[0:00] Genesis chapter 11. This morning is Mother's Day, and the last two weeks we've been studying Abraham, the father of faith, and his wife Sarah, and her name originally was Sarai, coming here right from this passage in Genesis 11, the first time she's mentioned.
[0:24] And we've studied the faith of Abraham and walking in the steps of the father of faith, and we've studied even last week the example of faith, or rather examining their faith in a more deeper way and noticing that faith is substance, it is evidence, and Abraham and his wife Sarah really showed us some things that are practical and are things that we need to get into in our lives.
[0:53] I might want to mention this as well. I've been thinking on this. I wanted to announce it. All the sermons in the Sunday school and the Wednesday night studies are uploaded to BibleBaptistBBCSilmar.com, and if you have not been able to come out or if you've missed certain portions of a study, get online and check it out and listen to it, get caught up.
[1:14] In Sunday school we're studying convictions, and we're probably about two-thirds of the way through that study, and it's a good study. It's helpful, I promise you. If you haven't heard of anything of it yet, it's going to be helpful to you.
[1:27] But I wanted to pitch this as well. On Wednesday nights we started a study about four weeks ago called The Pure Words of the King James Bible, and we've been going through some things about this holy book right here and trying to point out some things that will help you to defend it, also give you some perspective on it where everybody attacks it, and give you some ammunition to be able to defend the case and the truth of it being the words of God.
[1:51] I've also given you, trying to give you some comparisons, showing you last Sunday did some of that in a little bit of extent to show you what the new versions claim and then what the truth is.
[2:01] On black and white, from their own, you know, you can open it up and look at it. And it's not just me trying to attack them, it's rather saying they make this claim and then here's the truth. And it doesn't add up.
[2:13] And so it's been a good study, and if it's something you're not fully familiar with, it'll be enlightening to you, I promise you that. So, all right, back here to Genesis. And speaking of Abraham's wife, Sarah, she's introduced here in chapter 11, and I want to point something out here.
[2:29] In verse number 29, she's mentioned by name as being Abraham's wife. The name of Abraham's wife was Sarai. And then in verse 30, it can't move on.
[2:40] I mean, it doesn't talk about anybody else, but in verse 30, it throws this on top of it, but Sarai was barren. She had no child. And so we're introduced to this woman as a wife of Abraham being barren without child.
[2:53] And I think it's setting us up to show a work of God down the road. I'm sure that's why that's been put in there. I want us to just get a, I want to get somewhere with this woman here later in life.
[3:05] But before that, I want to set the stage and just show what the Bible reveals about her. A few things. First of all, it very explicitly declares she was barren. No child, not possible.
[3:17] All right. Even the Apostle Paul uses the term the deadness of Sarah's womb later in the scriptures. All right. There's something else though about her. Look at chapter 12. And there's something else we need to know is that she was a good looking woman.
[3:31] She was. Verse 11 says, It came to pass when he was come near to enter into Egypt that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon.
[3:42] And I'm afraid when the Egyptians see you, they're going to take you. And so you tell them, They're going to kill me and take you. And he was just a coward about his wife. There's more than just that.
[3:53] Look a little bit later at verse 14. It came to pass that when Abraham was coming to Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair. And she's such a good looking woman that she was very fair.
[4:08] Look what it says in verse 15. The princes also of Pharaoh saw her and commended her before Pharaoh. And the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house. You don't give Pharaoh second place.
[4:21] Right? You don't give her the one that's left over. They saw a woman coming into town and said, Whoa, she is beautiful. She is a good looking woman, a gorgeous woman.
[4:34] And Abraham said, I know you're fair to look upon. And I'm scared for my own life because of your beauty. And he knew the Egyptians, I suppose, and their practices. And then he also, when they did come to town, it says it, they said she was very fair.
[4:50] And so much so that they took her and commended her to Pharaoh. She must have been very attractive. But I also think, and I'm not trying to cast stones upon her, but her beauty attracted the wrong kind of attention.
[5:03] It attracted not just Pharaoh here, but attention attracted another king later on as well. Okay, so she's barren. She's beautiful. And she's also rich.
[5:16] Look at chapter 13 and verse number 6. Speaking of Abraham, Abram and his nephew Lot. In verse, I'll start in 5. Lot also, which went with Abram, had flocks and herds and tents.
[5:27] And the land was not able to bear them that they might dwell together, for their substance was great so that they could not dwell together. Flip over to chapter 14. And verse number 14.
[5:38] This is speaking of Abraham's substance. When his nephew Lot gets in a bind, Abraham shows up to his rescue. In verse 14, when Abraham heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, 318, and pursued them as Dan, unto Dan.
[5:59] He had how many? Not just servants, but servants that were trained to fight in war. 318. He had a mini army himself. I'm trying to let you see the extent of this man's substance and wealth.
[6:13] It was incredibly great. Look, tell you what, fast forward a little bit to chapter 24. And here's another little nugget. Abraham doesn't have a child.
[6:26] Or I mean, sorry, after he has a child, he wants to find a wife for his son Isaac. And so he sends his servant, his eldest servant, to another land to get a wife for his son.
[6:37] And ends up getting Rebecca out of all of this. And notice as this servant finds Rebecca, he gives her some gifts. And in verse number 30, Genesis 24, 30, it came to pass, this is Laban, when he saw the earring and bracelets upon his sister's hands.
[6:53] And when he heard the words of Rebecca's sister saying, let's say it's the man, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. What's he see? He sees jewelry, gifts, bracelets, earrings. The servant traveled and found this woman and gave her these gifts.
[7:05] Not just that. Look at verse 35. He talks about how great his master is. He's speaking to Laban and his mother. It says in verse 35, I have the Lord had blessed my master greatly.
[7:17] He has become great. And he hath given him flocks and herds and silver and gold and menservants and maidservants and camels and asses. I mean, the man has everything. He's got it made.
[7:29] But his son doesn't have a wife. He needs a wife for his son. Okay, now move a little bit further. In this same scene here, this servant starts giving out gifts, more gifts to Rebecca.
[7:39] In verse number 53, the servant brought forth jewels of silver and jewels of gold and raiment and gave them to Rebecca. He gave also to her brother and to her mother precious things.
[7:51] Now, I'm talking really about Sarai, his wife, but just trying to give you these little glimpses of the wealth and substance of Abraham. And when he sends his servant to find a woman, he's just dumping jewelry and gold and silver on this girl.
[8:05] You notice that it says that when she came back from watering the camels, and I don't have time to talk about the whole story, but when she gets back, he's like, whoa, what do you see? He saw the jewelry.
[8:16] He saw the gold. He's like, what is this about? Where'd you get that? This is a wealthy, wealthy man. And guess what Sarah is? His wife is wealthy herself.
[8:28] I think she's a put-together woman. She doesn't have any children to deal with. She has a handmaid, Hagar. She has servants that will obey her every command. She's a well-to-do and a very well-off woman.
[8:41] I imagine, help me out. I mean, I hope I'm not crossing a line here, but I imagine that she's, she spends, takes some day trips all through the villages of the Canaanites shopping and coming home with some things and what she desires and some precious things and some good things and this and that.
[8:58] I mean, come on. You think she's just sitting there grinding corn? She's got servants for that. She doesn't do that work. She's too rich. She's a good-looking woman, a rich woman.
[9:11] Now, being rich, being beautiful, I bet she had personality as well. And I'm not, again, I'm not casting stones at her. I'm not trying to bring her down to some ungodly level, but I'm not saying she's a snob.
[9:26] I'm not saying she was nasty, but she was rich and she was very beautiful and rich, beautiful women. I mean, human nature hasn't changed.
[9:38] They're used to getting their way. They tell, come on, it's true. Okay. Look what she, and you know what? She's not afraid to speak her mind.
[9:49] Look at chapter 16. Don't get too distracted with this because we're going somewhere. Genesis chapter 16, verse number one. Now Sarai, Abraham's wife, bare him no children.
[10:01] And she had a handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. And Sarah said unto Abraham, Behold now, the Lord hath restrained me from bearing. I pray thee, go and unto my maid, it may be that I may obtain children by her.
[10:12] And Abraham hearkened, hearkened to the voice of Sarai. God did not promise a seed to come from her handmaid. He promised, and it's going to come very clearly in a few chapters, that his seed was going to come through his wife.
[10:27] Now, to this date, maybe the promise wasn't articulated clearly of who and where and what, but it was Sarai's idea to hatch this plan, to go through with this.
[10:41] I want a baby, is what she told her husband. And so she devised a plan to use her handmaid as in surrogate. And it backfired. And you know what she does? She blames her husband.
[10:52] In verse 5, Sarai said to Abraham, My wrong be upon thee. It's your fault. I have given my maid into thy bosom, and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes.
[11:04] The Lord judged between me and thee. It's all your fault, Abraham. All of it's yours. She's not afraid to speak her mind, is she? You know what? She's kind of mouthy with her husband, as a matter of fact, saying, My wrong be upon thee.
[11:19] And again, I'm not trying to really throw her under the bus fully here, but I'm showing you she's got some personality. You can say it that way. Look at chapter 18. Chapter 18.
[11:31] And here's where God and two angels, the Lord appeared unto him. And so she's preparing a meal here for them, and there's others involved.
[11:41] The servant's getting this calf and dressing it, and he, in verse 8, butter and milk, and the calf which he had dressed set before them. And so these men are eating, and the Lord says something to him here about, in verse number 10, Sarah thy wife shall have a son.
[11:58] And she heard it. In verse 10, at the end it says, She heard it in the tent door which was behind him. So she's not in the conversation, but she's overhearing the words of God to Abraham. And she laughed in verse 12 within herself about this, saying, Am I, after I'm waxed old, shall I have pleasure?
[12:16] Am I, Lord, being old also? And look at the Lord's response. This is the Lord said unto Abraham in verse 13, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I am sure to bear a child which I'm old? Is anything too hard for the Lord?
[12:28] And she will have a son, but look at verse 15. Look at Sarah. Is there a personality coming out? She denied, saying, I laugh not. You rebuking the Lord, Sarah? Speaking up to the Lord?
[12:40] You already brained your husband, saying it's your fault. Now you're going to tell the Lord? No, I didn't do that. Meek and quiet spirit, huh? Submissive woman, huh? I'm not, again, I'm just showing you a few things.
[12:53] I'm just pointing out she's rich, she's beautiful, she's barren, and she's also got some personality, not afraid to speak her mind. She's not afraid to speak her mind. She's also misled, or she participated in chapter 12, misleading and deceiving Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and in chapter 20, of misleading and deceiving Abimelech, king of Gerar, about being Abraham's sister, which was in a technical sense true, but not completely his sister, only half.
[13:31] And in verse 20, or chapter 20, look at verse 16, I don't have time to discuss the scene here, but when it's all said and done, she can blame Abraham, say this was his idea, he told me to say it, all of that, but the king reproves Sarah.
[13:46] In verse 16, and unto Sarah he said, behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver, he calls Abraham her brother. I think he's like putting a little dig in there, because they lied about this, instead of saying it's your husband, I give thy brother a thousand pieces of silver, behold, he is to thee a covering of the eyes, unto all that are with thee, and with all other, thus she was reproved.
[14:12] Now in this case, and I don't, I'm speculating a little bit here, but talking about, you have to go to the New Testament, see some passages about a covering, and the woman being of the man, and some of these things, I think that Sarah, being wealthy, being very attractive, being the woman that she was, no children, her own woman perhaps, used to getting her way, and doing it her way, or just those kind of things, I can see them coming into town, and they take note to her, she comes into town, and she's the one that catches everybody's eye, and when she gets reproved, it's saying, no your husband, your head, is a covering for you, and she's probably, I'm not saying she was, you know, in first place, and saying come along Abraham, but at any rate, she was drawing off and all out of attention, when her head should have gotten that attention, she gets reproved by the king here, and she's guilty, now she's, she's barren, she's beautiful, she's even bitter toward her husband, in a few things, but come to chapter 17 now, and I want to point out something God says, we're going to set this up, and then it's going to go quickly, chapter 17, and verse number 15, and 16, and God said unto Abraham, as for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her Sarai, but Sarah, but Sarah, shall her name be, and I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her, yea,
[15:43] I will bless her, and she shall be a mother, of nations, kings of people, shall be of her, Sarah's going to be the mother of nations, God says, anybody else in this Bible, said that she's going to be a mother of nations, there's a few things to note here, about Sarah, in moving forward, and you can turn now to chapter 21, where we're going to be, we're going to start here now, we've learned what we could about Sarah, Sarai changed, God changed her name to Sarah, and something changes, something turns, she has a son, and I'm going to show you this change, and give some application here, that you probably wouldn't expect, but it's in the Bible, praise the Lord, there's more to her story, she's mentioned in first Peter, for her subjection, she's mentioned as we've read recently, in Hebrews chapter 11, for her faith, and here in chapter 21, I want to begin reading here, when she becomes a mother, and I was reading this, coming through Genesis,
[16:45] I just finished my Bible, I started back over in Genesis, and I was planning, I thought in my mind, I got a message, I'm going to preach about, something or other for Mother's Day, and I sat down to read, and in the first two verses, Sarah became a mother, and it just felt like, hmm, I think I need to park here, and so I dug in for hours, into the Genesis story of Sarah, and I want to try to preach a message to you, and the message I'm going to call this, is Sarah, the mother of the new man, and I'll make the application, as you'll see as we go, verse number one, the Lord visited Sarah, as he had said, and the Lord said unto Sarah, and the Lord did unto Sarah, as he had spoken, for Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son, in his old age, at the set time, of which God had spoken to him, and Abraham called the name of his son, that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac, and Abraham circumcised his son, Isaac, being eight days old, as God had commanded him, and Abraham was a hundred years old, when his son Isaac, was born unto him, and Sarah said,
[17:46] God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear, will laugh with me, and she said, who would have said unto Abraham, that Sarah, should have given children suck, for I have born him a son, in his old age, and the child grew, and was weaned, and Abraham made a great feast, the same day, that Isaac was weaned, first thing I want us to see here, is that Sarah, as a mother, she's now a mother, a new mother, as a mother, she's a testament, to the faithfulness, to the ability, of almighty God, understand Sarah had, it all, as a woman, in this world, she had everything, well, everything but one thing, and that one thing hurt, all the money, all the freedom, all the shopping, it just still left a vacancy, inside of her heart, and inside of her life, and it was not fulfilled, and she wasn't fulfilled, and she even mentioned it, shall I have pleasure, in my old age, like I'm done, it's over, my life's done, and now you're going to give me, a child, and this void, in her life, created tension, in her home, it created some tension, as we've seen, with her own husband, her trying to figure out, another way, and make this thing work,
[19:02] I want to have a baby, how about, this is my surrogate, it'll be my child, and I'll raise it, and then it just created, a problem in the home, and it even burned, some bridges with others, it ruined relationships, but back in Hebrews chapter 11, we've read it the last two weeks, through faith, Sarah also herself, received strength, to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child, when she was past age, notice, because she judged him faithful, who had promised, now Sarah is, she's a testament, to the ability, and the faithfulness of God, but it didn't start that way, it didn't start in faith, it started in laughter, it started in disbelief, of the word of God, it started in rebuke, of the Lord, but something happened, her body revived, in her old age, her body showed signs, of life, a baby began to grow, in her womb, and she said, this is really happening, I'm gonna have a child, she could feel it, it was happening, day after day, and the Bible says, that she judged him faithful, who had promised, she judged, she judged, like a judge, she weighed the evidence, and realized, he is faithful, that promised, and Sarah, as a mother, delivering this son, in her old age, which is a testament, to the ability, and to the faithfulness, of God, in verse number six, notice this, what Sarah says,
[20:36] God hath made me, to laugh, so that all that hear, will laugh with me, now Sarah's rejoicing, having given birth, to a son, she's rejoicing, in this son, whom she loves, with all of her heart, surely, and all that hear, will laugh with me, this is exciting stuff, a miracle, of an old woman, who ceased to be, with her, after the manner of women, she was well stricken, in years, for an old woman, to bring forth a child, it had to be exciting stuff, miracle, no doubt, I think though, when she says that, she's recalling something, God hath made me, to laugh, she brings that word, laughter, and I guarantee, when you read that, you remember, remember that tent, door back there, remember when she laughed, in disbelief, thinking she, that it wasn't possible, but she says, God hath made me, to laugh, I think she's admitting, her unbelief, a little play on words there, and this is acknowledging, overall the ability, because this was impossible, but acknowledging, the faithfulness, and the ability of God, and so she gives God, the glory, in verse six, for this precious gift, the Bible says, in Psalm 127, verse three, low children, are in heritage, of the Lord, and the fruit of the room, is his reward, it's a gift of God, in verse number seven, she said, who would have said, unto Abraham, that Sarah, should have given children, suck, who would have ever thought, nobody, nobody, that's the answer, well, except for the person, who did say it, and that's God almighty, there's only one, that did say it, no one, no one, on the face of the earth, would have said, that that would happen, in Sarah, and Abraham's life,
[22:22] Sarah, as a mother, giving birth to her son, as a testimony, a testament, to the ability, and to the faithfulness, of God, now this point here, is not just to the mothers, in here at all, I want everybody, in here, who has professed, Jesus Christ, as their savior, to realize, and to remember, that when you were dead, in trespasses, and sins, on the inside, much like Sarah's womb, when you were dead, it took a work of God, a work that only God, could do, to put eternal life, to place his seed, in you, first John chapter three, says that his seed, remaineth in you, that's the eternal life, of God, who would have, thought that, that God would, put life inside, such a dead thing, as your flesh, and your uncleanness, of your spirit, and then some of you, like verse seven, who would have said, unto Abraham, who would have said it of you, who would have said, that you'd ever get saved, the people that, grew up with you, or knew you, and your pastor, your family, that knows you all too well, who would have said, that they'd ever get, their heart right with God, who would have said, that they'd ever be in church, on Sunday morning, who would have said, that they've read their Bible through, that they care about, the Lord Jesus Christ, that they're changed, who would have ever said, that about you, well if there's a miracle of God, if this Sarah, as a mother, because she's a mother here, in her old age, is a testament to the ability, and the faithfulness of God, and the same thing is true, a birth that took place, inside of you, is a testament to the ability, and to the faithfulness, of Almighty God, and you know what, your life, should proclaim to everybody, look at me, look at the change in me, look what's different about me, who would have said it, it has, it's the statement, that was made back there, in the tent, with God, nothing's impossible, that he would change, this sinner's heart, that he would turn me, from my sins, to reaching toward righteousness, and to have a desire, to walk with him,
[24:29] I preached a message, a while back, about redeeming the time, God by his grace, has allowed me, in my life, to redeem, some of those relationships, some of the time, that I destroyed, living in sin, God has allowed me, by living in righteousness, to have a testimony, that showed them, who would have thought, I know some people, they never would have thought, but their mouths dropped, when they drove by, saw me preaching on the street, they're like, what, I know a girl, I'm sure I told you this, in that message, that, that, making a visit in the hospital, and she was a nurse, in that hospital, and I went into the room, to visit this person, and there she was, and she's like, Toby, what are you doing here, shirt, tie, Bible, it blew her mind, that was, that was, that was a testament, of the faithfulness of God, that he could change, a sinner's heart, and turn him, toward righteousness, and Sarah, in her old age, became that testament,
[25:32] I wonder if your life, is testifying, if it's not, I should say this, if your life isn't testifying, of God's work, if it's not displaying, the miracle of salvation, you're wasting your life, you're wasting it, you're living like a dead man, that's what you're doing, you're living like that dead womb, if you're walking in the flesh, this is a really, a kind of a picture, of salvation here, of bringing forth, a birth, a miracle, like the new birth, death, but in this story, in time, conflict arises, and Sarah decides, that this home, that I'm making, with my husband, is not big enough, for these two boys, the first boy, Ishmael, born through the Egyptian, Hagar, and my son Isaac, and so you know what, this other boy, has got to go, he is not going to get, one thing that belongs, to my son, Sarah decides, and she's right, God backs her up on that, let's read that, in chapter 21, look now at verse number 9, through 12, in verse 9, and Sarah, when the son of Hagar, the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, or which, bleh, when Sarah saw, the son of Hagar, the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking, wherefore she said unto Abraham, cast out this bond woman, and her son, for the son of this bond woman, shall not be heir, with my son, even with Isaac, and the thing was very grievous, in Abraham's sight, because of his son, and God said unto Abraham, let it not be grievous, in thy sight, because of the lad, and because of thy bond woman, and all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice, for in Isaac, shall thy seed be called, now let's notice, something else about Sarah,
[27:17] Sarah now, as a mother, is going to give priority, to the work, and to the will of God, and this is going to picture, sanctification here, remember, this conflict, that's going on, within the home, is really of her own doing, it really is, it was her will, back in chapter 16, to have a baby, I gotta have a baby, Abraham, give me a baby, take my handmaid, and now there's problems, down the road, because of that, that work of the flesh, this is of her own doing, she once walked, and attempted to do things, after the flesh, but now she's a mother, now that miraculous work, of God has taken place, and she's attempting, to fix it, she's attempting, to rectify it, she's attempting, to remove that past, and that situation, the thing that stands, in the way of her son, getting what God, has promised him, in Galatians chapter 4, well you know, we can turn there, Galatians chapter 4, Paul uses this very scene, as an allegory, to teach us the difference, between the obeying, the works of the law, and exercising faith, in Jesus Christ, and the child, of the bond woman, is after the flesh, but the seed of promise,
[28:35] Isaac, represents eternal life, through Jesus Christ, the gift of God, notice in Galatians, we're going to be, in Galatians chapter 4, and I wanted to remind you, in verse number 9, we read that, Hagar was the Egyptian, Egyptian, and her son, was born to an Egyptian, now, from the, future land, God had already, told Abraham, back in chapter 15, that this people, this seed, is going to be, afflicted, in a land, that's not theirs, for 400 years, and he already prophesied, of this Egypt, and it represents, in your Bible, in typology, the world, and I want you, to realize, that the worldliness, that was in their home, that she wanted, to get out, really was her own fault, was when she was, living after the flesh, do you see, the parallel here, now, Galatians chapter 4, and verse 29, I want us, to understand, that, if we're going, to give priority, to the work of God, or to the new man, then the works, of the flesh, have got to go, this is what the Bible says,
[29:45] Paul says, about that, Ishmael, and Isaac relationship, he says, but as then, he that was born, after the flesh, persecuted him, that was born, after the spirit, even so it is now, and that's not just, literal, with the nations, persecuting, the Jew, but the allegory, is even so, just as true, look at chapter 5, and verse 16, this I say then, walk in the spirit, and ye shall not, fulfill the lust, of the flesh, for the flesh, lusteth against, the spirit, and the spirit, against the flesh, and these are contrary, the one to the other, so that you cannot, do the things, that you would, so the picture, gets pretty clear, with Paul's doctrine, and theology, that that, seed of the bond woman, is a type, or a work, of the flesh, and it shows us, that the decisions, that were made, in the past, decisions that were, made after the flesh, haunt, or afflict, or persecute, the work, of the spirit, they're contrary, to the spirit, and to the work, of God, to what God did, the miracle, of previous, point number one, come back, well you don't have, to come back, but we're going, to go back, to Genesis, but in Genesis 16, we're introduced, to Ishmael, that son, that other son, and the Bible says, he's a wild man, and it also says, in chapter 16, that he's always, going to dwell, among his brethren, even though, they cast him out, he's not going anywhere, the picture, of that flesh, is so strong, it's wild, it's out of control, and it never, fully gets out, you can never, get him, totally gone, it's always, it's always, going to be there, to haunt you, it's always, going to come back, to fight against you, it's always, going to try, to persecute you, or take something, that's yours, in the spirit,
[31:41] Sarah though, as the mother, now she's a mother, she gives the priority, to the work, and the will of God, she says, I messed up back then, but you know what, I got to get it out of here, I got to get it out, it's got to be cleaned, and purified, so that the new man, the promised seed, can have it all, can have full control, that's what she desired, and getting rid of him, notice this, we read it in chapter 21, getting rid of that son, that first son, was grievous, in the sight of Abraham, and you know what, it is grievous, to try to fight against, and get rid of the flesh, and put the old man down, and put off the old man, and put on the new, because you get so attached, just like Abraham did, this was never of the Lord, this working with this son, and this Hagar, was never of God, he hearkened to his wife, a work of the flesh, and now he's dealing with it, and he gets attached to it, to the boy, and it's hard for him, to put them off, and mistakes that you make in life, they don't go away easy, do they, they stick around, and they cause more problems, later on, and later on, and future relationships, get affected, because of your mistakes, but here's Sarah, this is a picture, of sanctification, as a mother, she wants to give priority, to the working, and the will of God, to what God is doing, in this home, now come to chapter 22, of Genesis, and here's a, an amazing, scary story,
[33:09] I want to read it, I want to make one point, make application, tell you a quick story, and then we're done, follow with me, even if you are familiar, with this, Genesis 22, I'll read the first 14 verses, of this, this terrible thing, God asked of Abraham, verse number one, it came to pass, after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, tempt, meaning, he tried him, in Hebrews 11, it says, Abraham, when he was tried, so this is a trial, of God, toward, he's testing, this man, and he, Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham, he said, behold here am I, here I am, and he said, take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah, and offer him there, for a burnt offering, upon one of the mountains, which I will tell thee of, and Abraham, rose up early, in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men, with him, and Isaac his son, and claved the wood, for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place, of which God had told him, then on the third day,
[34:19] Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off, and Abraham said unto his young men, abide ye here with the ass, and I and the lad, will go yonder, and worship, and come again to you, and Abraham took the wood, of the burnt offering, and he laid it upon Isaac his son, and he took the fire, in his hand, and a knife, and they went both of them together, and Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, my father, he said, here am I, my son, and he said, behold the fire, and the wood, but where is the lamb, for the burnt offering, and Abraham said, my son God, will provide himself a lamb, for a burnt offering, so they went both of them together, and they came to the place, which Abraham, which God had told him of, and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar, upon the wood, and Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife, to slay his son, and the angel of the Lord, called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham, and he said, here am I, and he said, lay not thine hand, upon the lad, neither do thou anything, unto him, for now I know, that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, from me, and Abraham lift up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him, a ram caught in a thicket, by the horns, and Abraham went, and took the ram, and offered him, for a burnt offering, in the stead of his son, and Abraham called the name, of the place Jehovah Jireh, as it is said to this day, in the mount of the Lord, it shall be seen, no mention of Sarah, we're focusing on Sarah, and in this incredible situation, and ultimate extreme trial, there's no mention of Sarah, even through the rest of the chapter, she's not mentioned once, the next time she shows up, is in 23, the first two verses, she's dead, it gives her death, and he's searching for a place, to bury his dead, in the rest of that chapter, so her story, in the Bible has been told, but what about this incredible, in this historic chapter, this ultimate test, of Abraham's obedience, and faith, where is Sarah, she's not mentioned, and you know what,
[36:17] I want to make a point here, I think that's a good thing, I think it's a real good thing, that Sarah's not mentioned, anywhere in this chapter, you say why is that, because it shows us, something about her, Sarah, though she is a mother, and though she loves Isaac, that son, just as dearly, as Abraham is said, to have loved him, in verse number two, and though she rejoiced, in him greatly, as we saw back, in chapter 21, she did not get in the way, of what God was doing, when he was dealing, with her son Abraham, she didn't get in the way, her concerns, her emotions, her feelings, are not voiced, in this chapter, she did not add, to the great burden, that it had to be, upon her husband Abraham, Abraham, and so in this, absence of Sarah, is a picture, of her subjection, and of her submission, this was between God, and Abraham, and so Sarah, his wife, stayed out of the way, amen, that is a huge, blessing, now, consider the contrast, you can lose your place here, and go to Job, go to Job, chapter 2, not every man, has it like this,
[37:32] Job chapter 2, if you know the story, of Job, he had sons, and daughters, he had servants, he had incredible wealth, and substance, sounds like Abraham, and Job, had so much, but all in one day, it was all taken away, from him, to where he, not only was all of his substance, and his children, taken away, and death, but there he is, in chapter 2, on his back, with boils, from head to toe, he has got Satan, persecuting him, hardcore, more than any man, to date, and then his wife, shows up, in verse number 9, then said his wife, unto him, dost thou still, retain thine integrity, curse God, and die, now, this is a rough thing, to say, and you have to, I take this, fully into account, that Job, lost everything, and so did his wife, Job lost his children, and so did his wife, and now she's, on the mourning side, just as well, seeing her husband, now in such a pitiful state, of boils, from head to toe, all of his wealth, taken, and stolen from him, he's not rich anymore, like he once was, and the loss, of children, just crucial, just burying, the two of them, and she's not, as strong as her husband, she's not able, to stand up, and take it, she's hurting, she's mourning, and she turns on God, and she turns on her husband, and says, curse God, and die, you still going, to be a righteous man, you still going, to retain your integrity, she's done with it, and she's out,
[39:14] Job, had a wife, that added, to his burden, now Job's, completely alone, and who's going, to show up next, three friends, who don't help, at all either, but his wife, instead of standing, by his side, and submitting, and being in subjection, to this, is from the hand of God, like Job said, in verse 10, she can't take it, and she adds to it, she voices her emotions, and her opinion, and she does get in the way, now the blessing, is where Abraham's wife, Sarah, stays out of the way, do you think, she wanted to give up her son, her only son, that she loved, with all her heart, in her old age, the joy, that came to her home, to her life, and the end of her days, do you think, she wanted to say goodbye, to that, but she stayed out of the way, surely, a mother's tendency, is to have feelings, and to express emotions, and to display them, and to even voice them, and voice their concerns, and opinions, and just not sit by idly, and perhaps even get involved, when it's not her place, to do so, and sometimes, when her head, is wrestling with God, and seeking his leading, and seeking to gain understanding, and obedience to the Lord, sometimes she can, cause a problem, by getting in the way, it's not easy, to stay out of the way, but it's right, and that's why, it's important for every woman, to have a personal relationship, with God, a personal one, where they can draw, their own strength from, and to be still, and to trust him, and to get understanding, of the situation from God,
[41:02] I told you, a few weeks ago, about as Abraham, left his country, and his father's house, and traveled to a land, that God would show him of, I told you a little bit of, gave you a little insight, into the dealings of God, with me personally, two years ago, and moving out here, and I just, I gave you a little glimpse, of just one place, where God showed me something, and did it from the Bible, and calmed some of my fears, and that was a, you know, that was a personal thing, it was real, and it was needed, it was the Lord, and I want to, just give a little bit more, hope my wife doesn't get, upset with this, put her on the spot here, a little bit this morning, but, when we were trying to, navigate, and understand, what God was doing, in our lives, and in our family, and in ministry, and service, and just trying to understand, as things were happening, I came home, from a trip out here, as one of the, maybe the first one, and there was a note, and a box of chocolates, sitting on my dresser, where she wrote this, she said,
[42:08] I know you got a big decision to make, and I want you to know, that I'm behind you, and I know that you want to do, what the Lord says is right, and, that was, that was, I can't express, how big that was to me, it wasn't like, oh she's okay with it, praise the Lord, now we're going to go, but what it was, was, it just removed, that out of the equation, that fear like, what about my wife, which, how's she going to deal, with all of this, what about my kids, how, all of these things, it just took that one, that burden, and just set it aside, and then I could just focus on, God, what do you want me to do here, and that was a huge blessing, what she did was, she said, I'm just going to stay out of the way, and let you and God, figure this thing out, and I'll trust, that you make the right choice, you know that, Sarah, as a mother, in this passage, we've read as a testament, to the ability, and the faithfulness of God, and that new birth, pictures that new man, in the deadness of her womb, you in the deadness of your sins, and a work of God, a miracle of salvation, where there was no life, and he puts life, and that's the promised seed, the Bible says, that God, that in hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot not, promised, before the world began, he promised, to give eternal life, to everyone, that will get in his son, and trust Christ, as their savior, and he did it,
[43:36] Sarah, as a mother, is a testament, Sarah, now a mother, gives priority, to the work of God, it pictures that sanctification, she's choosing, to set aside, the works of the flesh, and the mistakes of the past, and the things, that were in the home, that shouldn't have ever been in the home, they've got to go, because, we're going to walk with God here, we're going to follow, this promised seed, this new man, we're going to give him everything, all of attention, all everything of us, in our lives, is going to go to him, she pictures sanctification, and then finally, Sarah, though a mother, and though loving her son dearly, did not interfere, with God's dealings, with her husband, when it included, her only begotten, her only beloved son, let that picture, her subjection, to the will of God, and her submission, she's the mother, of the new man, and her actions, display a wonderful picture, a wonderful example, of what our walk of faith, in Christ Jesus, ought to look like, I wonder this morning, if you're walking, by that kind of faith,
[44:42] I wonder if you, you're like Sarah, there's those things, in your past, those works of the flesh, have gotten in, and it's even grievous, it's hard to get rid of, and that wild man, now exists, you can't get rid of him, he's just, he's always going to be there, I wonder though, are you putting effort, into the new man, are you making that distinction, saying you know what, this is the old man, and that's the new man, and God wants me, to focus on this one, and I'm going to take, striving steps, pursuing the will of God, in my life, it's his work, that he birthed in me, that's the one, that I'm going to follow, that's the one, I'm going to give, obedience toward, I wonder this morning, are you walking by faith, are you walking, after the flesh, or after the spirit, it's that simple, salvation, sanctification, and subjection, Sarah's a picture, you didn't think it was, but she's got a lot, going on back there, and that rich girl, that rich girl, that maybe had, that personality, and had things, going her way, and, and, had all those looks, and all that, beauty is vain, she had all that, going for her, by the end of her life, none of that mattered, there was a new man, a new focus, a new desire, and now she's in subjection, to her husband, she's quiet, she's out of the way, she has that meek, and quiet spirit, that first Peter, chapter three, he uses her, as an example, when he's preaching, about godly women, and how they ought to act, he's talking about Sarah, in that stage of life, this is not just a mother's, but this picture, really kind of hits all of us, let's bow our heads together, for prayer, father, lord as this example, was expressed, and displayed, from your words, lord may it have effect, in our hearts, may not just mothers, but each of us, that have been born, by the spirit of god, seek to walk, after that example, in being a pleasure, to you, in putting away, the works of the flesh, getting them out of the house, and out of our temple, and seeking, and striving, to put all our efforts, into the one, that's going to get, the inheritance, the new man, god how much, this really fits, and as a picture, of the new man, lord I pray, that you give the light, to those that need light, to give some wisdom, give some, just some understanding, to those that need it, this morning, and things that they're facing, may the words of this text, bear fruit in their life, thank you for this example, of how you changed this woman, and the miracle, that you produced, thank you for the miracle, of salvation, that you wrought within us, by dying on the cross, and paying for our sins, father may we, may we be in subjection, to your words, we pray this in Jesus name, amen, we're going to have, a moment here, to sing an invitation,
[47:38] I'm going to turn it over, brother Russ, and people, Dearceğin, see you next time,