Paul calls Israel's greatest champions to the witness stand. I believe two Sundays ago, we looked at Abraham, Father Abraham, and then last Sunday, we looked at David, King David, as the second witness Paul calls to the witness stand in the defense of faith. But now in these verses this morning, he's bringing a third witness, circumcision. Watch in verse number nine, cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only or upon the uncircumcision also. We say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. How was it then reckoned? Was he, when he was in circumcision or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision. And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith, which he had yet being uncircumcised, that we might be the father, that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised, that righteousness might be imputed unto them also, and the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised. That's a lot, that's a mouthful. It's as if the criminal, it's as if the Jew still has his criminal case under review because Paul is pointing to their greatest boast. I don't think we can read the word circumcision or uncircumcision more in verses nine through 12 in the book of Romans. So it's as if now Abraham's coming back onto the witness stand And watch what it says cometh in verse number nine cometh this blessedness Uh, then upon the baptized No It's not the baptized only in the church because That would be works notice if I read into the text coming this blessedness upon the Folks that do public ministry now upon upon the givers now you can insert any word in there besides circumcision To get the point that works don't merit you anything. So let me ask you a question. Should a Jew be circumcised? Yes When it is should a Christian be baptized? Yes Should a Christian give? Yes, should a question should a Christian witness to the laws? Yes But you can do all of those things and not be saved. You should do all of them as a Christian, but none of them merit you righteousness. Using that as a way to illustrate a Jew should be circumcised, but it doesn't merit him in God's imputed righteousness. And so let's unpack that idea. God gave circumcision to the Jews. You can't dispute that. But the Jew pointing to their circumcision as an excuse of them being a criminal before God is a far stretch. So Paul is trying to help them see that. And he brings out, he basically flips the argument back on the Jew as he brilliantly argues this. It's not that the Gentile has to come to the Jew in circumcision. He's arguing that the Jew has to come to the Gentiles faith. It's an argument to defend faith. And Paul does it brilliantly by flipping this, and he goes right back to the origin, Abraham and verse number 10 watch what it said How was it then reckoned? When he was in circumcision or an uncircumcision not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision God gave circumcision to who Jews right? Was it for medical purposes now He gave it to them specifically so that they would be a separated people, a separated nation unto God. God didn't need that sign of circumcision. The other nations and other people never saw that sign of circumcision. But every single Jew, every morning when he woke up and went to the bathroom and all throughout the day, guess what sign he saw? It was a reminder to that Jew that they were separated unto God and that they should live for him. Now, let me just make, let's step over here and make an application to us as Christians. We're not Jews, we're Christians. You know, the more you witness, the more it reminds you that you belong to God. But it doesn't make you. God's possession, you need to trust him by faith. You know, every time you give, it reminds you that what do you think it reminds you that God? Oh, well, God's poor. You need your money. No, it reminds me, it reminds you that we belong to the Lord. Baptism, why do we get baptized? Does it make us saved? Although many churches might teach that, it doesn't give us salvation. It reflects something that we already have had, faith in Christ. It's the proverbial cart before the horse. Genesis chapter number 15, let's turn back there. If you're a Christian this morning, if you've trusted Christ as your Savior and you haven't been baptized, I would urge you, be baptized. Obey the Lord. If you're a Christian this morning and you haven't witnessed to the lost, I would urge you to do that. It won't make you righteous. Genesis 15, verse number six. We've looked at this verse before, but let's go through it again. The Bible says, and he, that be Abram, believed in the Lord and he counted it to him for righteousness. When Abraham believed in the Lord, was he circumcised? Nope, he wasn't. He had faith long before he was circumcised. Go to Genesis chapter 17. Look at verse number 23, Genesis 17 verse 23. And Abraham took Ishmael, his son, and all that were born in this house, and all that were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham's house. and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the self same day as God had said unto him. And Abraham was 90 years old and nine when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. Now that's some faith. And Ishmael his son was 13 years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. Abraham was already counted righteous in Genesis chapter 15. Now he's proving his faith because he's obeying the Lord, but he was counted righteous without circumcision. It came years later where he was circumcised. No outward sign saves. It doesn't matter if you have a special denomination. It doesn't matter if you have a special family lineage. None of that matters for your and I's imputed righteousness. Paul is defending faith. We must believe God at his word. It's a defense of faith. He didn't believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. He didn't have that revealed to him, but he had truth from God revealed to him and he believed God and it was counted unto him. for righteousness, his circumcision came years later. Now you know that's true with you and I, if we were to make some practical application. If you're saved this morning, you know that you trusted Christ and he paid it all. You put your faith in the cross work of Christ. You know that. You know that after you did that, you found out either a month later or a year later or five years later, When you got convicted of some things that you should have been doing that you weren't doing Or some things that you shouldn't have been doing and you stopped doing it. Isn't that true? Isn't that true? We all had that in our life. It's not like we got saved and all of a sudden we were We realized after we believed That we didn't believe some things that god word that god's word said and we didn't put it into practice in our christian life, right? What does it mean we're not saved? No. Remember we looked at it in Abraham and in David? They had miserable failures in their life. Chapter 15, Abraham is counted righteous. Chapter 16, him and his wife Sarah are scheming a natural man's idea scheme to have a child because, well, they didn't believe. They had belief and they had unbelief. That's the same in our life. How many times have you read something in God's Word and one day you're like, you know what? I haven't been doing that for years. What do you think, all of a sudden you got saved? No. You got convicted of additional truth that you should have been obeying, but you weren't. But you weren't. You put your faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. It'll save your soul and it'll keep your soul. You know how many people have done that, that they've got confused on some doctrine? What do you think, you lose your salvation when you get confused on doctrine? A lot of people are confused on doctrine. Galatians says, so they would be of faith, which would be of the Faith are blessed with faithful Abraham the real Jew trusts God like Abraham trusts God. It doesn't matter their nationality Because if you didn't you were cut off we're gonna see that in a little bit look at Genesis 17, let's stay there Look at verse number four and when Abram was 90 Years old 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. Abraham got a reminder, and who's responsible for keeping the covenant, Abraham or God? It's his covenant. God is responsible. Maybe a preacher reminds you of something you should be doing for the Lord. I've been pointed out, you know, I gotta think about this, I gotta consider this. People can get so confused. But God isn't. But God isn't. And if you fail to keep your end of the bargain, We'll get to that in Romans, how we should live and why we should live righteous. We'll get to that. And we should do that. But it's not as if we do that, somehow we've sealed our security. God's reminding Abraham of the covenant that's his, and he's going to keep it. No matter all the failures in Abraham's life. We see it verses five through eight. Same thing. I made thee my covenant. I will give. Will be their God look at verse number nine and God said unto Abraham thou shalt keep my covenant Therefore thou and I seed after thee and their generations. This is my covenant Which ye shall keep between me and you and I seed after thee every man child among you shall be circumcised and You shall circumcise the flesh your foreskin and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you Look at verse number 11 and let's read it wrong. In the middle of the verse, it doesn't say, and the circumcision is the covenant. No, the circumcision, it shall be a token. The circumcision was a token. Your baptism is a token your it's not your salvation His faith was counted unto him for righteousness It's not circumcision is not the covenant It's a token verse 12 and he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you every man child in your generations Which is why baptism isn't the new circumcision because if it was only men could be saved And that's probably the most ridiculous thing that would come out of anybody's mouth. It's a token. He that is born in the house or bought with money by a stranger, which is not of thy seed. Verse 13, he that is born in the 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. And he hath broken my covenant." If you're not circumcised, it's either gonna be cut off or you're gonna be cut off. There's no other easier way to say it. The Bible's not perverted, it's just people's minds have been so perverted by this world Listen the Bible. It's not a perverted thing Either cut off or you're gonna have some flesh divorce can cut off or you're going to be cut off That's what happened with Ishmael. We'll get to that in a second Cut off from what heaven No Cut off from earthly privileges You think any Gentiles gonna come and celebrate the feast days with the Jews? They're not. When that Jew obeyed, followed God in obedience with Jewish circumcision, they were able to enjoy all of those feasts and everything that that nation had, where? Down on earth as a nation on earth. privileges. Look at verse 15. And God said unto Abraham, as for Sarai, thou shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. And I will bless her and give thee a son also of her. Yea, I will bless her and she shall be a mother of nations. Kings of people shall be of her. And then Abraham fell upon his face and laughed and said in his heart, shall a child be born unto him that is a hundred years old and shall Sarah that is 90 years old bear? It was one time righteousness back in Genesis 15 that Abraham was, God's imputed righteousness was counted unto him. In chapter 17, God doesn't call on him to make it real again. Not much preaching we hear nowadays. Well, you got to make it real this time As if when you believe god it wasn't real then Well, maybe he doesn't call on him to make it real I was warned about some of this stuff come down to the south you hear these preachers saying well this time make it real God keeps it real god keeps you god saves you even though you laugh at him We can show you some Bible verses in here, and we can really go hard on some things this morning. And in your heart, you'd be laughing and say, I'm not gonna do that. You know how many times I said that to the Lord? But now I'm doing that. How did that happen? Not by me keeping it real, by God keeping it real. By God keeping it real. Nonetheless, he has himself a laughing fit. Verse number, okay, so that's Genesis 17. Stay there, because I believe we're gonna come back. So hold your finger there. Go back to Romans four, though. See if we can make some more headway in Romans. Verse number 11, it says, and he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith, He had yet being uncircumcised Now if circumcision didn't justify then why do it doesn't it kind of seem like a waste of time if it doesn't justify you We'll see the problem with that in a minute, but don't a lot of Christians think that way This is why people have coined the term cheap grace anybody here ever heard the term cheap grace it basically means that Well you Christians that say you're saved by grace. What you think you just go on sinning No, I just don't believe that I Can keep my salvation Maybe I'm not doing the sins that you're doing So I can point to you and say Well, you're gonna really have to make it real this weekend because all those sins that you did. Oh boy But you know what? You can flip the table on me and you can hang around me long enough and you can figure out the sins that easily besets me. Like driving behind somebody and they're not going fast enough. Like, what's the problem? Oh yeah, I forgot I have a scripture sign on the back of my truck. I better behave. So you can point to my life too and say, well, I don't do the sins that he does. And you can say, well, you know what? Your brother Jimmy this week, you better make it real. We're not keeping it. God's keeping it. It's confirming what he already had. That is why we live right. That is why we should strive to live pure and holy lives. Not for fear that some preacher is gonna tell you, you really gotta make it real this weekend. Because I can preach real hard and make you feel real guilty about who you are as a Christian. Convince you that you've got to get saved again. You don't get saved again The Bible says you must be born again. And then once you're born again, it doesn't say you have to be born again again Did you trust Christ or not trust Christ? If you didn't then repent and believe the gospel if you did and you're living wrong repent and live, right? It's not repent and get saved again. I want to live right because I the one who saved me, I want to dedicate my life to him. You shouldn't live out of fear, you should live out of love. He's confirming that he already had it. It's a sign and a seal of his justification. Rights never save anyone's soul. It's simply a sign and a seal. If you had I don't think any husband in the military would do this. Right? Take an envelope and put a seal on the outside of the envelope. He's been gone at war for two years, but he takes the envelope, he puts a stamp on it, he puts a seal, and he seals that envelope. And then he sends it to his wife, who hasn't heard from him in two years. And she's all excited, and she looks at the seal. Oh, great! And she rips off the seal, and there's nothing in the envelope. And she just holds up the seal. That's so great. I've got a seal Would be ridiculous nobody would do that What does that man do? He writes a love letter to his wife. He takes his time carefully to craft it and word it properly He folds it. He puts it in the envelope and then he seals it And then he mails it off she takes that seal, you know what she holds off the envelope It's what's inside that matters. The seal is just a token that there's something inside that happened. Your baptism, it reflects what happened inside. Faith, it's an argument for faith in Romans chapter number four. You know what the Jew wants to do? All they want to do is tear off the seal on the envelope and hold it up. Say, see, we got the seal. We got the seal. Yeah, but you don't have something inside, faith. And that's the problem. See in verse number 11, that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised. So picture this, the intent here, without the seal, he's only a father to the Gentiles. With the seal, He's the father to the Jews also. And very subtly, this wording, you know what Paul's doing on the Holy Spirit's inspiration? He's taking the Jew and he's kicking them back a notch and he's putting them in second place. Circumcision isn't the deal, man. Faith, faith is what matters. Don't hold up the seal. You better have faith. Instead, he's the father. What does it say in 4.11? All them that are circumcised? No, he's the father of all them that believe, because all aren't being circumcised. A Jew nowadays would be saved the same way a Gentile would, putting their faith and trust, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Abraham's the father of faith. Baptism is an outward sign. We are Christ. We don't belong to the world. Have you trusted Christ? If you've not been baptized, I would urge you To do it not because if you die without it, you would go to hell but to urge you Let the world know they don't own you anymore Yeah, that's right That's good. Go ahead and say amen. That's a good time to say that you were pulled with the price The world doesn't own you What do you think if you got saved right now the gospel is that christ died for your sins according to the scripture And right now in your mind in your head you trusted christ All of a sudden, you drop dead of a heart attack. Where are you gonna go? You didn't give a dime to the church. You didn't witness to anybody, and you didn't get baptized. Now, according to some preachers, you're sunk. According to the Word of God, you know where you're going absent from the body and present with the Lord Amen, because your salvation is based upon The one time that you put faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Yeah, but a person confused me get used to it People will confuse you This is why pilgrim Baptist we are continually pointing to the Word of God Don't look to brother Jimmy I am trying to filter everything through the Word of God. If something that I say doesn't line up with the Word of God, then throw it out. Don't throw me out. I still want to have Christian friends and all that, but I don't have all the answers. But I believe a book that does have all the answers. Make sense? Okay. It's a dangerous delusion if we think the sign of the seal merits righteousness. It signifies, it does not, and will never substitute. Look at the end of verse number 11. The Bible says that righteousness might be imputed unto them also. Okay, the point here is not that we have a Jewish circumcised nation because Abraham circumcises his son. That's not the point. The point is rather that Abraham is the father of all them that believe. Fate is for all men, and circumcision didn't justify what did. So why circumcision? God desired a separate circumcised nation. Go back to Genesis 17. It is a pledge, circumcision for the Jew, was a pledge of nationality and that was it. It had no saving grace whatsoever. Look at Genesis chapter 17, verse number 12. And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations. Generations in the Bible, especially in the context here, is a race of people. And this race of people, this national race of people were pledging nationally that they were Jews. That's why Gentiles don't get circumcised. Circumcision was a token of the headship of Israel Among all other races of men It was ultimately gained when israel as a nation accepts abraham's faith It was not a seal of righteousness It was a seal in verse 11 Of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised we get that When an eight-year-old child gets circumcised, he doesn't have any righteousness. He doesn't even remember it was done. That child at eight days old, that Jewish child at eight days old, all he is doing, he doesn't have faith. He doesn't have faith. So why do it because God is looking for the perpetual nationality of the Jewish race That's what that is. It's for the Jew and their perpetual nationality. That's why the father does it for the Jew Now Ishmael was circumcised it didn't justify him Galatians 4 it says he was cast out he was cast out of the Jewish covenant Abraham did it is a sign in the seal to be the father of a faithful nation Now, we're gonna need to be careful of this error. I want to draw this point out. Abraham is not the father of the church. He's the father of all them that believe. He's not the father of the church because the church is made up of Jews and Gentiles. The church is made up of Jews and Gentiles, right? We all get that. But Romans 4, verses 9 through 12 isn't saying that Abraham's the father of the church. Christ is the head of the church. We all get that, right? It doesn't matter if someone thinks that they're the Baptist Pope. There's no man of God that has all the answers. I'm not the head of the church. I have no authority. I don't. And it's evidenced by, if I were to tell someone to stay that wants to leave, and they still leave. How does the preacher have any authority? Well, I want to leave because you preach something I don't like. Well, please don't. Just forget I ever said it. That's what my wife does all the time. Just stay. No. Well, I'm the man of God and I have authority. See you. Bye. I don't have authority Jesus Christ has the authority and I'm telling you I think I'm doing a good job if I point everybody back to the Bible This man I talked to and is it you know, I don't quite see it that way and I said, okay Well that I don't see it the way you see. He don't see it the way I see it. So Not a one of us has the answer for everything But we both agree that we're trying to chew on this book as best we can. Because if we're always bringing everything back to the Bible, it's a lot easier to just disagree on petty things. Christ is the head of the church because the church doesn't have a nationality. This church entity, it's not a national entity. There is no nationality to claim. That's why you can have an Italian. That's why you can have a Mexican. That's why you can have a Southerner. That's why you can have a West coaster. That's why you can have all different types of nationalities in the church because it isn't a national Jewish race thing. We're all one blood. The problem with the Jews is they thought their circumcision would save them, merit them God's righteousness. Paul shows that their circumcision only points to nationality. The only thing they could claim is, I'm a national Jew. It pointed to their nationality. And it should have been after they believed as a Jew. It didn't contribute to their acceptance by God. It was a token. It was a seal. of the acceptance that they already had. So we apply that to the church. Yes, the gospel should produce right living. But you and I know a lot of people that when you hear their testimony, from what they tell you, they are saving. And you're thinking to yourself, why in the world do they live that way? We talked about this morning, the Enneagram. And if you haven't listened to that, Start to stay on tack with these messages. I can't understand why millions of Christians now are being duped By Christian ministers that they need to get involved with the enneagram What do you think they lost their salvation when they started trying to figure I need to know my number What do you think they lost their salvation? No, they got confused because some minister told them to get involved with the enneagram God keeps you even if you get involved in stupid stuff. I Was involved in stupid stuff Well, what are what was it I'm not telling you I Want you have blackmail on me I grew up as a Roman Catholic we'd always have to tell the priest our sins We'd always pray we'd really start praying up when we'd have to go to church on Sunday because our parents would bring us to church and I hope that mom and dad don't talk to the priest because what I told him I did in confessional. Oh boy Thanks, I think struck it all the way around all right first, let's go back Romans for Stay in Genesis 17. We're going to finish up there. Let's go back Romans 4 start wrapping this up Romans 4 verse number 12 and the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only But also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised. God's first thought was saving the world, not saving the nation of Israel. Abraham is the father of believing Gentiles. Afterwards, he was circumcised. He was the first person to have done that. And so he's the head, faith, he's the head of both the circumcised and the uncircumcised. Paul is tactfully excluding the Jew from circumcision for justification. He's tactfully excluding him. And he does that because he points out very clearly that Abraham was justified before he was circumcised. You want to boast in anybody, boast in Christ, Philippians chapter number three. All right, back to Genesis 17. We'll finish with this thought. We'll go back to Ishmael. Genesis 17, look at verse 18. Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee. Abraham's okay with Ishmael being the heir. That's why he cries out to God that way. Watch how God responds. And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed, and thou shalt call his name Isaac. And I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant. and with his seed after him. Abraham wants something. God says, no, Abraham, that is not how it's gonna work. It's my covenant, and this is how it will be established. He rejects Abraham's proposal and says, only Isaac will be your true heir. And only Isaac, verse 21, But my covenant will I establish with Isaac Which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year Only Isaac will father people who will enter into my covenant Why is that important concerning faith? How old was Ishmael when he got circumcised 13 He recalls that. He remembers that. Probably the very traumatic time in his life, being 13 and having that done. Isaac, he's born 13 years after. When is he circumcised? He's circumcised at eight days old. He doesn't understand. He can't reason. He can't remember any of that. Ishmael represents a relationship, basically represents man's natural reasoning, man's idea. He's counted righteous in 15. The next thing you know, Abraham and Sarai are scheming their own plan. Hagar comes into the picture Ishmael's born, you know, why cuz he stopped believing what he should have been believing and it was man's idea man's natural reasoning Isaac represents a relationship with God based on supernatural Faith and That's what you and I must have God Wanted a nation committed to him by faith. He did not want a nation committed to him because man had a better idea than God. Man logically thought through something, man reasoned, and lo and behold, they came up with a better idea that wasn't a better idea. Isaac and Ishmael represent that. He wanted a separate nation that could make a national pledge that they are Jews with earthly promises, that was a nation that was built on faith in God. That is what God desired. Lastly, natural man continues to claim his own goodness and his own better ideas. Christians, especially but let's let's just keep it to lost people. They get puffed up. They get full with pride That they have an advantage Because let's face it we do as Americans have advantages We can get better jobs in third world countries. We have more money. We have more appliances. We have more toys We take more vacations. We have more wealth. We have more health than any nation and We can say you know what we have an advantage before God After all, didn't God bless America? Yeah, he did. He let you keep sinning. He didn't drop you into hell. He did. He blessed you to be able to be born here. I wouldn't be alive. You wouldn't be alive. Everybody that came out this weekend, you would not be alive if you tried doing what we did this weekend in Iraq, you would be decapitated or hung immediately upon discovery that you had scripture literature. Problem is, we really wouldn't be as bold as we are here if we were over there, which is really where our hearts would be. Because until you live in a situation like that all of a sudden we're bold when we have the freedom to be bold I'm just telling you God wants us to follow him by faith and he'll sort out the details We think we have an advantage because we're rich Americans. We need to be careful of that. It discourages other people actually Who is the gospel for all rich poor black white yellow redskin It's for everybody, everybody. And they have to come to God the same way Abraham received imputed righteousness, I think.