December 25, 2007
A Picture of the Promised Son
To receive the greatest possible blessing from this Bible study, please take a moment to read the passage.
Prayer:
Lord, forgive me for not sharing Your precious gift as I ought to do. Give me compassion to care about their eternal destination, and holy boldness to express Your love, forgiveness, and mercy to my fellow sinners. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Introduction:
As a young child, I sat with my parents, sisters, and brother around the Christmas tree anxiously awaiting the presentation of gifts. Since we didn’t receive mountains of toys, my mother made it look like we had lots to open by wrapping the necessities of life along with the frivolous. My father handed them out one-by-one—a torturous process for children.
A package wrapped in Christmas print and tied with bows was so inviting I could scarcely wait to open it. Imagine my disappointment when I ripped the paper off to discover socks and underwear. Sure, the items were useful for their intended purpose, but I carefully kept them concealed when company came to see what we had received for Christmas.
The Lesson:
Circumcision
was commanded as a sign of acceptance to the Abrahamic Covenant. All who
refused circumcision were cut off from God. This circumcision was a picture or a
foreshadowing of the coming circumcision, in which Christians are joined
together. Colossians 2:11—.
. .ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off
the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ.
Philippians 3:3—For we are the circumcision, which
worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence
in the flesh. Romans 2:29—But he
is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the
spirit, and not in the letter whose praise is not of men, but of God.
Heir—the
second half of the Abrahamic Covenant centers on the promised son of Abraham and
Sarah. Their faith may have wavered but God’s faithfulness did not. The
fulfillment of the covenant depended on the birth of the promised heir.
The promise made to Abraham is the forerunner of the promise made to the world pertaining to the Messiah and the promise to all believers, which entails our eternal inheritance. Romans 8:16 & 17—The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together
Righteousness
comes from faith. Abraham believed God and it was accredited to him as
righteousness (Romans 4:3). It was not his works, but his faith in God’s word
that contributed to Abraham’s righteousness before God. Abraham demonstrated his
faith through circumcision.
If we, like Abraham, believe God and accept His offer of salvation through Jesus Christ, righteousness will be accredited to us. Paul said, “And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:” (Philippians 3:9).
Isaac,
the promised son, had been born under “abnormal” circumstances by the
intervention of God to fulfill the promise made to Abraham.
Jesus was also born of unusual circumstances through the Holy Spirit to fulfill the prophecies concerning the Messiah—the anointed Son of God. Peter writes as a testimony: For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty (2 Peter 1:16).
Stranger
in the Promised Land, Abraham sojourned throughout Canaan. God instructed him to
welcome into his company any stranger who agreed to be circumcised and live
according to Abraham’s faith. Later, the Mosaic law included the same
stipulation—One ordinance shall be both for you
of the congregation, and also for the stranger that sojourneth with you, an
ordinance for ever in your generations: as ye are, so shall the stranger be
before the LORD
(Numbers 15:15).
When we were without Christ, we were strangers to God—Ephesians 2:12: that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
Trust
centers on belief, but propels us to experience. The same day Abraham received
God’s command, he and his household were circumcised. Abraham not only believed
God’s word. He trusted in it, which enabled him to act upon it. Proverbs 3:5 &
6—Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not
on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct
your paths.—sums up Abraham’s trust in God.
Isaiah 12:2—Behold, God is my salvation’ I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.
Mystery,
in Biblical terms, refers to something hidden, which people cannot understand
except by divine revelation. God’s salvation plan began to bud with the
Abrahamic Covenant. And although it blossomed through the good news of Jesus
Christ, God’s salvation through faith remains a mystery to those who do not
believe.
Ephesians 1:7-10—In Him (Jesus Christ) we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him.
Almighty
God denotes the all-sufficient, unconquerable majesty of the Living
God. Only He is eternally capable of being everything to all people. The term is
used about 50 times in the Old Testament.
All of our questions, doubts, and fears dissipate in the realization of one word: Is anything too hard for the LORD? (Genesis 18:14a).
Jeremiah 32:17—Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You.
Sacrifice,
in English, suggests merely an inconvenience or a costly gift. However in
Hebrew, it refers to an offering of life. While the word sacrifice is not
mentioned in the Abrahamic Covenant, it is certainly implied through
circumcision. In Genesis 15:8-13, God sealed the covenant with the blood
sacrifice of a heifer, a goat, a ram, a turtledove, and a pigeon.
When we give our lives to Christ, we become living sacrifices to honor Him and to allow Him to live through and in us. Galatians 2:20—I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who lives, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
Conclusion and Challenge:
To most of the world, Jesus Christ is even more unappreciated than socks and underwear to a child. However, many believers don’t seem any more appreciative. Like embarrassed children, we tuck Him in the drawer of our hearts and pull Him out only when it seems relevant or necessary—Sunday mornings, holidays, and of course, when other Christians pay us a visit. Other times, we’re careful to keep Jesus hidden away so as not to offend anyone. I wonder who we’re most afraid of offending.
I’m not much for making New Year’s resolutions, simply because I tend to break them too easily. But this Christmas, my prayer is for holy boldness to tell others about the good news of Jesus Christ. People need to know about their eternal destiny without Christ and that salvation comes only through Jesus. Isn’t it time we stop treating Him like an unwanted Christmas present and share His with our world?