LutheranLectionary.org

Reflections on Scripture with Dr. Leins

Time Stamp	Transcript
0:00	[Music]
0:11	hello today let’s talk about pure
0:16	grace pure grace means that something is
0:20	given to you that you did not
0:23	earn most often it refers to the gift of
0:26	Salvation that is given only by God’s
0:29	pure grace
0:30	and not as something you deserved or
0:33	merited today we’re going to talk about
0:36	God’s pure grace in the right of
0:39	circumcision the text before us is
0:42	Genesis
0:44	0.708333333
0:46	1-7 point one the Old Testament gift of
0:52	circumcision in the Old Testament God
0:55	chose Abraham and made him a promise
0:58	that promise was pure pure grace Abraham
1:02	would be the father of many nations
1:04	Abraham was 75 years old when God first
1:08	gave him that promise Abraham traveled
1:11	through the land as God led him Abraham
1:14	went down into Egypt during a Great
1:16	Famine Abraham returned and divided the
1:19	land with his nephew lot Abraham even
1:22	triumphed during the war of the great
1:25	Kings then once again God gave Abra
1:29	Abraham his
1:31	promise Abraham would have descendants
1:34	that numbered as the stars in the
1:36	heavens Abraham believed this promise of
1:40	God he had not earned it or merited it
1:44	and at that point Abraham had no
1:45	children but still he believed what God
1:50	Said and God reckoned it to him as
1:55	righteousness on account of his faith
1:58	God counted Abraham as righteous it was
2:01	that
2:03	simple then years passed when Sarah
2:07	still had no Offspring she gave her
2:09	servant Hagar to Abraham the maid
2:13	servant had a son the child was named
2:17	Ishmael Abraham was 86 years old and it
2:21	appears that he thought this was the
2:23	beginning of God’s promise to be the
2:25	father of many nations but when Abraham
2:29	was 99 9 years old and Ishmael was 13
2:32	God came again and God said three things
2:36	to Abraham first God said I am God
2:40	Almighty walk before me and be
2:44	blameless was Abraham
2:46	blameless yes he was blameless that is
2:50	he was righteous by pure grace through
2:53	faith God said that Abraham must
2:56	continue to have faith second God said
2:59	you shall be circumcised you and your
3:02	descendants and circumcision shall be a
3:05	sign of the Covenant between me and
3:08	you what was the Covenant between
3:11	Abraham and
3:13	God God would be the god of Abraham and
3:16	all of his generations and God would
3:18	give the land of Canaan to Abraham and
3:21	his descendants for their
3:23	possession what would be the sign of
3:26	that Covenant the sign would be circum
3:29	decision for every male offspring and
3:33	third God said that Sarah would have a
3:37	son his name would be Isaac Ishmael was
3:41	not the son of the promise Sarah who had
3:44	been Barren would bear the son of the
3:47	promise and through Sarah Abraham would
3:51	be the father of Isaac and of Nations
3:54	and of kings of
3:56	peoples it was all pure pure
4:01	grace Abraham did what almighty God told
4:04	him first he continued to have faith
4:08	second he was circumcised as was his son
4:11	Ishmael and every male of his house and
4:15	when Isaac was born he too was
4:18	circumcised on the eighth day as God
4:22	commanded third Abraham and his
4:25	descendants occupied the land that God
4:28	had given them
4:30	now to be clear what was the meaning of
4:34	circumcision it was a reminder that God
4:37	had chosen Abraham and his descendants
4:40	to be their God also it was a sign that
4:44	God would give them give them the land
4:47	the terms of the Covenant were stated
4:49	from the very beginning I am God
4:52	Almighty walk before me and be
4:56	blameless now that became the
5:02	problem as the generations Rose and fell
5:05	and hundreds of years passed before the
5:07	face of God the blamelessness and
5:10	righteousness and faithfulness of
5:14	Abraham were
5:17	misunderstood the Covenant of pure
5:19	grace was
5:22	lost God made Abraham righteous
5:25	blameless by pure grace through faith
5:30	the sign of that Grace was
5:32	circumcision but as the years passed
5:35	people made Grace into a law
5:38	circumcision became a law and when they
5:41	obeyed the law they credited themselves
5:44	with
5:46	righteousness isn’t it strange they
5:48	thought that if they got circumcised
5:50	then all of the Covenant with God was
5:52	fulfilled and God would have to be their
5:54	God he would have to give them the land
5:56	he would have to give them a blessing
5:59	what had they lost they had lost the
6:03	heart of the Covenant the heart was that
6:06	Abraham had Faith that’s what God
6:09	blessed that’s what God counted as
6:12	righteousness now the people credited
6:16	themselves with righteousness for
6:18	performing the right of circumcision no
6:21	faith
6:23	required if they were circumcised they
6:26	thought that they were blameless and
6:28	that their salvation was
6:30	guaranteed but no they were missing the
6:34	very heart of the matter the faith of
6:36	Abraham and the pure grace of
6:41	God God sent prophets to call his people
6:46	back Jeremiah chapter
6:48	2 behold the days are coming declares
6:51	the Lord that I will punish all who are
6:55	circumcised and yet
6:58	uncircumcised Egypt and Judah and Edom
7:02	and the sons of Ammon and Moab and all
7:04	those inhabiting the desert who clip the
7:06	hair on
7:08	temples for all the nations are
7:11	uncircumcised and all the house of
7:13	Israel are
7:15	uncircumcised of
7:18	heart you see the gifts of land and
7:22	blessing and righteousness before God
7:24	had been given as pure grace by faith
7:28	for God the issue was always the heart
7:30	of Abraham and the Heart of his
7:32	Descendants the physical act of
7:35	circumcision did not make anyone
7:37	righteous it was only to remind them
7:40	that faith and righteousness are given
7:43	as gifts by God’s pure
7:46	grace point two the New Testament gift
7:51	of
7:53	baptism by the time of Jesus the Jews
7:56	had long forgotten the gift that God had
7:59	given to Abraham pure grace they thought
8:03	that God’s
8:04	blessing was earned when they got
8:07	circumcised and when they followed all
8:09	of the other
8:11	613 laws of the Old Testament to be
8:14	righteous before God was a matter of
8:16	keeping laws so they
8:18	thought St Paul reminded God’s people of
8:21	the truth Galatians chapter
8:24	5 behold I Paul say to you that if you
8:28	receive circumcision
8:30	Christ will be of no benefit to you and
8:34	I testify again to every man who
8:36	receives circumcision that he is under
8:38	obligation to keep the whole law you
8:41	have been severed from Christ you who
8:44	are seeking to be justified by the
8:47	law you’ve fallen from
8:50	Grace what’s Paul saying if a person
8:54	tried to earn his righteousness he had
8:57	to perfectly keep every law if a man was
9:00	circumcised he was required to keep all
9:03	of the other Jewish laws too if he meant
9:06	by that to earn righteousness but no one
9:09	was able to keep all the laws of God
9:11	much less keep them
9:12	perfectly so God sent the Messiah the
9:15	perfect Son of God who was able to keep
9:19	all the laws of God perfectly his
9:21	obedience is applied to each and every
9:24	Believer by pure grace through faith
9:29	you see now we’ve come back to the truth
9:32	that Abraham first learned we are
9:35	counted as righteous by pure grace
9:37	through faith in God’s promises but Paul
9:40	had more to say with the coming of
9:43	Christ God superseded and filled full
9:47	that old Covenant of circumcision the
9:50	new circumcision is the pure grace of
9:53	holy baptism Colossians chapter 2 in him
9:58	Jesus Christ you were also circumcised
10:01	with a circumcision made without hands
10:05	in the removal of the body of the flesh
10:08	by the circumcision of Christ having
10:11	been buried with him in baptism in which
10:14	you were also raised up with him through
10:16	faith in the working of God who raised
10:19	him from the dead and when you were dead
10:22	in your
10:23	transgressions and the
10:25	uncircumcision of your flesh he made you
10:28	aive
10:29	together with him having forgiven us all
10:33	our
10:34	transgressions
10:36	circumcision did not save people in the
10:39	Old Testament it was only a sign of
10:43	God’s pure grace through faith but in
10:47	the New Testament God gave a better gift
10:50	it was a new circumcision a circumcision
10:53	made without hands your baptism cut away
10:58	the body of of Flesh that is the power
11:01	of your flesh to control and Rule
11:04	you this is no handmade cutting no it is
11:09	Christ’s spiritual surgery removing the
11:12	power of your flesh to damn
11:15	you oh that beloved is pure grace and
11:19	it’s for everyone infant and aged men
11:22	and women Jews and Gentiles holy baptism
11:25	joins you to Christ the one who is
11:27	perfectly obedient in your dead but
11:30	baptism is even more than that your
11:34	baptism forgave your sins and your
11:38	baptism gave you the gift of the Holy
11:40	Spirit Acts chapter 2 and more in your
11:44	baptism you were joined to Jesus you
11:46	died with him in his death and you Rose
11:50	with him into New Life in his
11:53	resurrection Romans chapter 6 for this
11:56	reason baptism is called the washing of
11:58	regeneration Titus 3 you were
12:01	regenerated you were born again as Jesus
12:04	taught Nicodemus you must be born again
12:07	unless one is born of water and the
12:09	spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom
12:11	of God and finally so that there can be
12:14	no doubt about God’s purpose and promise
12:18	baptism now saves you 1 Peter
12:23	321 the pure grace of baptism can be
12:27	rejected if you wish it does not save
12:29	you against your will but the pure grace
12:32	of baptism gives you Jesus Christ
12:35	himself and all of the promises of
12:37	Christ for
12:39	you and yet like the old Covenant some
12:43	people still got mixed up some
12:46	Christians try to make the baptismal
12:48	gift into a law if you’re baptized then
12:51	you must still follow all of the Jewish
12:53	laws including
12:55	circumcision others said you cannot
12:57	baptize an infant
12:59	and still others said baptism is not
13:02	God’s Gift of pure grace to us baptism
13:05	is our gift to God when we tell God that
13:08	we accept him wow they got that
13:11	backwards some said that baptism was
13:14	only a human act and some said that it
13:16	was only a symbol or nothing at all how
13:20	mixed
13:21	up do you see how far we departed from
13:24	the gift of God’s pure grace but unlike
13:27	circumcision B baptism is not a sign of
13:30	Grace baptism is a Sacrament that
13:32	actually delivers God’s promises and
13:35	gives God’s pure grace to you in the Old
13:39	Testament God’s Gift of Grace was
13:42	circumcision it was done on the eth day
13:45	of life according to God’s command holy
13:48	baptism Also may be done on the eighth
13:50	day of life but it’s not only for males
13:54	who are Jews baptism is for any infant
13:57	or adult any man or woman any Jew or
14:01	Gentile and because it’s God’s promise
14:04	given in his word for all who
14:07	believe it is the most certain promise
14:10	in all of the
14:12	world
14:14	conclusion we began by talking about
14:16	God’s promise given to Abraham that he
14:18	did not earn then we talked about God’s
14:21	promises to you that you did not earn
14:24	baptism is not what you did for God
14:28	baptis ism is what God did for you God
14:32	gave you a command go ye therefore and
14:34	Make Disciples of all Nations baptizing
14:36	them and Christ gave you a promise he
14:38	who believes and is baptized shall be
14:44	saved Christ is the one who does the
14:47	work of baptism with the use of simple
14:50	water joined to his holy word Jesus
14:54	applies his promises directly and
14:57	personally to you
14:59	like Abraham you did not earn them or
15:02	Merit them God gives his wonderful
15:06	lifegiving Eternal promises and all that
15:10	you
15:11	do is
15:14	believe so you can always count on your
15:17	baptism because it was not based upon
15:19	anything that you did or anything that
15:22	you should have done it was based on one
15:25	thing what God did for you
15:29	he baptized you and when that happened
15:33	God gave you a gift of pure grace and
15:38	all that you
15:39	did was
15:43	believe
15:53	[Music]
15:57	amen