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The Covenant Sign

Words of Faith Final

The Covenant Sign
Words of Faith 3-25-2022
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2022
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL    
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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Genesis 17
    [9] Then God said to Abraham, "As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. [10] This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. [11] You are to undergo Circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. [12] For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner--those who are not your offspring. [13] Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant. [14] Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant."  [15] God also said to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. [16] I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her."

         Male Circumcision was to be the "confirming sign" of the Covenant between God Almighty and the descendants of Abraham. Circumcision itself was not the Covenant, but it was the central ritual and reminder of the everlasting Covenant God had made with His people.
        Through male Circumcision, God impressed upon the people of Israel the impurity of human nature and our utter dependence on God for the production of all life. At every celebration of the birth of a son, they would recognize that impurity must be laid aside. They would realize that human nature is unable to generate the promised seed. Circumcision also marked and separated the male descendants of Abraham and Sarah as people of Covenant.
        Sarai's part in the Covenant was to be the one through whom the offspring of Abraham was born. She was to be the mother of nations: "Kings of peoples will come from her." In her old age, she was to be the one through whom God alone would fulfill his covenanted promise. She would no longer be called "Sarai" (sa-ray) but would be called "Sarah" (sar-ah). In Hebrew, "Sarah" means "princess ."She was to be called "princess" because "kings of peoples will come from her."
        With His sacrificial death, Jesus inaugurated a New Covenant (Luke 22:20) that was described by the Prophet Jeremiah: "The time is coming," declares the Lord, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah...  "This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time," declares the Lord. "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest," declares the Lord. "For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more" (Jeremiah 31:31, 33-34).
         For Gentile believers in the New Covenant, Circumcision is not called for (Acts 15, Galatians 5). The Apostle Paul wrote that there is a "circumcision of the heart" by which a believer is set apart inwardly "by the Spirit." This separation by the Spirit is evidence of salvation and fellowship with God (Rom. 2:28-29; Rom. 4:11). God calls us to turn in confidence to Him and His promises, laying aside natural strength. Unbelief is described as having an uncircumcised heart (Jer. 9:26; Ezek. 44:7-9). When we live in unbelief, we reject the Covenant promise of God.
        Perhaps the question of the day is this: Are you living in Covenant with God? Have you allowed the Lord God to circumcise your heart? Have you allowed the Lord God Almighty to come close by His Spirit and cut your heart? Have you allowed Him to separate you, bring you apart for Him? Have you been marked by the saving grace of Christ and the transforming power of His love?

       Father God, I give thanks to You for Your mighty Covenant promises. I rejoice in knowing that You have paid fully what is needed for me to be in Covenant with You. I receive the transforming love and work of Your Spirit. In Jesus' name.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2022
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)        
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2022 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.