there are numerous significant promises in this relationship. Notice God has initiated this relationship. And now God is defining this relationship. In fact, my covenant is used nine times in this chapter. Let's look at the aspects very quickly. This covenant is a powerful covenant. We notice that God promises to multiply him, but not just multiply him, but to do it exceedingly. In other words, I'm not just going to give you some children. I'm going to give you so many descendants, and they're going to be a blessing to every nation on the earth. How is that true? Because that's the nation through which the Lord Jesus Christ came. And are we not blessed through the Abrahamic covenant?

The covenant is personal. Here God gives Abram a new name. Instead of Abram, meaning exalted father, he becomes Abraham, which means father of a multitude. The name change is not merely symbolic; it reflects God’s covenantal commitment to fulfill His promise of multiplying Abram’s descendants beyond natural expectation. The addition of the letter "he" in Abraham—rooted in the Hebrew alphabet—signifies God’s sovereign declaration that Abram will be the progenitor of nations, not just a single lineage. This renaming anchors Abram’s identity in God’s eternal purpose, reminding him that his role is not defined by human limitations but by divine promise.

But think about this. He still only has one child, Ishmael. And he's not the son of promise. He certainly doesn't have a multitude of children. But whenever he hears this new name, hey, Abram or Abraham, he's reminded of God's promise. Remember, God has given him all these visuals. When you gaze upon the dust of the earth, you remember: "I'm going to give you that many descendants." When you look up to the stars of the heavens, you remember: "I'm going to give you that many descendants." And now when you hear your own name, Abraham, I am reminded that I am a father of a multitude.

Friends, you need to know who your new name is in Christ. Because just like God gave him a new name and a new identity, God has given you a new name in Christ and a new identity and a new purpose. You now bear the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and you are his representatives. Live in accordance with the identity that has been bestowed upon you in Christ. You are no longer a child of the devil. You are a child of God. You are no longer living in darkness. You have been called to live in his glorious light. So live in light of your new identity in Christ. Because you are not who you used to be. You are not defined by what you used to do. You are the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ. So live up to your new name.

The covenant also extends to a new people. He says kings and mighty nations are going to come from you. That of course includes David and his greatest son, the Lord Jesus Christ, the King of kings.

Notice also that the covenant is eternal. He says I will establish my covenant with you. And he's going to do it forever. There's no condition. There are no conditions. Like with Noah's covenant. Has God flooded the entire earth since then? No, he hasn't. Has God kept his promise to Abram? Yes, he has. Why? Because God is able to fulfill every promise He makes. Because He is the promise-making and promise-keeping God. Friends, God cannot lie. Every word He has spoken in this book is something you can bank on and believe.

It also concerns a new place. He says I'm going to give you all the land of Canaan. But did you know? They never really experienced the blessing of inheriting all of their land. The closest they ever came was under the reign of David and Solomon. What happened? The kingdom divided. They went off into exile. Israel never came back. Judah came back. So we're still waiting for that aspect of the covenant to be fulfilled, aren't we? Now it's fulfilled in Christ who literally reigns over the whole universe. But my theological position is that Christ will also return to this earth and will reign from Jerusalem as His capital city. And it is then that the land promises to Abram's descendants will be fulfilled.

It also brings a new hope. Paul explains this in Galatians 3:16. He says the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed, meaning one person who is Christ. In other words, Christ is that seed of Abraham who brings all of God's promises to fruition. He is the seed of the woman promised to crush the serpent's head in the garden. He is the seed of Abraham who will make sure that he secures all of the eternal benefits of God's covenant.

Our second point: the sign of the covenant. Verse 10, he says. Well, let's look at verse 9. God said to Abraham, as for you, you shall keep my covenant. He says here's all of these promises. Now here's your promise. Now here's your responsibility. You and your descendants after you throughout their generations. In other words, this covenant is for you and for your children and for your grandchildren and great-grandchildren and so on and so forth. This is my covenant which you shall keep between me and you and your descendants after you. So what is this sign of the covenant? Every male child among you shall be circumcised. And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins. And it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you. He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised. Every male child in your generations. He who is born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not your descendant. He who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money shall be circumcised. And my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.

Now listen up, everyone. Here's a serious warning for you. Any male child who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, he shall be cut off from his people. He will have broken God's covenant. Are you ready to hear this? Are you really ready for it? You know we're all about expository preaching here, so we don't skip verses. We dive right in, alright? We're going to dig deep into the Word today.

Here's the second movement: the sign of the covenant. Now we've discussed covenants before—in Genesis, the book of beginnings and the book of covenants. Every time God establishes a covenant, He provides a sign to seal it. With Adam, His gift was Eve—His covenant partner. With Noah, the sign was a rainbow, a promise etched in the heavens. And with Abraham, God gave a visible mark upon his body, a sacred seal to identify him and his descendants as the covenant people of God. This sign is not merely a human tradition, but a divine seal of God’s covenant promises, established through His sovereign grace and fulfilled by faith. It marks those who belong to the covenant community, an outward symbol of the inward reality of faith they are called to live by.

Consider the four key aspects of this sign. First, the sign confirms belonging. Circumcision, the ritual of cutting the foreskin, marked those who belonged to the covenant community. It served as an outward sign of the inward faith they were to embrace. Similarly, as baptism today, it symbolizes cleansing, consecration, and covenant identity, which denotes one's inclusion within the covenant people of God.

Second, the sign involved cutting away. This process, which entails the removal of the foreskin, serves to confirm the sign of belonging by symbolizing the cleansing and consecration of the covenant community. Circumcision pictures the removal of sins and defilement. But it ultimately points to the heart consecration because God speaks in Deuteronomy chapter 10 verse 16, and He commands the people, circumcise the foreskin of your heart. In other words, this physical act is pointing towards a spiritual reality, a heart that is purified and consecrated and marked for God by His grace.

Third, the sign included the whole household. Children born to Abraham and servants purchased with his money. Every male child in this household is to receive the sign of circumcision, and thereby they were to embrace this community of faith.

Fourthly, the sign warned of exclusion. Anyone who fails to be circumcised should be cut off from his people. To reject the sign was to reject the covenant itself, along with all the benefits that come with it. Therefore, friends, God's grace carries a call to obedience, doesn't it?

So let's talk about the deeper meaning of circumcision. We see that circumcision was not an option. It was an obligation. Now, by the way, circumcision existed as a practice here before God gave it to Abraham. But what God does with circumcision is give it a new meaning. It is now a divine obligation. It's the mandatory sign for covenant membership. Every male in the house has to be circumcised.

Why this sign, though? Perhaps you're wondering, why on earth would God choose circumcision as the mark of covenant community membership? Out of all the possible signs God could have chosen, why this surgical procedure? I believe it is because God deliberately marks the reproductive organ of man as the defining symbol of covenant belonging. Every time this man is to bear a child, he is to remember: this child of mine is a member of the covenant community. I am to raise this child in faith and in obedience to God's commands. This daily reminder serves to reinforce the reality that I am marked as God's own people. Every Hebrew man would be reminded: I belong to God, my children belong to God, and through my lineage, God is accomplishing his redemptive purposes.

Why the eighth day? Good question. God commands circumcision on the eighth day. Here's a really cool medical fact. Medically speaking, vitamin K levels and the body’s clotting ability reach their peak on the eighth day of life. This is because the infant’s liver has fully matured by this point, enabling optimal production of clotting factors, which makes the procedure significantly safer. So medically speaking, that is very important. Very reasonable to do it on the safest day, the eighth day. But symbolically, eight is the number of new beginnings. How many days are in creation week? Seven. So what happens with day eight? It marks what? A new week, a new beginning. This is a new week, a spiritual new beginning for the covenant community. By aligning the covenant sign with this medically optimal and symbolically rich day, God emphasizes that the child’s entry into the covenant is both physically secure and spiritually transformative, reflecting a fresh start in the divine narrative of redemption.

But it was more than just national identity. By placing the sign on the most intimate part of the male body, God emphasized that His covenant touched the most personal aspects of a person's life—sexuality, reproduction, family, legacy. Every dimension of this covenant declares: "Me and my children, me and my house, belong to the Lord." Does that not echo New Testament connotations? Should we not say, as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord? Are we not members of a covenant community called the church? And should we not raise our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord? This physical act was not merely symbolic; it was a divine declaration of God's sovereign authority over every aspect of human life, a testament to His covenant promises that extend from the flesh to the heart.

But it speaks to a heart reality. It goes deeper than the skin. God also says in Deuteronomy 30 verse 6, the Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants. Here's why. So that you may love him with all of your heart and with all of your soul and live. Therefore, this outward rite, this ritual, symbolized devotion to God from the innermost being of the person.

Now, however, there is a danger when we get to the New Testament because many people began to trust in their circumcision as a means of salvation. Some people thought, well, because I'm Abraham's descendant and because I'm circumcised, that must mean I have an automatic ticket into heaven. That's the reason why Paul had to write the book of Galatians and say in Christ, circumcision nor uncircumcision, it doesn't matter. What matters is a new creation. Paul writes in Romans 4 verse 11 that Abraham was already justified by faith in Christ, or in God's promises, long before he even received the sign of circumcision. Circumcision was simply the sign and seal of the righteousness that he already had by faith.

Now how does Christ fulfill this covenant sign? Well, the circumcision speaks of the circumcision of the heart. What the Old Testament commanded, true heart circumcision Christ accomplishes. If you want to check it out, Colossians 2 verse 11 and 12, Paul says, listen to this, in him you were also circumcised with the circumcision not performed by human hands. Now remember, he is speaking in the New Testament to a church. This is not Jewish believers either. These are Gentile believers. He says, God has circumcised you. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism. So there's a link here. And it's not something I've made up. It's not something the reformers made up. It's not something that the early church fathers made up. There is a direct link between circumcision and baptism in these inspired scriptures. We have been put off, that is the flesh, by being buried with Christ in baptism. What is Paul saying? He's saying when we believe the divine surgeon, he cuts away the cold dead heart and he gives us a new heart. Ezekiel 36 talks about that. That is called the new covenant. That is called regeneration. That is called the new birth.

And Paul also says in Philippians 3:3, he says, we as believers are the true circumcision who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh. That is, you can be a Christian whether circumcised or not. It doesn't matter. That old covenant sign and seal is just pointing to the true reality of regeneration, of being devoted to God from the innermost being. Friends, Jesus Christ is our circumcision. He fulfilled it. Remember in Luke 2:22, on his eighth day of life, what does his mom and dad do? They take him to the temple. They dedicate him to the Lord. And they circumcise him. He was born under the law. He was circumcised for us. He was also baptized for us by John the Baptist. Why? Not because he had any sin, but he was identifying himself with those he had come to save.

Therefore, circumcision and baptism represent the union between God and his people. It's the covenant union between Christ and his bride. It embodies the promise of a new creation, the eighth day, the day of new beginnings. It points us to Jesus, who kept the law perfectly in our place. And through his death, he institutes a new and better covenant, thereby fulfilling the covenant union between God and his people.

But I want you also to think of this, Christ's crucifixion as the ultimate circumcision. In the book of Daniel, chapter 9, verse 26, Daniel prophesied of the Messiah who would be cut off for the sins of his people. Very same words used in Genesis. Those who refused the sign of circumcision were to be what? Cut off from the covenant community. They didn't belong anymore. They would not enjoy the benefits of the Abrahamic covenant. So what is Jesus doing by being cut off on the cross in our place? It means he has taken the place of those who have broken God's covenant. He has taken the place of law-breaking, rebellious sinners. That means that Jesus on the cross was cut off from the goodness and mercy and kindness of God and experienced the wrath of God in our place. And just as the circumcision was messy, bloody, and intimate, so Christ's death was messy. It was bloody. It was intimate. There He hung upon the cross in naked shame, friends. We often see depictions of Jesus where he's just got a little trickle of blood and he's closed, nice and decent. Friends, that's not what happened. Isaiah says he was beat beyond recognition. You couldn't even tell who he was. He didn't even look human. Flesh literally ripped off his bones. Beaten to a bloody pulp and hanging in naked shame. They stripped him to embarrass him. It was the ultimate form of humiliation. Friends, he was cut off for us. He was cut off so that we could be drafted in. He was cut away temporarily so that we could be received. He was received eternally into God's covenant community.

And therefore it institutes one new body. But this body consists of Jews and Gentiles. Circumcision and uncircumcision. Because what matters is the new creation, Galatians 6:15. A new heart, a new nature, a new identity in Christ. Now, under the Abrahamic covenant, only males, clearly, could be circumcised. And it was only for those under the covenant community, the Hebrews. Under the new covenant, male, female, Jew, Gentile—we are all identified in Christ. All brought together in one body in the church.

Now let's talk about this very quickly. The sign of the new covenant. How does circumcision relate to baptism? Now, there's been a lot of arguments and debates over this. So I'm going to let you, as smart and intelligent people, make up your own mind. I know where I stand doctrinally and positionally. And by the way, this is not a hill to die on. This is not a reason for us to break fellowship. I'm just going to give you the history.

Throughout church history, including early figures like Irenaeus, Tertullian, and Justin Martyr, they understood baptism as the sign and seal of the new covenant—God's sovereign establishment, sealing, and fulfilling of His covenant promises—that corresponded to circumcision under the old. Now, early Christians viewed baptism as a means of sealing those who belong to Christ by faith, much like circumcision marked Israel under the leadership of Abraham.

Now, throughout church history, two views of baptism have developed. We have paedo-baptists—many of the early church fathers, my heroes, the reformers, and the covenant theologians. They believe baptism, like circumcision, should be applied to believers and their children as a sign of inclusion in God's covenant community. I'm not saying you have to agree with this. This is just the historical context.

In contrast, we have credo-baptists. That is what we are. That is Anabaptist and Baptist and Particular Baptist and Southern Baptist. We believe that baptism should only follow personal faith and repentance, serving as a public profession of one's conscious trust in Christ. Now, I love the Presbyterians. I learn a lot from the Presbyterians. And our beloved brothers and sisters across the way, they believe in infant baptism. Am I going to fall out with them over that? Absolutely not. Should they fall out with us for baptizing only believers? Absolutely not. Because you know why? In both cases, the outward sign of cutting away is replaced by the washing of regeneration. Both symbolize that our hearts have been cleansed and we've been set apart by God through His Spirit.

So what I want you to get is that baptism doesn't merely replace circumcision as an external ritual, but it fulfills its fuller expression. It means that we have come into a covenant community—specifically, a community bound by shared faith, mutual accountability, and a commitment to living out the Great Commission together. For the Church, for us New Covenant believers, baptism now replaces circumcision as the covenant sign. Because in obedience to Christ's commands to go and make disciples, how do we do that? We go with the Gospel. Then what do we do? We baptize people, right? And as Baptists, we baptize by immersion, then teach and disciple them. Baptism is the mark of being a member of the Church, of being marked as God's covenant people. It is not merely a ritual, but a declaration of our union with Christ and our entry into a covenant relationship with His bride, the Church. This act of baptism is central to the believer's life, anchoring them in the Church's mission of making disciples, teaching all nations, and living in obedience to the Great Commission.

So, like circumcision, baptism signifies our need for cleansing. It signifies new beginnings. It signifies a clean break with the old life of sin. Because when we go into the water, what are we doing? We are being buried with Christ. When we come up out of the water, what happens? A new beginning. We are being raised in Christ to walk in newness of life. Both the inner reality is displayed. So, when we are baptized, we are saying, we are making a public declaration. We are saying, my old life is dead in Christ. I have been crucified with Him. My old life, my old sins, dead and gone, buried. And I am raised to walk in newness of life in Christ. But we are already baptized. But we are also saying, I now belong to a covenant community of people. This baptism symbolizes my union with Christ. And since I am unified with Christ, what does that also entail? That means I am unified to His bride. That means I am entering into a covenant relationship with the Church. And as a member of the covenant community, I experience all the blessings and benefits that come with it: accountability, responsibility, love, fellowship, sound teaching, living on mission together, being in a congregation that prays for one another, and worships together, and obeys the Great Commission together.

When we are baptized, we are saying, the divine surgeon has performed a spiritual transformation on me. This means that I am now part of the true circumcision. And those who place no confidence in the flesh, but who worship God by the Spirit.

Now, why does God give us these outward signs of an inward reality within the New Covenant community? Why does He give us seals of the covenant? Well, we are physical, aren't we? We have an immaterial soul, but we have a physical body. And how do we relate to our surroundings? By what we see, by what we feel, and by what we hear. Therefore, God has given us baptism and the Lord's Supper as the two ordinances under the New Covenant, whereby we taste, see, hear, and feel the realities of God's inward work through the Holy Spirit. Just as circumcision was a tangible, visible mark of being in God's covenant community, so these ordinances serve as the visible expressions of our inclusion in His covenant promises.

See, we have two signs, don't we? We have baptism, and we have the Lord's Table. Two signs and seals that mark our inclusion in the New Covenant. How do we know that is a New Covenant? Because the Last Supper—remember, Jesus says, "This is my blood shed for the remission of sins." This is the blood of what? The New Covenant. So as often as you do this in remembrance of me, you are proclaiming my death until I come. Baptism and the Lord's Supper are the two signs and seals of the New Covenant community, established by God's sovereign will and sealed through these ordinances. They are not merely symbolic acts, but tangible expressions of God's covenant promises, which He sovereignly initiates, sustains, and fulfills. A covenantal relationship is not a transactional agreement but a binding, enduring commitment rooted in grace and faithfulness—just as your marriage covenant is not a legal contract but a lifelong, sacred bond. When God makes His covenant with us, it is not cold or clinical; it is a profound, intimate, and loving relationship, sealed by His Word and His work in us through the Holy Spirit.

Now when we say words like covenant, people get a little like, that's kind of weird. What are they going to do? Pass around one chalice and let's all drink from it? You're going to dim the lights and say some kind of ritual words? No. Covenant is a special word. It's a deep, intimate, loving word. Think of your marriage. Do you know what your marriage is? Your marriage is a covenant—the richest, most intimate, most loving relationship you should ever have. So when God is making his covenant with us, that's not something cold and clinical. That's something deep, loving.

When we are baptized, we rejoice because we see a new person and a new member in our community and family. When we partake of the Lord's table, we are celebrating redemption, forgiveness of sins. We are communing with our Father, whose love surpasses our imagination. We are celebrating our divine covenant unity with him. Therefore, these signs display. They do not determine our status within the family of God, but rather serve to display our position within the covenant family.

Now let me end by saying this. These signs, they do not earn our salvation, but rather they give evidence that we're a part of this community of faith. Baptism and the Lord's Supper and church membership, they are all outward signs of being under the new covenant. And did you know that you can't partake of these signs by yourself? Can't do it. Try to baptize yourself. You go under the water, what does it mean? Absolutely nothing, because no one is there to witness it. You do communion by yourself, what does it mean? Absolutely nothing. Why? Because you're celebrating a common unity, and you can't have a common unity by yourself.

Friends, we were created for covenant community and for fellowship—because we are not meant to exist in isolation. It is not good for man to be alone, and it is not good for church members to be isolated either. In fact, you cannot be a church member without the church. That is why church membership and observing these ordinances are so essential. They are not lifeless rituals; they symbolize our belonging. When you read the book of Acts, you discover what is completely foreign to true Christianity: an unbaptized, churchless Christian. You won’t find such a person anywhere in the Scriptures. Instead, what you find is this: whenever someone is saved, they are immediately baptized and immediately connected to a local body of believers. Every single time—without exception.

Friends, we're not made to do this alone. We are made for a purpose. We are made for covenant community: a purpose rooted in God's covenant promises. We are sheep, but sheep belong together in the flock. We're soldiers, but soldiers belong in an army together. We're members of His body, but a body part by itself is dead. It belongs with the rest.

So, this morning, if you've trusted Christ, if you haven't been baptized, I want you to come talk to me after the service, get to know me, and share your testimony. Because you need to take the next step in covenant obedience. And make an open declaration before all people. I am united with Christ. The old me is dead. I am new. He has given me a new heart. I am circumcised afresh. I am committed to Christ. And I am in union with His body.

Or maybe you're a believer, but you haven't joined the church. Now, remember, baptism and church membership do not save. We've already established that in chapter 15. Abraham was declared righteous by his faith in Christ. We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, yea and amen, forever and forever. However, once we are saved, we have a responsibility to obey. And the first act of obedience is being baptized and then belonging to a local body of believers. Because we can't do this alone. Belonging to the church brings powerful protection, love, and community. When you come here, you are surrounded by people who love you. By people who will pray for you. By people who will, if you have a need, that need gets met. If you're a lone sheep, guess what, you're a target for the wolf. But in the flock, you have the protection of being under pastoral care. Of hearing the word preached. Of observing the ordinances. Of fellowshipping and praying and singing along with other believers. Belonging to the church is a precious gift.

I'm going to give you this third point. I'm not going to read the verses for time's sake. But we see the son of the covenant—verses 15 through 17. God renews His promise through a miraculous birth. He renames Sarai to Sarah, a name meaning "princess," and declares that kings will come from her boy. God was right, because the King of kings, the Lord of lords, will come through her lineage. This miraculous birth demonstrates God's sovereign design, fulfilling His covenantal promises despite human limitations and expectations.

And then God says, you know what, I know you love Ishmael. Abraham's like, Lord, may Ishmael live before you. I've already got a son. He says, I'm going to bless him, but he's not the one. He's not the son of promise. I'm going to give you a son. And when I give you the son, his name is to be Isaac. Isaac's name means laughter. Abraham, he laughs out loud. Maybe he's like me again, have a son, 99 years old, by Sarah. Sometimes they laugh because it's incredible to them. Other times they laugh out of sheer joy because they know God will keep His promise. And Isaac brought so much joy and laughter into that family.

I want to leave you with this, though. Look at the final verse. Verses 23 through 27. It is now time for this covenant sign to be performed. And Abraham took Ishmael, his son, and all who were born in his house, and all who were bought with his money, every male among those born in Abraham's house and those purchased with his money, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that very same day, as God had said to him. And Abraham was 99 years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. And Ishmael, his son, was 13 years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. That very same day, Abraham was circumcised, and his son Ishmael, and all the men of his house—including those born in the house and those purchased with his money—were circumcised with him.

First, Abraham's obedience was public—no secret discipleship here. It was loud and clear: "Hey, boys, hey men, we've got a job to do!" Can you imagine being part of Abraham's household? He's leading his clan, declaring, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." There's no private discipleship here; he's going public with his faith. The entire household—every male, every son, every purchased servant—was involved in this act of covenant obedience. This wasn't a quiet, behind-the-scenes commitment. It was a bold, visible declaration of loyalty to God.

Secondly, Abraham's obedience was parental and deeply personal. He took his son Ishmael, then 13 years old, and led him through the rite of circumcision. Imagine Ishmael's perspective, following his father's lead in this public declaration of their faith. Abraham performed this act himself, demonstrating that his obedience was not merely theoretical but deeply personal and practiced. This parental act also served as a covenantal commitment, binding Abraham's family to God's promises publicly.

And thirdly, Abraham's obedience was personal. After circumcising everybody else, he does it to himself. He practices what he preaches. Friends, that's a lesson for us. We can only disciple another believer to the extent that we've been discipled ourselves. We can say all the right things, but unless we're living the life, it means absolutely nothing. Abraham's obedience is public. It is parental. He is leading his family, and it's personal. We can only teach obedience to the extent that we're walking in obedience. We can only lead our families as far as we have walked with the Lord. We can only lead ourselves. Without personal obedience, our teaching is hollow. Without walking with the Lord, our leadership is empty. The example of Abraham shows that true leadership begins with personal commitment.

Come, give us a hymn of invitation, for just as Abraham's obedience was rooted in trust, so too was Jesus' sacrifice on the cross an act of unwavering faith. God is the God who seals the covenant. The covenant is shaped by grace. It is sealed by the Son, and it is fulfilled in the Son. How does Abraham know that God is going to keep his word? Because he's going to give him a son. And when Isaac is born, that means God's going to keep every one of his other promises. Indeed, it is in Jesus, the true son of the covenant, that all the promises of God are yes and amen in him.

So I want to give you a personal word this morning. As we consider the covenant God made with Abraham, Jesus was cut off, crucified on the cross, so that you could be brought in. He died the death that we deserve to die, so that we could receive the life that he deserved. He bore the curse in our place so that we could receive the blessings of the covenant.

Maybe you're in a season of waiting. Remember who he is—He is the almighty God. There's nothing too hard for him. Trust the one who died for you, who has established covenant promises and revealed his power by rising from the dead.

And maybe, like Abraham, God is calling you to accept this sign and seal of the covenant. Do not keep it private. Be baptized. Join this covenant community. Sit at the Lord's table with us. Enjoy being part of a covenant community.

First, if you've never trusted Christ, you're a stranger to the covenant. You are outside the family of faith. You are without God and without hope. The good news is he's accepting people into his covenant community. You can begin the process of becoming a child of God this morning.

Second, if you're a believer and haven't been baptized, talk to me after the service.

Thirdly, spend time meditating on what it means to be part of this covenant community.

And if you would like prayer or just like to come up here and pray, this altar is open.