Honor The Lord By Trusting His Promises (Genesis 18:1-15)
I am going to begin by summing up the sermon today with one sentence. Here it is. No matter what comes upon us in this life we are to trust God’s promises. We will see in our text today that we displease God when we believe our surroundings are more powerful than His promise. That will be the central point that I want us to take from the sermon today. And it is a point that we will have to think through over and over in our lives.
Hard circumstances will come upon us often in this life. We live in a fallen world that seems to increasingly be set against us. As our country secularizes it sometimes becomes harder to see how it is that God is going to keep His promises to us.
When illness comes upon us or those we love, it is sometimes difficult to see that God loves us, cares for us, and is with us as He has promised us. It is difficult to see that God has our best interest at heart. And it is difficult to see that God is working for our good, just as He promised us.
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28 ESV)
We displease God when we believe our surroundings are more powerful than His promise. And we are to trust God’s promises no matter what comes upon us.
And here is where things get especially difficult. We can sometimes say and do all the right things, but deep within ourselves not trust that the Lord will keep His promises to us because we have let our surroundings grow stronger in our minds than God’s promises to us.
The promises that we should hold most dear to us are those that Abraham and Sarah were to hold closest to their hearts as well.
“Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”” (Genesis 12:1-3 ESV)
These promises are what has kept Abram and Sarai going, who are now Abraham and Sarah. They left their country. And God made tremendous promises to Abram. Abram would be made a great nation, his name would be made great, and he would be a blessing. God promised that He would be with Abram in a special way so that those who blessed him would be blessed and those who cursed him would be cursed. And God also promised that the families of the whole earth would be blessed in him.
These promises are delivered to us as well, as has been discussed in previous sermons. But it is definitely worth discussing again.
The offspring that is promised to Abram that would bless the nations is Christ (Galatians 3:16). And the way the nations are blessed in Abraham is through Jesus Christ who eventually came from the family of Abraham. And we find that God put the Law in place so that we would understand that we have a need for the Savior, who is Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:19-29). As we look at the demands of the Law, we see that we do not measure up and we understand our need for Christ. The Savior came from the family of Abraham and the Law pointed us to the Savior. And those who trust in Christ are His, and so they are “Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise” (Galatians 3:29 ESV).
Humanity is sinful and wicked. We rebelled against God and continue to rebel against God. And we have earned for ourselves God’s wrath and judgment. But God didn’t leave matters that way. From the offspring of Abraham eventually came Jesus. He was God the Son who took on human flesh. He lived a perfect life and accomplished all righteousness on behalf of His people. And then He died on a cross and paid the full punishment of the sin of His people. Our response to that message is repentance and faith. We turn from ruling our own life and trust in Jesus Christ. We are adopted into God’s family and made an heir of God’s promises in Him.
If we are heirs to the promises given to Abraham in Christ, then what are we to make of the land promises?
Well, the Old Testament Prophets along with the New Testament expanded the land promises to be not just Israel, but the New Heavens and New Earth. Israel and the whole redeemed world is the inheritance of the believer.
“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy, and her people to be a gladness. I will rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in my people; no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping and the cry of distress. No more shall there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not fill out his days, for the young man shall die a hundred years old, and the sinner a hundred years old shall be accursed. They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat; for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be, and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labor in vain or bear children for calamity, for they shall be the offspring of the blessed of the LORD, and their descendants with them. Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear. The wolf and the lamb shall graze together; the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and dust shall be the serpent’s food. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain,” says the LORD.” (Isaiah 65:17-25 ESV)
What a beautiful text and a beautiful promise! No more crying, no more distress, it is a land of incredible blessing. We see this hinted at one chapter later in Isaiah 66:22. Similarly, Micah 4:1-5 pictures a time of world wide peace when the Lord is the judge over the nations and the entire world is at peace.
But Paul does something interesting with the land promise given to Abram. He views the promise given to Abram as being the world and not just Israel.
“For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith.” (Romans 4:13 ESV)
The promise Abram received in Genesis had boundaries. But the boundaries would eventually give way and the inheritance would be the whole world. And the writer to the Hebrews tells us that this New Heavens and Earth was what Abraham was looking forward to.
“For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.” (Hebrews 11:10 ESV)
Again, look at the beautiful promises that are ours in Christ! Look and see what a beautiful inheritance we have been given! The Redeemed World will be ours. We will inherit a place in the New Heavens and Earth!
But that is not all. We have also been promised God’s presence. God has promised to be with us both in this life and in our Redeemed home. And no matter what things happen to us right now, God has promised to be with us forever.
“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39 ESV)
No matter what happens in this life, God will be with us. Nothing can break this promise of the Lord to be with us “always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20 ESV)
There are many promises given to God’s people in Scripture. There are many promises that we base our lives upon, but the promises given to Abraham are the promises that we find the sweetest for us as well. And no matter what comes our way, we must never lose sight of these promises.
We displease God when we believe our surroundings are more powerful than His promise.
I want us now to look at Genesis 18:1-15 and see that we can live a life that seems devoted to the Lord while really allowing our surroundings to dictate whether or not we will believe God’s promises to us.
We will see in this text that Sarah was a model of virtue for us, but God was displeased with her lack of faith in His promises. We are to trust God’s promises no matter life’s circumstances.
We Displease God When We Believe Our Surroundings Are More Powerful Than His Promise (Genesis 18:1-15)
We begin today with an exquisite show of hospitality. The hospitality of Abraham and Sarah was extraordinary, and it is on full display in this text.
The Lord appeared to Abraham, but he did not know that it was the Lord that appeared to him (18:1). He saw three men at the heat of the day. One can’t help but wonder if this is each person of the Trinity. This certainly seems to be the case. But to Abraham this seems to be three men out traveling.
This happened at a rather inopportune time. The heat of the day is when life and activity took a break. This would have been at the time that Abraham took his siesta. It was a significant break in the middle of the workday. At this time, they would rest, have the biggest meal of the day, rest more, maybe take a nap, and then get back to work. And whoever these visitors were, they were interrupting his break time. But Abraham jumped up and went right to work. And remember, Abraham does not know who these visitors are. They are just strangers to him.
Abraham does something here that seems peculiar at first, but when you think about it just a little it is an incredible thing that he does here. He told them he was going to do much less than he really did. He told them he would give them a little water and a morsel of bread (Genesis 18:4-5). And then he turned around and organized an incredible feast.
The amount and quality of food here is huge. Abraham told Sarah to get a massive amount of flour to make cakes. 1 Seah of flour is the equivalent of about 2 gallons of flour. When he requested three seahs of flour, he was asking her to make cakes out of 6 gallons of flour. That is a lot of flour. And then he had a tender calf slaughtered for a meal.
Abraham and Sarah prepared a tremendous feast when they normally would be napping for people they didn’t know.
Hospitality is a major Christian virtue. Throughout the entirety of the Scriptures it is presented as a virtue that we are to have. Hospitality is even one of the virtues that a pastor is supposed to have (1 Timothy 3:2, Titus 1:8). And this qualification, like the other qualifications, is there because it is a virtue that the church is supposed to aspire to have. And from the looks of things Abraham and Sarah have this virtue in abundance.
Things get a bit strange in our story at this point. The strangers are still unknown to Abraham and Sarah, but they begin to repeat God’s promise (Genesis 18:9-10). And they were told that in one year a son would be born to them (Genesis 18:10). I wonder if Abraham was starting to clue into the fact that he had been entertaining the Lord all along, but that would soon become obvious. And Sarah was listening to all of this from inside the tent (Genesis 18:10).
As Sarah listened to everything that was being said, she thought about her circumstances. Both her and Abraham are old. And she is past menopause and unable to have children (Genesis 18:11). And her response was laughter, not out loud, but to herself. And to herself she said,
“After I am worn out, and my lord is old. Shall I have pleasure?” (Genesis 18:13 ESV)
I don’t know about you, but her response makes me feel really sad.
This answer comes out of years of heartache and disappointment. She had likely hoped, longed for, and prayed for children since she was a very young woman. She was praying to false gods at that time, but she was likely praying for this to happen. This did not happen when she was young and both were able to have children. That is when her hope for this was strong, and it was supposed to happen. But now that she was old and worn out, would it happen now?
This is an answer that comes out of a life filled with disappointment and struggle. This is an eyeroll because the person has lived a hard life and they just think they know better. This is the cynical response of “we’ll see” to a promise from God.
To make matters worse, it had been 14 or so years since the promise had been made to them. She had probably gotten her hopes up back then only to have them fade away over the course of the last 14 or so years.
But you should notice something here. Sarah is still a model of virtue in this moment, for she submitted herself to her husband even calling him “lord” (Genesis 18:12). Peter uses this moment as a teaching moment for wives in 1 Peter 3.
“Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct. Do not let your adorning be external–the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear– but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening.” (1 Peter 3:1-6 ESV)
Sarah has been incredibly good along with Abraham in showing hospitality to these that they thought were strangers. And her conduct toward her husband is exemplary. But she did all of this with a spirit of disbelief in God’s promise.
And that brings us to the thrust of this message and main part of our text today. God was displeased with her unbelief.
“The LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.” But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid. He said, “No, but you did laugh.”” (Genesis 18:13-15 ESV)
God fully revealed Himself to Abraham and Sarah at this moment. But it was a moment that probably caused some fear. It was in the middle of a firm rebuke.
Remember, Sarah had laughed and spoken her doubts to herself. Abraham hadn’t heard this. And Sarah didn’t think anyone heard this. So, Sarah’s denial wasn’t a total lie. It was not something that was done out loud. But God knew the thoughts that went on deep within her. And God knows what you are thinking in this moment as well. No amount of arguing could save Sarah in this moment. God knew. And God knows what is going on within you at this very moment.
Some of you might be here struggling to think that God could get you into Heaven one day or that you’ll be able to be with Him for eternity. You think that your sins or your depravity are too great and that the finished work of Christ is somehow not enough for you.
But here’s the thing. God has promised that all who turn from ruling their own lives and entrust their selves to Him will be redeemed. All your sins are paid for on the cross. And you are clothed in the righteousness of Christ. Christian, trust the promise of God. We displease God when we think that our past sins are stronger than His promise.
Some of you are possibly struggling amid the toils of this life. And you doubt God’s goodness amid the toil. You doubt that God is with you and for you. Finances are difficult. You can barely make ends meet. And this economy is not making matters any easier. We displease God when we think that our present circumstances are stronger than His promise.
Some of you are possibly struggling amid life’s circumstances. Illness or even death of a loved one has you doubting the goodness of God and His presence in your life. We displease God when we think that illness and death are stronger than God’s promise.
And some of you here today might be more like Sarah then you are comfortable to admit. You labor and labor and labor doing all the right things. But you’re just doing it all in your own strength because you’re not doing it as you trust God’s promises.
Here’s what we need to do, especially when we are struggling in this way. We need to understand that God can do all things and He keeps His promises.
God Can Do All Things And Will Keep His Promises (Genesis 18:14)
God’s response to Sarah was for her to look at who He is.
“Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.”” (Genesis 18:14 ESV)
God is omnipotent. He can do for her everything that He has promised to do. Because God knows all and is all powerful, He can and will keep His promises. As A.W. Pink put it,
“One of two things causes a man to change his mind and reverse his plans: want of foresight to anticipate everything, or lack of power to execute them. But as God is both omniscient and omnipotent there is never any need for Him to reverse His decrees. No, “The counsel of the Lord standeth forever, the thoughts of His heart to all generations.” (Ps. 33:11).”-A.W. Pink, “The Attributes of God”, Baker Books, 2009, p. 48.
What God has promised He will do. And we are to rest upon those promises.
When you doubt whether God could save a wretch like yourself, what is the cure? It’s not to become a better person. It’s not to take a vow of poverty. It’s not to conjure up something within yourself. It’s to rest in the promise that God has given to us in Christ. It’s to look upon the slain Son of God and see that you are forgiven in the finished work of Christ. And it’s to look upon that empty tomb and see that you will be raised with Him for all eternity.
If the toils of this life are difficult right now. We must proceed understanding that God loves us and cares for us. Sometimes the toils of this life are our own fault and sometimes they are not. Or, sometimes they are a mix of both. Whatever the case may be, we trust that God is working all things together for our good (Romans 8:28). And why do we trust that? Because God promised it and He keeps His promises. There is no struggle in this life that is stronger than God.
If illness, sickness, and death are currently causing you to doubt the goodness of God. But it is not true. As Paul said,
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28 ESV)
Somehow, in ways that we may not possibly be able to understand, God is working all these things together for our good. There is no illness, sickness, or even death itself that is stronger than the Lord.
And all of these things call us to lean upon the great and many promises that God has given us concerning the life to come. If you are His, then you have a glorious future to look forward to and hold on to amid all of life’s struggles.
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”” (Revelation 21:1-4 ESV)
Because of what Christ accomplished on our behalf, we have this great and glorious hope to look forward to. When the tide of life’s struggles nearly overwhelm us, this is the shore that will most assuredly be ours. God will bring us safely to that shore and it will be ours forevermore.
Conclusion
All of us came in here today with different struggles bearing down on us. Some of us came in here with many struggles bearing down on us. As I thought threw how to apply this sermon today, the possibilities were incalculable. There are many things that could be weighing you down today.
Whatever it is that is going on today, honor the Lord by trusting His promises.
R. Dwain Minor