Topic: Almighty God
(Genesis17:1-19)

First of all, I am going to introduce Mr, Whanyong, Lee who is a director of Pungkang botanical garden in Pochun, Gyeonggi  province.
 You know, before I introduced about this botanical garden, and the old aged persons of our church visited there but a few peoples among them looked around because of too much raining. 
 Sanjung lake is near this garden, and this botanical garden became a tourist attraction in the north of Gyeonggi.
It was filled with a lot of beautiful flowers and good grasses, so it was like the garden of Eden.
This place achieved harmony fantastically with 고라, squirrels, frogs, butterflies, bees, flowers, a lake, a lawn.
 By the way, the story of Whanyong, Lee who made this garden was more impressive than this garden itself.
This was a senior deacon of Love church.
 This man graduated high school. After that, he studied an entrance examination in a reading room of Norangjin cooking food for himself.
Because he had the ability of acupuncture, so he lived without difficulty eating and studying.
He was concerned with an oriental medicine, so he tried to exam to enter the oriental medical college. By the way he failed in that examination 8 times.
So he became the man who experienced another 9th year of cramming for entrance exams.
By the way, at that very year he got a good success to enter the oriental medical college. Was he not great ?
 Likewise fortunately, he became an Oriental medical doctor. After that he opened Oriental medical hospital in Gangnam area.
When he was in Norangjin area, he got great discovery from someone who tried to heal nose trouble.
So he developed a special medicine for rhinitis that was made of an elm tree, an apricot stone, a magnolia, gourd. It was called " Chungbiwhan".
Because of that special medicine, so many patients came to him to be healed. As a result, he made too much money. He was so blessed by God to give his tithes to his church the best among all church members.
When he had offered his tithes correctly without failing, God had blessed his business too much to increase his property year by year, so he was rich, and he made and opened Pungang botanical garden.
 Let me introduce his special words to you. He said that though the flower is so beautiful, it can bear a fruit by withering, and the fruit is produced with thirty times, sixty times, and hundredfold when the seed falls on the ground and dies. 
 How faithful his word is ! But I think it is not easy for us to do so.
Because we must die. To die is not easy. It is the reason of his success.
 Let me tell you. Can you challenge until 9times in order to fulfill your dream ?
 And can you give tithe to God fully when you make money too much ?
Because he did it like this, he is living gloriously until present.
If we failed 8 times in entrance exams, we would think that our life is the end.
We have to know that the beginning is so important to us.
You know, beginning is not late.
Now he is 49 years old.
Think about him. Though he entered university lately, now he became the best leader in our society.
 Today we can see the same situation from Abraham.
 We see that he bore his son Isaac in 100 age. It was the most important event in his whole life.
 Look at Genesis chapter 17, 18, 21:1-7.
I am going to think about two things.
First, God is omnipotent (almighty).
 Genesis 17:1 said, "When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, "I am God Almighty ; walk before me and be blameless."
 He bore his son Ishmael, 13 years late God appeared to him when he was ninety-nine years old,
 And God revealed himself that "I am God Almighty".
 We know, God had taught him about what He is, and what his relationship with God is.
 That is, God revealed Himself to Abraham that He is the God of real promise when he departed from hometown.
 And when he was fighting Canaanite, God also taught him that "He is the Lord of all the earth and the most high God."
And when he was in trial, God said to him that I am your shield and greatest reward. 
 God also revealed that He is ‘God of Beelraheroi’, that is, living God who watches all my painful life and saves me.
 Likewise, we see that God was teaching through each event that what He is, and what is relationship between God and Abraham.
 Therefore we also have to learn well through each event of life that what He is, and what relation we have with God.
This is so important.
 In such aspect, today in this text God has a special subject to teach Abraham.
That is "almighty God". He is God who can do all things. That is, it is about God's omnipotence.
Here, "Almighty God for Hebrew word is "El-Shaddai", which means God who has  the infinite power beyond the natural law.
Likewise He is the God of supernatural power.
 So God did not appear to him until his age 99, his wife 89. Because He wanted to teach him about His omnipotent power.
 We can know that the way to teach His omnipotent power is to give a son to him.
So in Genesis 18:10 said, Then the LORD said, "I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son."
 But it was so really difficult for him to believe in God's word like that.
Genesis 17:17 said, Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, "Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?"
Genesis 18:12 said, So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, "After I am worn out and my master is old, will I now have this pleasure?"
 Likewise, we have a realistic problem whenever we believe in His omnipotence. 
We also have a problem not to believe in His all power in our realistic life. That is, we think that all things for others and other's trouble are possible to God, but not for me.
 Let's see John chapter 11, When Lazarus died, Jesus came to his house.
At that time his sister, Martha told Him that "Lord," Martha said to Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died.(John 11:21)
 But as Jesus commanded her to move the stone of tomb, she hesitated to do so in being afraid.
She said like this in her reality.
"But, Lord," said Martha, the sister of the dead man, "by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days."
And then Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?"(John 11:40)
  We may be like her about unbelief in His omnipotent power.
We also used to say like her that we have good faith with our mouth, and we like to confess in our prayer. But when we encounter reality we used to become a faithless person like her.
That is, we think that God also is unable to solve my problem, God is not able.
 To such Martha Jesus told " if you would believe, you can see the glory of God."
We also must believe in God who can do all things. Only so we can see the glory of God.
 Today, in text the Lord said to Abraham that " Is anything too hard for the LORD ? ."(Genesis 18:14)
 God said to them that "all things are possible to Me".
 God Himself said that My power works beyond human thinking.
 That is, Abraham thought that it is impossible, but God could let them be born a son even when they were 100 age, 90 age.
 It was impossible to them with 100 percent, but it was possible to God.
 With man all things are impossible, but with God all things are possible.
 The amazing thing is that God has said times by times about His all power.
 in Jeremiah 32:27 said, "I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me? Amen.
Matthew 19:26 said, Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."
 Luke 1:37 said, For nothing is impossible with God."
 This word is that the angel said to Jesus' mother, Mary that a virgin will bring forth a Son.
In fact this was more difficult event than Abraham could bear the son in his age 100. 
But Mary who might be a teenager or more had a great faith, so she answered. that "I am the Lord's servant," "May it be to me as you have said."(Luke 1:38)
 Today, we also need to trust in Him who has all powers.
 And we have to confess in the presence of God that He is almighty.
We must confess like this "I believe in God the Father Almighty."
And we should apply God's Almighty to our life concretely.
And we should trust in His all powers.
And we must commit our all things into His hands almighty.
And do not be discouraged, we should to look to the Lord almighty.
And, we will go through God's power and a miracle, and God's work. Amen. Praise the Lord !
Second. Walk in before God and be blameless.
 Let us see verse one again.
Genesis 17:1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, "I am God Almighty ; walk before me and be blameless.
 As a man, we all want to be blameless.
But we have trouble not to be blameless, not to be perfect.
 The parents always used to ask their children to be blameless.
 But they could not walk like adults, because they are not an adult.
So there are often conflict between parents and children.
The law is to force God´s perfection on a person who can not be blameless.
By the way, this law always gives us feeling of a sense of disappointment and frustration.
 If we can be blameless, it may be so good to us.
But even though we know this, it is impossible to us.
So we became a powerless man before God just as children became powerless one.
But I think it is not true.
 Because the parents can do it, but God does not want us to be powerless persons.
 And then, why did God say to Abraham like this ?
 It is to exalt Abraham's low self-respect and frustrated faith.
 Abraham was 99 years old at that time, it was almost impossible for him to trust in God's promise, so he got the lowest self-respect.
 So God wanted to exalt his low self-respect and stand his little faith, and make the blameless man of faith. So He gave him Isaac.
God worked too much for him to produce great faith.
 Look at His work that God worked for him to exalt his faith.
 Firstly. He changed His covenant.
Genesis 17:6-8 I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. 7 I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. 8 The whole land of Canaan, where you are now an alien, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God."

God did it because He wanted to exalt his self-respect and stand his faith.
When he heard this news, he might be courageous.
 Secondly. He let him perform circumcision.
Genesis 17:9-11 Then God said to Abraham, "As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. 10 This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. 11 You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you.
 The purpose that God gave him the system of circumcision also was to exalt his low self-respect and enhance his faith.
Whenever he went to a rest room, he might get self-confidence looking into the circumcision that is the sign of covenant.
 Thirdly. God changed his name.
 Verse 5 No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations.
"Abram means "Abi-Ruham" " Abi is Father, Ruham is greatness.
So Abram means big father, by the way He changed Abram into Abraham which means the father of all nations.
 Amazing thing is that God gave the great new name to him who was 99 years old without son.
Perhaps, people who did not know this must have said like this.
 "Why did you change your name ? Are you not old ? What is the name that means the father of all nations ?
 But the persons of faith do not have to be ashamed of having the new name.
What God changed his name was to exalt his low self-respect and increase his faith, as a result He gave him the son.
God also changed Sara's name.
Sarah means "queen" "princess".
Sarai means Sarah added I, "I" for Hebrew is "my" in English.
 Sarai means "queen princess".
And Sarai means "my queen, my princess".
 Therefore Sarah became from her husband's queen to a queen princess for all peoples
We can see how God exalted her self-respect through name.
Fourthly. God named his son's name as Isaac. 
 Genesis 17:19 Then God said, "Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. .......
 Isaac means "laugh".
 What God called him Isaac was because of two reasons.
 One of them was because they laughed when God said to them to give a son.
They really laughed without thinking.
That is, it was hard laugh that smiled unbelieving about God's word.
 But after she bore the son, she really could laugh greatly, gladly.
So God called Isaac that means "laugh".
 Genesis 21:6 Sarah said, "God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me."
 We don't know when he got married, but perhaps they lived in unhappy day during 70 years.
By the way, at last God made them to laugh. 
 This fact shows that today God has taught us that we can laugh in the end of our lives, though we lived very hard for a long time.
We must know this fact through Isaac.
 Therefore all these things that make us melancholy, all our hard works, all troubles, all problems, all difficult situations, we must believe these things make us to be laughing in the end.
  Surely the best occasion that we can laugh may be the time that we enter the kingdom of heaven.
Though we had lived very hard with tears on the earth, we can get gladness greatly like Sarah from our deep heart  when we enter it.
 Likewise, God had blessed them to exalt their low self-respect and their faith with four things.
So they became blameless because of exalted self-respect, and their faith became perfect.
The word, "walk before Me and be blameless." was done to him.
 Romans 4:18-21 Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, "So shall your offspring be."19Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old?and that Sarah's womb was also dead. 20Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.
 Hebrews 11:11-12 By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore.
 Therefore we will also have to know that God wants to make us to be blameless before Him.
Through the worshipping time and His word we must meet God every sunday.
So our low self-respect and disappointed faith will have to be exalted highly in our lives.
I want all of you to do the standing works of our faith again.
  If we become like this, God will make us laughing in our all things.
In the name of the Lord, I bless all of you to be like those persons.

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