Our scripture. Reading today is Genesis. 21
verses one through 7. Now the Lord was gracious to
Sarah, as he had said. And the Lord.
Did for Sarah. What he had promised.
Sarah became pregnant and bore him, bore a son.
To Abraham in his. Old age at the.
Very time God had promised him Abraham.
Gave the name Isaac to the son Sarah bore him.
When his son Isaac. Was eight days old.
Abraham circumcised him as. God commanded him.
Abraham was 100 years old. When his son Isaac was born to
him. Sarah said God has brought me
laughter and everyone who hears about this will laugh.
With me and she. Added.
Who would have said to? Abraham.
That Sarah would nurse children. Yet I have borne him a son.
In his old age. May the Lord add his.
Blessing to the reading and. Hearing of His Word, God can be.
Funny sometimes, God can be funny sometimes and and.
Here in Genesis chapter. 21 We. See Sarah laughing with delight.
We're going to see another instance in which Sarah was
laughing. At what God has done, God can be
funny. But that begs.
The question. Does that mean funny?
Strange or funny? Ha ha.
And I think the. Answer to that question is a
firm yes. It means both funny, strange and
funny. Ha ha.
Sometimes God can just fill us through what he does with just,
you know, gut. Pounding.
Joy Belly laughs Just. Such a tremendous love.
And excitement and enjoyment for where we are that we can't help
but laugh. God can do that.
And God does do. That but God can also be
bafflingly strange in a way that sometimes we.
Just have to shake our head and laugh.
And say I don't get it. But that's God.
Let's take a look at that. So funny, Strange.
God's promise to Abraham and Sarah.
In Genesis 18. Was funny, strange.
Let's review that one. Abraham and Sarah were both very
old by this time. Very old meaning Abraham was
about. 99 and. Sarah was about 84.
OK, that's very old. If anyone is in that range right
now, I don't. Intend to be insulting.
That's just reality. I'm well past childbearing.
Years. So we're very old by this time,
and Sarah was long past the age of having children, so she
laughed silently to herself. And said how well.
Laughed so the the setting here is visitors have come to visit
Abraham, God and angels coming to appear to.
Them and in human. Form and one of the things that
God says at this point is this time next year Abraham Sarah's
going to bear you a son so that's what's Sarah's responding
to that promise from God she laughed silently to herself and
said how could a worn out woman like.
Me. Enjoy such pleasure.
And yes, that's what she's talking about.
And the pleasure. Of making a baby.
Especially when my master. I could have sworn I took that
master out on on the slides and that was there on Chester's.
Maybe it was just new beginnings I took it out on.
Y'all, I'm not dealing with the. Fact that Sarah calls her
husband her Master. You don't talk about that
amongst yourselves when you get home.
That's beyond the. Scope of the sermon today,
especially when my master, my husband is also so.
Old how? How could this?
Happen and and. Sarah's laugh here.
Is not the joy. Of hope, it's the This is absurd
and ridiculous. God's been making this.
Promise for 15 years, 14 to 15. Years at this point.
God has said it over and over again.
She was past childbearing years when God first made the promise.
I am assuming they've been. Trying over the years and.
Nothing has happened And and and God.
Still has not fulfilled and now God comes back.
Yet. Again, to promise a baby.
And at this point, Sarah just thinks it's ridiculous.
And she laughs, she laughs. Quietly to herself, God hears,
'cause God hears everything God said.
Sarah, why did you laugh? Sarah said I didn't laugh.
God said yes, you did. I heard you laughed.
You laughed. But this time next year.
You're going to have a baby in your arms.
I promise it. God is strange sometimes.
God makes promises that don't seem to make any sense, that
seem to have no. Real hope of fulfillment.
And sometimes it's. Promises for and it's.
They they just go on and on and on and on and on.
It is not unreasonable. That Sarah laughed at this.
If you think I'm wrong, just imagine if an 80.
Five year. Old woman friend of.
Yours said hey, I had a dream last night.
God promised me I'm. Having a baby.
This year. Your response would not.
Be the joy of divine possibility.
Your response would be we need to get this person.
Some care. Because they probably shouldn't.
Be living alone anymore, right I mean that's.
The reasonable response to an 85 year old being told they're
going to. Have a baby next year, it's
just. Absurd.
It's just absurd. God can be strange like that.
God makes promises that seem like they might never come true.
Like Jesus 2000 years ago saying be right back 2000 years.
We're still waiting for Jesus. He hasn't.
Come right back. He hasn't come right back.
One of the things that atheists and other.
Critics of Christianity point out to as as.
Reasons why they don't. Believe are.
Some of the absurd. Promises that scripture.
Seems to make and does make and that.
Seem to be impossible to be fulfilled.
A dead man coming. Back to life, that.
Same dead man who? Came back to life who hasn't
been seen for 2000 years, Is going to come back someday.
Really, really, really going to wipe away every tear.
Really. God will never.
Leave you or forsake me really. I feel loved and forsaken.
Right now, people respond to those kinds of promises.
With skepticism because it's so. Strange and so weird.
Funny. Strange God can be funny.
Strange God can also be funny, ha ha.
We see that in Genesis chapter 21.
This is God being. Funny ha ha when he keeps his.
Promise to Sarah. And now here.
She is 85. Years old nursing a baby nursing
a. Baby a thing unheard.
Of a thing unknown, a thing impossible.
And yet. God has done it.
Let's look at that one again. Now the.
Lord was gracious to Sarah, as he had said.
And the. Lord did for Sarah what he had.
Promised and Sarah. Said God has brought me
laughter. And everyone who?
Hears about this, will laugh. With me.
Joy, God had had his. Strangeness made Sarah.
Laugh at a ridiculous. Promise his faithfulness.
Brought Sarah joy. Unimaginable.
Before.
Doing a thing that seemed impossible.
To. Everyone who'd heard about.
It. Everyone what did Sarah find?
How did she find? Where did she find so much joy
in all of this? Let's take a look.
Sarah had the joy of. Being a mother.
The joy of being a mother. Now I know.
Culture has. Changed substantially since
Sarah and Abraham's day and and and motherhood.
I still believe is is an important, valuable high.
Calling 1 of the. Highest callings that any person
can have. To be a mother.
To be a father, not everyone shares that, and I'm going to
talk about that today. But in Abraham and.
Sarah's Culture. You would.
Have been hard pressed to. Find anyone who didn't.
Share that that being a mother was a privilege was an honor was
a responsibility was. Almost a duty, maybe for some
folks. In fact, it was a duty and it
was a joy to be able to fulfill that.
Duty to bring a. Child in the world to.
Live out the command. Of God to be.
Fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.
To to fulfill your husband's desires to have heirs.
And descendants to. Carry on the.
Family and the legacy and the name and now.
Sarah had the joy of. Being a mother.
The Joy of. Creating a life inside of.
Her. Of sustaining that life with the
milk of her own body. The joy of being a mother.
Sarah had the joy of a lifelong desire come true.
Let's say lifelong. That's probably a little bit of
a stretch. I you know I don't.
Know if culture? Maybe.
I still have to think there was probably a time, even in Sarah's
culture, in which little girls thought boys were yucky.
And didn't want to have anything to do with.
Him, I got to think there was at least a period.
Of time like that. So maybe it wasn't until Sarah
got to be 10 or 12 that she really was like I.
Want a child I want a child, but all elements of culture and
religion encouraged that mentality.
I want to be a mom. I want to be a.
Child I have a responsibility to bear children.
I have a desire to bear children.
I have a. Dream of.
Bearing children, I will. Show my value.
And worth in the world and society and my family to my.
Friends to my husband. By bearing children.
And this was her desire, and she's 85 years old, and that
desire is unfulfilled. And she has no reasonable.
Hope or expectation that it ever could be fulfilled, the ship
has. Sailed the train has.
Left the station. The sun has.
Set there is no. Turning back the clock.
I am past my childbearing years, people.
In that day and. Age understood how the human
body worked in that way as much as we do they knew that women
reached a point when childbearing was impossible and.
Sarah had long since passed that point, but now?
She has a baby this. Lifelong desire this lifelong
sense of. Hope.
And yearning of. Of responsibility Of.
Of. Inadequacy.
And now she's. Adequate.
She's fulfilling. What she was meant to do and
meant to be. Her whole life.
The things. She had longed.
For had come true. And that brought her joy.
That brought her. Joy and Sarah.
Had the joy of. Being honored.
By those around her. Everyone who knows of.
This will laugh too. I'll be honored.
I'm no longer have to hide my head in shame as the woman, the
one woman that that's. Going to the well to draw water.
That couldn't have kids. That couldn't fulfill her
husband. 'S desires that couldn't provide
an air. That couldn't provide.
Faithful response to the Lord's command to be fruitful and
multiply. She almost certainly was
overwhelmed with feelings of an of inadequacy, of not being good
enough, of maybe not even being holy enough.
Maybe God was punishing. Maybe God was cursing.
Maybe God was rejecting. What is wrong with me?
The shame, the the humiliation, the inadequacy that she felt.
All gone. In fact, now quite the.
Opposite because she. Was doing something no woman had
ever done before. Having a child well after her
childbearing years were over. Nursing a child at 85 years old.
This was unheard of. This was impossible.
This is blessing from God. This is honor.
Unbelievable. Sarah has gone from being a
woman who would have been shamed and scorned and thought and.
Adequate by those. Around her to being one of the
most honored and respected women in human history.
And it all happened in nine short months.
And there she is, nursing that baby, honored by those around
her and. She had the joy.
Of being honored by people who knew her and loved her and and.
Had the joy of this is maybe even better part if you've ever
experienced this, being honored by the people that had scorned
and rejected her. And now they have to honor
because she's a living, walking, breathing miracle.
Of God, she had that joy. She had that joy.
There's a. Lot.
Of joy here, and that's. Why Sarah?
They named Isaac. That's the.
Name. The name Isaac means laughter.
They named their son. Laughter after all this laughter
that Sarah and others had had. To remind them.
Forever of the joy that God had. Brought into their lives.
But clarity and accuracy are. Absolutely essential here.
Because if we read this passage. Wrong that authentic.
Faithful Christianity gets completely derailed because at
first. Blush and at first.
Glance, it looks like this whole story affirms the woefully wrong
notion. That that.
I have heard preached. And taught in places.
Name it and claim it. Name what this thing that that
you want and just claim it in the name of Jesus.
And God will provide it for you. The IT completely undercuts the
false teaching that if I believe.
It I can achieve it. Or if you believe.
It you can achieve it. That's what it appears to say.
Sarah had this lifelong desire she she did her best to trust.
And be faithful to God and God. Gave her what she.
Had longed. For her whole life.
And if. We are faithful.
To God and we trust God, and we. Pray God will give us the
desires of our hearts too. And it all sounds very, very
biblical. And you can pull.
Verses and stories and passages out of context.
And try to make that argument but that.
Argument is doomed to failure because Jesus, our leader, the
Bible itself says that he was a man of.
Sorrows who experienced grief and if that's.
Our leader's life you can be sure that we are going to know
sorrow and. Grief in our lifetime.
Jesus himself said. You know not not.
Hey, come and follow me and I'll give you everything you want.
He said take up your cross and follow me.
Come and die with me. That's the.
Leader that we're following any expectation that that means
that. God is somehow promising.
To give us whatever. We want.
Is, is, is. Baseless and setting people up.
For a a a trajectory in the faith that is very, very.
Unbiblical and unfaithful. So what is the?
Point here. The point here is not.
Sarah having her hopes and dreams fulfilled, that was a
side effect of the point that's. Not the point of.
These passages, the point of these.
Passages the main thing is not the fulfillment of sarah's hopes
and dreams the main thing here is the faithfulness and.
Power of God that God did what God?
Said he was going to do even though.
For all outside perspectives, it was impossible.
God did what he. Said he was going to do.
That's why God included this passage in the Scriptures, so
that we can see one more example.
Of how God. Against all odds Against.
All possibility against. Everything we understand about
science and how the. World works.
God did what God said he would do.
He had the power to fulfill his. Promise.
And He has the faithfulness to fulfill His promise.
That's the main thing. That's the main thing here.
If God. Has promised it.
God will do it. Period. 2000 years since.
Jesus said be right back. Jesus said I'm coming back, I'm
coming back, Jesus is coming back.
I might be in 10 minutes from now.
It might be another 2000 years. None of us knows when but God.
Will fulfill his promise. I will never.
Leave you or forsake you? No matter what, we.
Feel. No matter what we might feel is
happening around us, no matter how forsaken we may feel, God
will never. Leave us or forsake us.
God has not brought any of us as individuals.
God has not brought his church. God has not.
Brought the world this. Far to abandon us now and
nothing. I will wipe away every tear, no
matter how hard and how the hurt was and how deep.
The heartache is. God can and will provide comfort
and healing. It might take longer than we
want, but God can do it. And God.
Will do it. Because God has promised it.
God has promised it. Come to me.
All you who labor. And are heavy laden and I will.
Give you rest. Take my yoke upon me and learn
from me, for my yoke is easy and my burden is.
Light God. God will give us rest.
God can give us rest. God will give us rest.
And God. Will give us.
All the strength we need. To bear any burden.
That he places upon us, if God has promised it.
God will do it. So what does that?
Mean for us? Where does that leave us?
In the midst. Of a world which looks at the
promises of God with that best. Skepticism and at worst, mocking
derision. How could anyone in the 20?
1st century be so. Foolish and so ignorant and so
primitive. As to believe stuff like this,
where does that leave? US1 is here.
To be. Open to the impossible, to trust
in God's promise even when it seems impossible and way
overdue. Now, as parents and grandparents
and people that function in society, we have another.
Tension here that we have to deal with.
Because one of the things. That I repeatedly had to say to
my. Kids and sometimes still do in
one way. Shape or form is let's be
realistic here, in your expectations.
Be realistic. It's important.
That we teach kids that the number.
I've worked with with children and youth my whole life.
The number of. Children and youth I have worked
with that we're going to grow up to be rock stars and
professional athletes. Extraordinary I.
Have yet to get. Tickets to anything from any of
them, and I don't want to ever step on anyone's dreams.
So one of the ways I say be realistic is hey.
That's a great dream. Keep working at it.
You're going to have to. Work really, really hard,
because that's a really hard dream.
You have to. Work really really hard.
You should have a Plan B in case you get injured in case
something doesn't work out. Have a.
Good, solid Plan B. Be ready to do other things
until that dream is. Fulfilled.
I don't like to step on. People's dreams.
But. Let's be honest, we have to be
realistic. And very few people make it into
the NFL or the NBA or on stage as a.
Rock star. At the same time, we have to
constantly train ourselves and the young people around us to be
open to the impossible. That when God says I will do
something. God will do it.
No matter how. Crazy and ridiculous.
And outlandish it seems. And part of that is when God
calls us to do something, that God wants us to step out and do
it, even if it looks impossible, even if it looks outlandish,
even if it looks. Crazy, even if it.
Looks like he can like God. I can't do that.
I don't have the skills, I don't have the money, I don't have the
connections, I don't have the influence.
I don't have any of the God I. How can I possibly?
God says just do it. Just.
Just take the next. Step each day.
Do the next thing in that direction, even if you think
it's impossible. I'm.
Calling you to do. This.
And to cultivate within ourselves and within the young
people around us this openness to the impossible, because very
often, God. Calls.
Us to things that seem ridiculous and impossible.
Because God is. Funny, strange that way.
And you go, what? God that no.
How God's like. Don't worry about the how.
The how is my responsibility. The walk in and out.
That's your responsibility. We have to.
Be open to the impossible or we will miss the call of God in our
lives. Far too often if we evaluate
whether God if that's God calling me to that if the test
for is God calling me to that if the test to.
Determine that is can I do it myself?
That's a bad. Test.
God. I mean, what's the point?
We don't need God if we can. Do it ourselves, God calls.
Us to the impossible. And we need to cultivate
openness to that impossible because a call.
To do thing is a promise that God will.
Support us through that. Now that doesn't mean everything
that God. Calls us to do ultimately
happens because often there are people.
Along the way around us in that. Call who aren't.
Doing what God has called them to do.
And so sometimes when we're faithfully following God's call,
it doesn't end in the hope and the dream and the vision that we
had at the beginning, because other people were not.
Faithful to God. Around that, that's why it's so
important for us to. Be faithful.
We don't. Want to put.
We don't want to. We don't want to be.
The the the. Stick and the spokes of someone
else. 'S call from God.
That keeps them from living it out and we certainly.
Don't want? To do that for.
Ourselves. Let's be faithful.
Open to the impossible, and then we can.
Be igniters of joy by giving the.
Gift of God's. Impossible things to other.
People impossible things like. Love like forgiveness, like
adequacy. Because here's the thing.
Sarah, I got to believe Sarah was.
Feeling unlovable, unforgiven and inadequate.
How could if God loved me, God would have given me a child.
And now it's too late. Maybe God loves me, but I'm
just, you know, I said this morning, Chester, I had.
Unreasonable expectations every. Christmas as a kid, true
believer growing up, Santa can make anything in his workshop.
Why can he make socks? But he can't seem to make a
television set for me. And someone said maybe we're on
the naughty list. Fair enough.
Maybe Sarah was thinking I'm on the naughty list.
God has the power, had the power, to give me a.
Child, but I I have not been good enough for God to give me a
child. And Sarah did some pretty rotten
things over the years. Or maybe.
She just felt utterly. Inadequate, the most basic thing
for a woman to do and the mindset of folks in that day and
age. Was have a baby.
And I can't even do that the first commandment given by God.
Be. Fruitful and multiply and I
can't even do that but we. As God's people with the power
of the Holy Spirit. Within us have the capacity and
the power by God to ignite joy and those who feel unlovable by
loving them, by loving them. Your parents didn't love you.
Your grand. Friends treat you bad, spouse
treat you bad. I will love you, we will love
you. God loves you and we're going to
prove God loves you because. We're going to love you.
Love you like nobody's business. Love you like you've.
Never been loved before. One thing you can count on from
us? Is that you're going to be loved
and. Bring joy into their life simply
by loving someone who thinks of themselves as unlovable.
By forgiving people and pronouncing God's forgiveness
for people who feel they are unforgivable, the wrong they've
done, the evil they've done, the hurt and the harm that they have
caused to people around them. And they are convinced it can
never be forgiven. Probably think it never should
be forgiven. And we come and we forgive them
anyway. We forgive them anyway in the
name of Jesus, say, yeah, I know it hurt, I know it was wrong.
I know you caused a lot of pain. Maybe you can work to undo some
of that, but you'll never be able to undo all of it.
But I forgive you. We forgive you.
I've sinned so much. If I'm not going to forgive you,
then God's not going to forgive me.
And I trust me, I need forgiveness.
And that's the gift that we can share, the impossibility of
forgiveness and adequacy. To say to folks.
In a world where an increasing number of people, particularly
young people, feel inadequate. To what life holds in store.
For them in the future. What do you mean I'm adequate?
I'm never going to make enough money to own a house.
I'm never going to make enough money to have a.
Kid and really take care of. It I'm never going to never.
How am I ever going to have enough money?
To pay for healthcare. And and what?
About all this global. Warming stuff?
And what about? All these wars that are out
there and all of this. Division and conflict in this
world? That seems so.
Full of chaos. And always on the.
Edge of of horrific. Painful destruction and there's
nothing I can do. About it, it's all.
Too big for me, I'm only. Just small.
And I can't. And to go to people that are
convinced that they can't and say but Jesus.
Says by his grace. You can do all things,
everything that God. Calls you to do.
God will give you the power to do.
How? Maybe.
Maybe God. Doesn't give you the body and
the power. And the strength to become a
professional athlete? Oh, there's a good chance that
isn't what God called. You to, but whatever.
God calls you to God will make you adequate for and you might
not be able to believe, but you just got to walk it out.
One of the. The best things my parents ever
told us is when we were young. If you wait until you think you
have enough money to have kids, you'll never have kids.
You wouldn't have the kids, have the kids you.
Got to step out. And we can give that gift to
people. We can say to them, I know you
think you can't, but you can. You can love, you can grow, you
can walk into the future. With hope.
Rather than dread with. Joy.
Rather than despair, and we can offer.
People that by the. Grace and the power of God that
is within us igniting joy in others Nelson Mandela I and I
spent I got AI had too much in the sermon and so I'm going to
be a little late for new beginnings here too.
Nelson Mandela, I think, is one of the.
Greatest examples in history. Of someone who.
Lived this out. Who had dreams and hopes and
expectations that took? Far longer to fulfill.
Than most. People would be.
Willing to wait patiently Nelson Mandela as a young man was an
activist fighting against the. Apartheid regime in South Africa
that left a very small white majority minority with with all
of the real. Power in the country and the
large. Black majority as second class.
Citizens in their own homeland. And he saw the injustice of it.
He saw the. Wrong of it.
He saw his people. Suffering and he was pushing
back against that and he went to.
Prison for it? He spent 27 years in prison,
most of that on I, I, I want to say Rob.
I cannot remember the name of the island.
It's a very, it's a very famous prison island that I in South
Africa and I can't think of the name of it and, and.
While he was there. He was abused and mistreated.
He was. He was kept in solitary
confinement. Often he was given a small.
Cell with a cold. Stone floor and nothing but a
thin mat to sleep on and a. Bucket for a toilet?
And less food than he needed. He was forced to work hard labor
in a limestone quarry without adequate protection that did
permanent damage to. His eyes and lungs and through
all of that. Through all of that.
He was determined to see his country transformed into a
democracy in which all. People, regardless of the color.
Of their skin. Could be treated with justice
and fairness and. Equality And so while he was in
prison, even when his guards were abusing him, he insisted on
treating his. Guards with dignity.
And respect. Even if prisoners.
Around him. Were hopeless in despair, he.
Taught. And he encouraged.
And he had mentored them and he spent 27 years doing that.
And it was said of Nelson Mandela, it's been said of him,
that he went into prison as an activist and he came.
Out of. Prison as a statesman.
This is what he had to say in his autobiography, A Long Walk
To. Freedom.
I never lost hope that this great transformation would
occur. Not only because of the great
heroes I have already sighted, but because of the courage of
the ordinary. Men and women of my country, I
always knew that. Deep.
Down in every heart. There is mercy and generosity.
No one is born. Hating another person because of
the color of his. Skin or his?
Background or his religion? People must learn to hate, and
if they can, learn to hate. They can be taught to love for
love. Comes naturally, more naturally
to the human heart than its opposite.
Did you know Nelson Mandela was a Methodist?
Do you know that he grew up in the Methodist Church in South
Africa, where he learned faith, where he learned this hope,
where he learned the. Power of God.
To do impossible things in and through his.
People who are faithful. As they follow him and Mandela
didn't talk. A lot explicitly about his
Christian. Faith, but you can.
See the way he. Lived it out, refusing to
return. Hate for hate.
But instead loving his enemies, refusing to turn indignity for
indignity, but treating his enemies with dignity, honoring
them more than they honored him, not leaving prison with a heart.
Filled with hatred. And a desire for retribution,
but living through prison and. Following prison with a heart.
Still seeking reconciliation and unity and justice, not just for
people that look like him, but for everyone in South Africa. 27
years, 27 years. That's longer than it took.
For God to fulfill His. Promise to Sarah and Abraham
God. God can be funny.
Sometimes bafflingly funny. Making impossible promises,
calling us to do things that look ridiculous, impossible.
Or or or absurd. Oh.
My God can bring great joy into our lives now.
Again, we got to be clear. Don't sign on to follow.
Jesus for the laughs. Jesus is a man of sorrow,
acquainted with grief, and he says we.
Will suffer as he. Suffered in this life but along
the. Way we will.
Have these moments like Sarah had, of just unimaginable joy?
As we. See and experience impossible
things around us, things like someone who never.
Thought they could be. Loved experiencing love like
someone who never thought they could be forgiven, being
forgiven like someone who thought they were never adequate
to the task, learning that by the grace and power of God they
are adequate and we can be part of that and sharing that joy
together in Jesus name, Amen.