Genesis 17, and I’ll read the entire chapter of Genesis 17. Once again, we have the great honor and privilege to take heed and pay attention to the reading of God’s Holy Word.

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, and I will make my covenant between me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.’

Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with 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 Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you, and I will establish my covenant between me and you and your descendants after you in 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. And God said to Abraham, As for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you, throughout their generations.

This is my covenant which you shall keep between me and you and your descendants after you. 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 must be circumcised, and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. and the uncircumcised male child, who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people. He has broken my covenant.”

Then God said to Abraham, As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. And I will bless her, and also give you a son by her. Then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations. Kings of peoples shall be from her.

Then Abraham fell on his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born to a man who is one hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child? And Abraham said to God, O that Ishmael might live before you! Then God said, No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac.

I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him. And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall beget twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this set time next year.

Then he finished talking with him, and God went up from Abraham. So Abraham took Ishmael his son, all who were born in his house, and all who were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s house, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that very same day as God had said to him. 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, born in the house or bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.

Let’s seek the Lord’s blessing on this, His Word. Oh, gracious God and heavenly Father, we do praise you and thank you for the gift that you’ve given to us in your holy word. And as we come to this particular passage this morning, we do pray that your spirit would give us understanding and insight to see the truth that is here and what it speaks to us today. And we pray, Father, that as your word goes forth in the power of the spirit, that it would truly find within each of our hearts that rich, fertile soil that brings about great and abundant fruit for your glory. We ask for your blessing now upon your word. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ we pray, Amen.

God’s Desire for Relationship and the Covenant of Grace

Well, since God first created Adam from the dust of the earth and then breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, God has desired a relationship with the creature that he created after his own image. And of course, because God is the infinite creator and mankind is just the dust of the earth creation, it was necessary for God to condescend or humble himself in order to enter into this relationship, which we call a covenant.

A covenant is simply an agreement between two parties, and it typically includes the responsibilities ascribed to each party, the promises for keeping the covenant, as well as a warning against breaking the covenant.

And the very first covenant that God made in the garden with Adam was the covenant of works. And that covenant was broken by Adam when he rebelled and sinned against God in the garden. But despite Adam’s sin, God graciously instituted a second covenant, what we call the covenant of grace.

And we see the evidence of this covenant by the first gospel promise given in Genesis 3:15, that the seed of the woman would rise up to crush the head of the serpent, and this covenant of grace pointing to the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, who would be the ultimate fulfillment of God’s covenant promises.

But between Genesis 3 and the incarnation, the birth of Christ, God was pleased to reveal, over time, different aspects of this covenant of grace, through various other covenants, which He purposed to gather a people to call His own, and secure their salvation, ultimately, through His Son, Jesus.

And one of the administrations of the covenant of grace is God’s covenant that He makes here with Abraham.

Now back in Genesis 15, God had first announced this covenant to Abraham, then Abram. And now in our passage this morning, God not only affirms this covenant, but He expands its promises and He grants a special sign and seal that will set apart Abraham and his descendants as God’s covenant people.

Connection to Baptism in the New Covenant

Well, this morning, as we consider God’s covenant with Abraham and this sign of circumcision, we’re gonna note its connection to the sign and seal of baptism, which sets apart the covenant people of God, the church, in the final administration of the covenant of grace, what we call the new covenant in Christ Jesus.

But first, we need a little bit of background.

Again, in Genesis 15, Abram had expressed concern to the Lord when God first made this promise to him. It was concern because he had no children. And he wondered, how am I going to, how is this promise going to come about if I have no children and the only heirs are the sons of my servants?

But the Lord reassured Abram that a son and an heir would come from his own body. But then in chapter 16, we see that Abram and his wife Sarah, they lose patience with God, with God’s promise, wondering when it’s going to happen. And so they take matters into their own hands, and they try to bring the promise about through Sarai’s servant Hagar and the son that she bears to Abram, Ishmael. But Ishmael wasn’t the son God promised.

And so now it’s been about 13 years since that vain attempt to do God’s work for him. And so now Abram is 99 and Sarah is 90. And the possibility that the promised seed would come from the two of them has seemingly further just gotten out of reach. In fact, from a human perspective, it has become impossible that God speaks to Abraham, or Abram once again, verse one and two.

I am God, I am almighty God. Walk before me and be blameless and I will make my covenant between me and you and will multiply you exceedingly.

I want us to note here how the Lord ascribes to Himself a name which indicates that though it’s impossible with men, that with God all things are truly possible. The Lord says to Abram, I am Almighty God, or I am El Shaddai, is the Hebrew. He alone is the almighty, all-powerful God.

And it’s this almighty God who’s graciously made this covenant with Abram. And because the covenant is made by almighty God, the one who has all power to do anything, and the blessing promise, the blessing that seemed impossible in the sight of man, because Abram was old and his wife was barren, will indeed come about with great certainty, because God is God Almighty.

New Features of the Covenant Promises

And in verse 4 to 6, as God reminds Abram of the blessings, we see some new features that are added now to these promises.

A New Name: Abraham

And the first new feature is that Abram receives a new name. He becomes Abraham. Now, there’s little difference between the names Abram and Abraham other than their spellings. Abram simply means exalted father. And Abraham seems to strengthen that with the father of many.

But why does he receive a new name? Well, in scripture, whenever we see a name change, it often denotes a change in status, a change in role, or even a change in character or destiny.

God had already established His covenant with Abram. But now, on the cusp of the covenant promises being fulfilled through the birth of Isaac, God changes Abram to Abraham as a way to tell him, look, things are going to be different. Abraham has a new identity. It’s a new beginning. And the covenant promise is about to be fulfilled.

Father of Many Nations and Kings

Secondly, we see that God expands the promise to Abraham that he’ll become a great nation.

In verse 4, he says, you shall be a father of many nations. And verse 6, kings shall come from you. So in other words, Abraham’s not just going to be the father of one nation, but a multitude of nations. And not just ordinary citizens or servants are going to come from him, but kings.

How will these things be? Abraham won’t only be the father of Israel and her kings, but he’ll also be the father of the nations that descend from Ishmael. In verse 20 we see that. And then, of course, the kings and later through his grandson Esau would come the peoples of Edom and Amalek and their kings.

But when we consider this promise in the light of the new covenant in Jesus Christ, We see that it has a fulfillment in two different ways.

First, we know that Abraham is the father of all who believe in Jesus Christ. Not just to the Jews only, but the people of all nations who profess the name of Christ. This is the point that the Apostle Paul makes in Galatians 3, when he says,

there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise.

So truly Abraham is the father of many nations, not just Israel, not just Judah, not just those that descended from Ishmael and Esau, but every nation, even different nations that might be represented from our own heritage that are gathered here today. In faith in Jesus Christ, we are children of Abraham.

Well, secondly, in the New Covenant, we see that a king has actually come. And where did the king come from? He came from Abraham, the Lord Jesus Christ, is the Lord of lords and the King of kings. And he reigns even now over all the nations of the earth for the blessing and the benefit of the people of the church.

And these promises then to Abraham, we see then, have been fulfilled in Christ. The promise that he is going to be the father of many nations, the promise that kings will come from him, are fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

The Land as an Everlasting Possession

But there’s more. Verse 7 and 8, the Lord says,

I will establish my covenant between me and you and your descendants after you in 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.

So here the Lord elaborates on another covenant promise. The land of Canaan will be the possession of Abraham and his descendants.

Now this feature has everlasting implications. But we need to be careful here in considering the term everlasting. Because when we think about the term everlasting in the scriptures, it’s always going to refer to what is spiritual, not temporal. We know the things temporal. We know the things of this world are going to pass away. They will not last forever. And so everlasting implies a spiritual understanding.

And it’s really a misunderstanding of this concept, of course, that has led to many of the problems that we have, even just recently in the Middle East, involving Israel and the land. Because scripture is clear. that Israel would possess the land as long as she was faithful to God. But Israel violated God’s covenant and fell into idolatry. God even removed the Jews from the land for a time and returned only a small faithful remnant.

And from that faithful remnant, the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, would come. But what happened when He came? The Jews rejected Him. and they put him to death, thus losing their claim to the covenant promises. Because the covenant promises were going to be fulfilled in Christ, they rejected the one who’s going to fulfill those promises. They’re rejecting their right to those promises.

Now, of course, we have the new and better covenant, which Christ ushered in, and in fact, it has nothing to do with the earthly real estate. Yet we see that the promise to Abraham that’s given here in Genesis 17 is fully realized when we see that its fulfillment is in the heavenly real estate that Jesus Christ is even now preparing for us.

You see, Abraham even himself knew when he received these promises, he knew that the earthly real estate, the land of Canaan, was just a picture of the heavenly home. the spiritual, true, everlasting promised land that the Lord would give them. And that would belong to He and His descendants after Him forever. We see this connection in Hebrews 11 verse 10.

For He, that is Abraham, waited. What did he wait for? He waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

He’s not waiting for the real estate, the land and the buildings. He’s waiting for the heavenly land and the city that God himself has built.

And then in verse 16, he continues,

but now they, that is, Abraham and his descendants, they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country.

You see, none of them received They didn’t even receive the earthly real estate. And so their hearts and their thoughts and their minds were focused on the heavenly reality of what God was promising to them. That they desired that better heavenly country that would never be taken away.

And as the writer of Hebrews continues,

therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.

the promise of the temporal real estate is fulfilled, and the eternal inheritance that awaits faithful believers at the end of the age.

The Promised Son: Isaac

Well, having a promise of land and a great nation, though, is going to mean nothing if there’s not a son. And so God also clarifies and expands on this part of the promise in verses 15 to 21.

And here we see several things.

First, Sarai. Abram’s wife. She also receives a new name, Sarah, meaning princess. And so by the power of the Lord, God almighty, this barren princess was going to have a son and his name would be called Isaac. And God reaffirms that Sarah’s son will be the son of promise. And so that he will be greatly blessed and that she will be greatly blessed. She will be a mother of nations. And also for her too, kings of peoples shall come from her, from her who is barren.

A great work, an impossibility, but not before God Almighty.

Secondly, in verse 18, Abraham pleads with God to let Ishmael be the one. No, just let Ishmael. It’s going to be a lot easier. Ishmael, he’s already here. Let him be the son of promise.

Friends, God’s plan and purpose have already been set. God doesn’t follow our plans. He doesn’t follow those of our own devising. Ishmael was the product of such. God has His own wonderful and perfect plans. And His plan is to do the impossible. To bring life out of the deadness of Sarah’s womb. Paul talks about that in Romans 4.

Thirdly, in verse 20, God promises to bless Ishmael for Hagar’s sake and because he is the son of Abraham. And so Ishmael will be blessed, but the continuation of the covenant doesn’t belong to him. And again, Paul refers back to this passage in Romans 9. to argue that it’s not nationality or physical heritage that guarantees one’s participation in the covenant of God, but that it’s faith in the promises of God.

And so Paul says there in Romans 9,

For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, nor are they all children, because they are the seed of Abraham. But in Isaac your seed shall be called. That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as the seed.

The spiritual children of Abraham. Those who believe in the promises of God. That is, those who believe in Jesus Christ. These are the true heirs to the covenant promises that God made with Abraham.

And so we’ve made this connection to see how these promises are ultimately fulfilled in the new covenant through Jesus Christ.

And again, we know Abraham looked forward to this in faith.

The Spiritual Essence of the Covenant

But as we consider this, we see a chief scope of the promises for Abraham were outward physical realities. The new name, the nations and the kings, the land and the sun, these are all outward things. But there was one key internal spiritual promise that was also made to Abraham that he himself and his descendants could experience in the here and now.

You see, they were all called out to be a special people of God. The central essence of God’s covenant with Abraham, which becomes reiterated with later covenants, that with Israel and Mount Sinai, with David, and yes, even the new covenant, as told about in Jeremiah the prophet, but then later fulfilled in Jesus Christ,

We find these words in each of those covenants: I will be your God and you shall be my people.

The whole point of the covenant of grace in these different administrations is God is working to establish for himself a people to call his own. And we see this in verse seven and eight.

The design and the purpose of God’s covenant is to glorify Himself by bringing sinful and undeserving human beings into fellowship with Him. And there, this is true union and communion with the Almighty Lord God, Creator of heaven and earth.

God desires a people to call His own, a people whom He can bestow the abundant grace and blessings. And as Peter says in 1 Peter 2:9, a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people.

Interesting thing there is that Peter is using words that are used in the Old Testament to describe Israel. He’s using them to describe God’s people, the church.

And so again in Scripture, the emphasis isn’t placed on the ethnicity, the nationality, or the physical genealogy, but the true spiritual lineage. For even during the time when the ethnicity and nationality were synonymous with God’s called out people, They weren’t all of Israel who were of Israel, as we’ve seen with Ishmael, and then later, as Paul points out in Romans 9, with Esau.

It’s the spiritual nature of God’s covenant with Abraham.

Right? The reconciliation that God desires between God and man. That covenant that was made back in the garden, after the fall. The seed of the woman would rise up to crush the head of the serpent. That’s the spiritual nature of God’s covenant with Abraham. This reconciled relationship that there might be reconciliation between God and man through Jesus Christ is truly everlasting and without end.

And it’s that spiritual aspect that transforms the physical features of the covenant. the nation, the land, the promised King and the Son, into promises that are ultimately fulfilled in Jesus for the benefit of those who believe and trust in His name alone for salvation.

And this is true for not only the covenant promises, but also for the covenant sign and seal.

The Covenant Obligation and Sign of Circumcision

You see, God is the one who graciously established this covenant with Abraham. God is the one who is setting the terms. God is the one who made the promises and God will see it through to fulfillment according to his own plan in his own perfect timing.

But this doesn’t mean that Abraham then is to do nothing. No, there’s a covenant obligation. And we see this right in verse one. And it comes in the form of the double command to walk before me and be blameless.

And so God was requiring faith in his promises and complete and total loyalty on the part of Abraham and his descendants.

But friends, Abraham, like us, was a sinner. He’s unable to do any good thing in God’s sight. How then can Abraham walk before God and be blameless? Indeed, how can we as the church be a truly holy nation when we’re sinful?

The answer, of course, is because of the grace of God. And the fact that even our faith and our belief in God is a gracious gift that comes from His hand. We see this in Ephesians 2. So that even our covenant obligation, even the duty which God requires of us to believe in His promises, that’s the covenant obligation. We can’t do that. But it’s a gracious gift. Faith is a gracious gift that God bestows on us through Christ Jesus our Lord.

But not only is Abraham obligated to believe and trust God totally, God also gives him instruction about circumcision, which will be the sign and seal of God’s covenant.

As for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you.” Let’s quickly note these things about the covenant sign that God goes on to give.

Now circumcision is a cutting away of the foreskin, a piece of flesh from the male reproductive organ. And circumcision wasn’t new with the Jews, but God instituted circumcision as a way to separate his people from others. Not by reason of the physical action, but by the spiritual significance that God Himself would attach to it.

The covenant sign is a physical witness to a spiritual reality. And there are at least two reasons why a circumcision is spiritually symbolic.

First, we see that it represents mortification of the flesh. That is, a putting to death of the sin nature. Because circumcision was a bloody and painful procedure. And it reminded the people that they’re undeserving sinners. Who must repent and turn away from their sins and turn toward God alone for salvation. And so in this sense, circumcision is likened to a sign of repentance. The putting off of sin.

And secondly, we see since circumcision is performed on the male reproductive organ, it emphasizes the promise of the seed that ultimately leads to salvation. Paul says in Romans 4,

And he, that is Abraham, received this sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all those who believe.

Paul has made the connection in this way that circumcision is associated with faith in God’s promises. The faith, the promise that God gave to Abraham was that he was going to have a son, ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

It’s also significant to note who was to receive this son. Not just Abraham. Not just the promised son, Isaac. But all males who were in Abraham’s household, all eight days old and up, whether slave or free, born or bought, blood relative or foreigner, they all were to receive the sign and see it.”

Now, this is significant for many reasons.

First, it identifies the covenant community. You see, even though only the males received the sign of circumcision, Abraham’s entire household was included in the covenant, whether they themselves believed in God and His promises or not. They all became beneficiaries to the covenant blessings. And so again, race, ethnicity, and social status weren’t grounds for discrimination.

Even though God clearly explains that it’s through Isaac that the covenant promises will come about, we see that Ishmael, in fact we’re told several times, right at the end there, that Ishmael, yes, Ishmael was circumcised. Ishmael was circumcised. Ishmael was circumcised. Ishmael and all the servants received the same sign.

Why? For the simple reason that they were members of Abraham, of his household, and they were his descendants. Who did God make the covenant with? With Abraham and his descendants, all those who are in his household.

Now circumcision didn’t guarantee the fullness of the promise in inheritance. which would be salvation, but it set Abraham and his descendants apart to be God’s own special people. Yet again, there was an obligation to fulfill, because only those who responded in faith would, in a true spiritual sense, be God’s covenant people.

And so the entire household is still included and receives the sign in an outward way, even though it’s possible that some may not believe and will enjoy the full covenant benefits, even though they don’t believe.

It should also be noted that all from 99 years old to the eight-day-old infant born in his house were included. Again, God makes no basis for discrimination. It was Abraham’s entire household.

And this is significant because it reaffirms that when God makes a covenant, and we see this with all the covenants in scripture that God makes with man, it’s never made with one person in view. But the covenants that God himself makes with man are always made with you and your descendants after you. God’s not shortsighted. He always has the long game in view.

Again, this doesn’t become an automatic or guaranteed way of salvation, but it shows that God is often pleased to work in and through families from one generation to the next. And we see evidence of that throughout the scriptures, throughout church history, even throughout our own lives. That God is often pleased to work in and through families to build up His church.

And so also it was a great privilege, then, for that eight-day-old infant to receive the sign of the covenant and be circumcised, thus to become a partaker of all the outward blessings and benefits that would stem from living in the covenant community.

However, the obligation to believe in God’s covenant promises remained in order for the fullest benefit of the covenant, salvation, to be realized.

But there was also a curse associated with the covenant sign in verse 14.

And the uncircumcised male child, who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people. He has broken my covenant.

And so if someone in Abraham’s household wasn’t circumcised, he’d be considered a covenant breaker.

And so it was either a cut off or be cut off. And to be cut off is to be thrust from the covenant community, to be separated from its benefits, its blessings, and its privileges, and ultimately, separated from the only way to salvation. And so the individual would be considered outside the family. He’d be an unbeliever, and ultimately, he’d be seen as dead.

The implications are severe then for the one who refuses to apply the covenant sign and seal to the members of his household as God has commanded. Those who don’t bear the covenant sign and seal are to be considered covenant breakers and have no stake or claim in the benefits and privileges of the covenant community.

so very diligent about his faith and seeking to avoid this curse, Abraham immediately, on that very same day, circumcised himself and his entire household, thus establishing it as God’s called out covenant people.

Transition to the New Covenant: From Circumcision to Baptism

Friends, with the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, we see that the flow of covenant history now comes to a head. And that which was old is fulfilled, And the new is ushered in. And so we know that there were many changes from these old administrations of the covenant of grace to now the new covenant. There were many changes that took place.

The imperfect ceremonies and symbols of the old covenant, for example, the animal sacrifices, the dietary laws, the instruments and incense and worship, these were all done away with.

And they were cast aside because Christ has fulfilled their purpose by His once for all atoning sacrifice on the cross. And in Acts 15, we even see the casting aside of circumcision when the church declares that the Gentiles don’t have to be circumcised when they become believers in Christ.

Because the more essential matter is, as Paul states in Romans 2 verse 29, that he as a Jew is one inwardly. And circumcision is that of the heart and the spirit. Not in the letter. It’s not no longer the circumcision of the flesh, but it’s the circumcision of the heart.

And so again, the spiritual significance has once again superseded the physical act.

But it’s important to note. that though there were changes, God’s covenant, the covenant of grace, continues and remains in effect. And so the covenant promises that God made to Abraham are still in effect. But not for a people of a particular race, ethnic group, or physical heritage, and certainly not for a secular Israeli state. But for the true Israel of God, those who are Abraham’s descendants by faith, God’s new covenant people, both Jew and Gentile, who are gathered together in the church.

Because God’s covenant is still in effect, the sign and seal of the covenant is still required.

But again, circumcision, that painful, bloody cutting away of the flesh has been set aside. We no longer need to shed blood because of the shed blood of Christ. And so we look to the sign and seal of God’s new covenant, which is baptism. the sprinkling of water.

Paul makes this connection in Colossians 2 when he says,

in him you also, you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands. Again, so it’s not the physical circumcision, it’s the spiritual. By putting off the body the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, and now here he makes the connection, buried with him in baptism. in which you were also raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. And you, being dead in your trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses.

And so we see here in this passage, baptism symbolizes the same thing that circumcision represented. the putting off of sin through repentance and turning toward God by faith in His promises. It signifies our union and communion in Christ through faith.

Baptism is a sign and seal upon the believer that they’re beneficiaries to the blessings and promises of God’s covenant of grace.

But there’s one final important piece that we need to add. Again, the command to circumcise was given to Abraham and his entire household, young and old. Again, whether they had professed faith in the promises of God or not, they all received the sign of the covenant and they all were considered to be partakers of God’s covenant, beneficiaries to all the outward blessings and promises.

And so it’s for this very reason that we apply the covenant sign and seal of baptism not only to those who profess faith in Jesus Christ, but to their children as well.

Peter, after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, and the people are gathering together wondering what’s going on, Peter preaches a magnificent sermon. And at the end of that sermon, he makes this plea.

Repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and your children and to all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call.

Peter is referring to the covenant promises that God had made to Abraham long ago. And friends, if you’re a Jew listening to these words as Peter’s preaching them, you’re going to understand very clearly what he means. That if you believe in Jesus Christ, and if you enter into this new covenant with Him, and receive the new covenant sign of baptism, You would understand clearly, based on what Peter says here, that the sign belongs to your children as well. Because the promises belong to your children by faith in Jesus Christ.

And so we baptize our covenant children for this very reason.

But we need to be careful. We need to remember that the sign given, the water that’s sprinkled on the head, that itself does not save. It’s not the water that washes away sin. And some very dangerously and erroneously believe that. The sign doesn’t save. A sign points to salvation. Nor does it guarantee salvation. Because we know that it’s the grace of God alone which saves. Not water.

But receiving the covenant sign, even as an infant, does set in place the covenant obligation. that one day those who have received that sign, one day they must repent of their sins and believe on Jesus Christ alone if they want to attain the eternal inheritance that’s been secured for them in this promises.

Truly friends, by the grace of God, may these covenant promises of God be fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Not just for Theo in this day, but for all of us here. All to the praise and glory of God’s name.

Let’s pray. O gracious God in heaven, we do rejoice and give thanks for this important reminder about your covenant promises that you have just one covenant administered over the ages. coming to its fullness in Jesus Christ. This one covenant of grace.

And that even the Old Testament saints, Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all those of their household, who truly believed in the promises, were saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. It was the ultimate fulfillment of those promises. And we have this great privilege of being able to now look back upon as certain fact, what they only look forward to and hope and anticipation. We have that great privilege to look back on Christ and what He has accomplished for us. And that you have given us this sign to set us apart, to set our families apart, to set your people apart as your covenant community to the end of the age. when Christ will return and he will purify and cleanse that all who truly hope in him will receive that inheritance of the promised land, eternal life in your glorious presence. Father, we just praise you and thank you for this wonderful word.

And we just pray that your spirit would apply these truths to each of our hearts here. And even as we look forward to applying this covenant sign and seal upon Theo this morning, we pray that these things that we’ve considered today may come to fruition in him one day as he professes his faith in Christ Jesus. All to the praise of your glorious name. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.