Circumcision: the Cost of Crossing Over - Chris Isaac

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Circumcision: Consider the Cost of Being a Crossover People

New Life Church on the Rock Wednesday 5/16/07


Josh 1:1-9
1 After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses' aide:
2 "Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them-- to the Israelites.
3 I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses.
4 Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates-- all the Hittite country-- to the Great Sea on the west.
5 No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.
6 "Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them.
7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.
8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.
9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."
(NIV)

I) Introduction: Consider the Cost
A) It was about a month ago the God gave this word to Pastor Ken during our 21 day.
1) Arise and cross over, because the world needs a savior
2) And we’ve been talking about this as it relates to our building our building.
3) And God is saying to us that it is time to arise and crossover
B) And that’s exciting
1) Isn’t it
2) What’s not exciting about it
3) We are going to arise, cross over, and posses the land.
4) How exciting
C) Well tonight I want to share with you a little about the cost of being a crossover people.


Luke 14:28-32
28 "Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it?
29 For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him,
30 saying, 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.'
31 "Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand?
32 If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace.
(NIV)

II) I want to start by quickly looking at three examples from Joshua
A) Reuben, Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh
1) This is found in Joshua 1:12-18
2) They had asked Moses if they could receive their inheritance on this side of the Jordan
3) And God acquiesced.
4) So that at the time that God told Joshua to arise and crossover, the 2½ tribes were already settling in.
5) But they arose
6) For them the cost of being a crossover people was that they had nothing to gain
7) The point
(a) As we cross over this Jordan, there are some of you out there who are going to step into new ministry,
(b) And God is going to use you, and open doors like you wouldn’t believe
(c) But others of you, like the tribes of Reuben and Gad, have already received
(d) and are crossing over to facilitate others
B) The story at Ai
1) Found in Joshua 7
2) The children of Israel crossed over
3) We know how they attacked and sacked Jericho
4) But the next story is when they approached a small town named Ai
5) It was so small, the city could only afford two letters in it’s name
6) But at the battle of Jericho one man sinned
7) And when the army went up against little Ai, they were defeated because of that one mans sin.
8) In fact the Bible says that 36 men of Israel died.
(a) 36 men who did not commit sin
(b) 36 men who crossed over, but did not personally receive the inheritance
(c) Wow, talk about paying the price
C) The next example is where I want to camp out a little bit
1) It’s found in Joshua chapter 5:2-8


Josh 5:2-8
2 At that time the LORD said to Joshua, "Make flint knives and circumcise the Israelites again."
3 So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the Israelites at Gibeath Haaraloth.
4 Now this is why he did so: All those who came out of Egypt-- all the men of military age-- died in the desert on the way after leaving Egypt.
5 All the people that came out had been circumcised, but all the people born in the desert during the journey from Egypt had not.
6 The Israelites had moved about in the desert forty years until all the men who were of military age when they left Egypt had died, since they had not obeyed the LORD. For the LORD had sworn to them that they would not see the land that he had solemnly promised their fathers to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey.
7 So he raised up their sons in their place, and these were the ones Joshua circumcised. They were still uncircumcised because they had not been circumcised on the way.
8 And after the whole nation had been circumcised, they remained where they were in camp until they were healed.
(NIV)

2) Now this isn’t pleasant to talk about, but my friends there is a price for being a crossover people
3) Now I don’t want to discourage you in telling you that there is a price.
4) Instead it’s my prayer that after tonight you would get encouraged about paying the price.
D) Now allow me to preach for a minute
1) Israel was willing to pay the price for two reasons
(a) They didn’t want to go back
(b) They prize was worth the price
2) Parable of the pearl of great price in the field
3) Peter at the day of Pentecost
4) 3 Hebrew Children
III) What is Circumcision
A) In the natural it is the removal of the foreskin
B) The Hebrew word used for the foreskin is Orlah
1) It means barrier
2) It is also used in describing an uncircumcised heart: Orlas HaLeiv
3) Or uncircumcised lips: Orel S’fasaim
4) Each example denotes a barrier
C) So when we translate this from the natural to the spiritual
1) And we read in the Bible, God calling us to circumcise our hearts
2) He is calling us to remove the barrier
D) Now without getting to graphical
1) In the natural, that which is circumcised is the most intimate place found on the body
2) In the spiritual, God is calling for the removal of the barriers around the most intimate places in our hearts
E) There is a process that takes place in our Christian experience
1) The Bible uses many analogies to describe it
(a) Circumcision of the heart (Deuteronomy)
(b) Discipline of the Lord (Hebrews)
(c) Crucible of God’s refinement (Proverbs)
(d) Pruning (Romans)
2) It’s all about something being removed
(a) Being purified
3) It is a part of the natural process for spiritual growth.
4) Both in the natural and in the spiritual God made growth to occur whether you want it to or not.
5) God’s perfect plan (before the fall) in a nut shell
(a) Growing
(b) Fully grown, and thus reproducing
(c) Dead
6) My question for you is, in the spiritual, which one of those three are you

Story about Romania

IV) Observations about Circumcision
A) It’s confusing
1) When a baby is being circumcised he doesn’t understand
(a) What is happening
(b) Why it’s happening
2) In fact do you know who decides who’s circumcised and who isn’t
3) It’s not the hospital, it’s the father, our Father
4) Often times it’s confusing to understand how a God who loves us would be hurting us
5) The answer to confusion is trust

Job 23:8-10
8 "But if I go to the east, he is not there; if I go to the west, I do not find him.
9 When he is at work in the north, I do not see him; when he turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of him.
10 But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.
(NIV)

B) It hurts
1) I’m not gonna lie to you
2) Do you know why there is not a line of 40 year old men at Baptist Hospital tonight wanting to get circumcised
3) Because it hurts
4) I had a friend who gave up on the Daniel Fast because he didn’t see why he should put himself through it
5) We have some strange thinking in the Church today
(a) We assume if it hurts, its bad
(i) But in the natural we don’t mind working out and exercising
(ii) Even though we wake up sore the next morning
(iii) In fact we’re proud the next morning when we are sore
(iv) But we don’t think this translates into the spiritual real
(b) We think learning discipline in our spiritual lives means we’ve done something wrong, or we’re weak
(i) Anyone here in the army
(ii) Did you have to learn discipline
(iii) Are you proud of that fact
C) Something is being removed (change is occurring)
1) A lot of times we blame God for things He didn’t do
2) Story of Mr. Fowler on the roof
3) The only way to learn to walk, is to walk
4) I used to pray
(a) God help Cheryl and I to better support each other during tough and trying times
(b) And then I would wonder why are we going through all these tough and trying times
D) You must be exposed
1) You are not going to be able to go through circumcision with your pants on
2) You will be exposed and vulnerable
3) It is innate in man to try to hide his sins
(a) God had to go looking for Adam in the garden
4) But God wants to expose us, and our sin
5) And there’s no better place to be
6) The story of Ziporah
V) Conclusion: Responding to Circumcision
A) Don’t move
1) Pastor Ron says “No matter how bad things are, you can always make them worse”
B) Shut up

Job 38:1-3
1 Then the LORD answered Job out of the storm. He said:
2 "Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge?
3 Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me.
(NIV)

Job 40:3-5
3 Then Job answered the LORD:
4 "I am unworthy-- how can I reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth.
5 I spoke once, but I have no answer-- twice, but I will say no more."
(NIV)

Job 40:8
8 "Would you discredit my justice? Would you condemn me to justify yourself?
(NIV)

C) Hang on
1) Story of Justin at Children’s Church

James 1:2-4
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,
3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.
4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
(NIV)