From The Pastor

• 09/21/2010 10:42

  Great Verses For Our Application #2 - Genesis 18:14

  This week's text is from a conversation that God had with Abraham in regards to the promised heir, Isaac. In Genesis 15, God promised Abraham an heir from his own body, through which God would produce a people, the children of Israel, in which He would send His own Son, the Lord Jesus Christ to be the sacrifice for sin. By the time we come to chapter 18, we find Abraham at the age of 100 and Sarah, his wife at 90. The promise given by God many years earlier had not been rescinded despite the advanced age of this couple. Abraham and Sarah had already tried "to help out God" by devising the plan to bring about Ishmael some years earlier. One has to wonder whether Abraham and Sarah still gave any thought to an heir from their bodies. It seems from Genesis 18, that perhaps they had not. God's conversation with Abraham begins in Genesis 18:9, by simply asking where Sarah was. In verse 10, the Lord reiterates His promise to provide an heir through Sarah. He does so by using two declaritive statements; "I will certainly" and "Sarah thy wife shall have a son". From verse 9, we see that Sarah heard this promise from the tent door and in verse 10 we are told that Abraham and Sarah physically, were well beyond child bearing age. In verse 12, we begin to see the doubt in Sarah's heart as she "laughed within herself". She goes on to say, "After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also"? It appears as if the promise given by God had become an afterthought in their advanced years. From verse 13, we see the the all-knowing God questioning Abraham in regards to the inner laughter and quiet questioning of Sarah, "Wherefore did Sarah laugh"? The Lord heard the inner laugh even though no one else did. This question from God shows us that what Sarah thought was funny was not humorous to the Lord. The laughter and question to follow was a direct doubt of the power of God. What God intended as a serious statement of His faithfulness and power was humorous to Sarah.

   

  Multitudes are still treating God's serious statements in the Bible as humorous. When God tells us that we can have salvation by repenting of sin and trusting in Christ alone, many find it humorous to think that salvation cannot be earned or worked for. When God tells us that we can know for sure that Heaven can be our home, multitudes find it humorous believing that Heaven can only ever be hoped for through good works. Sarah laughed and the Lord lamented to Abraham. With that background we now come to our main text, verse 14 - "Is anything too hard for the Lord"? This wonderful question from God should serve as a comforting truth for all people. In this context, God is basically stating that for Him to produce a child into the womb of a woman long considered dead was not at all hard. Without the intervention of God this would be impossible. A child born from the bodies of these saints would be seen as nothing less than a miracle from God. As verse 14 culminates we see the certainty of God's resolve - "I will return" and "Sarah shall have a son". I'm glad that we have a God that doesn't "beat around the bush". God always tells us authoritatively what He can and will do. In application of verse 14, let us always refer to this question in any area that we begin to doubt.

   

  What are some of the "anythings" in your life that are not too hard for the Lord? Is it too hard for God to save your unsaved loved ones? Is it too hard for God to meet your daily needs? Is it too hard for God to comfort you in times of great grief? Is it too hard for the Lord to equip you for service once He has called you? Is it too hard for God to give you the desires of your heart as long as it agrees with His will? Is it too hard for the Lord to fulfill His will for your life? Is it too hard for the Lord to bring peace in your heart in the midst of the world's upheavals? Is anything too hard for the Lord? The answer is no. If God could easily bring to life the dead womb of Sarah, He can easily handle the "anythings" in our lives. When you are faced with that which seems impossible, place it into the hand of God and ask this same question as a statement of your trust in our all-powerful God. "Is anything too hard for the Lord"? If you really believe this about God, then nothing in life will draw laughter when it is placed into the hand of God.

   

  Striving for the Savior, 

  Pastor George Yurick