Abraham: "I'm Too Old" Series

OUT OF WEAKNESS…STRENGTH - Abraham: “I’m Too Old”

Genesis 21:1-7 (p. 13) August 6, 2017

Introduction:

Friends are always so loving and helpful, aren’t they? LOL. After I had my heart attack a few weeks ago one of my best friends sent me this email that said, “You Know You’re Getting Old If…” And then had this list:

You and your teeth don’t sleep together.

You try to straighten out the wrinkles in your socks and discover you aren’t wearing any.

At the breakfast table you hear snap, crackle, pop and you’re not eating cereal.

Your back goes out but you stay home.

When you wake up looking like your driver’s license picture.

It takes two tries to get up from the couch.

When your idea of a night out is sitting on the patio.

When happy hour is a nap.

When you’re on vacation and your energy runs out before your money does.

When you say something to your kids that your mother said to you and you always hated it.

When all you want for your birthday is to not be reminded of your age.

When you step off a curb and look down one more time to make sure the street is still there.

Your idea of weight lifting is standing up.

It takes longer to rest than it did to get tired.

Your memory is shorter and your complaining lasts longer.

Your address book has mostly names that start with Dr.

You sit in a rocking chair and can’t get it going.

The pharmacist has become your new best friend.

Getting lucky means you found your car in the parking lot.

The twinkle in your eye is only a reflection from the sun on your bifocals.

The iron in your blood turns to lead in your pants.

It takes twice as long to look half as good.

Everything hurts and what doesn’t hurt doesn’t work.

You get two invitations to go out on the same night and you pick the one that gets you home the earliest.

You sink your teeth into a steak - and they stay there.

You give up all your bad habits and still don’t feel good.

You get to the check-out line, see how long it is, and decide what you have in your buggy isn’t worth the wait.

You have more patience, but actually it’s just that you don’t care anymore.

Rocking in a rocking chair feels like a roller coaster ride.

You confuse having a clear conscience with a bad memory.

You finally get your head together and your body starts falling apart.

You wonder how you could be over the hill when you don’t even remember being on top of it.

Satchel Paige, the great African American baseball player said, “Age is mind of matter…if you don’t mind it don’t matter.”

Satchel Paige played in 476 innings in the major leagues. He finished with a 28-31 record and an Era of 3.29. Those don’t sound like Hall of Fame Numbers but consider this…Paige didn’t pitch in the majors until he was 48…In his last outing he was 65 and he threw 3 scoreless innings.

Paige said, “I never threw an illegal pitch, but every once in a while I’d toss in one that ain’t never been seen by this generation.”

At his induction into the Hall of Fame in 1971 he said, “Life had taught him his greatest lessons.”

Life can be a tough teacher at times…“You get the test first and then comes the lesson.”

That is true for Abraham and Sarah as well…They would learn to trust God in faith through the lessons of their lives.

God would indeed choose the weak things of this world to show His strength…Abraham might have thought…“I’m too old for this.” And God would chuckle and say, “My power is made perfect in your weakness.”

God had promised Abraham he would be the Father of a Nation so vast it would be like the sands on the beach and the starts in the sky…but Abraham’s 100 and Sarah’s past 90. They have left their homeland, their family and obeyed God’s request, “To go to a land I will show you.” At 90 years old God establishes this covenant promise with Abraham again. He and his entire household are circumcised and commit themselves, once again to God’s plan. 9 years later 3 messengers from God show up to tell Sarah and Abraham it’s almost time…after they are fed they say:

GENESIS 18:10-15 (p. 11)

Abraham’s 100…Sarah’s 90! No wonder Sarah says, “After I’m worn out and my master’s old will I have this pleasure?”

She even laughs at the prospect. And when God calls her on it…she fibs “I didn’t laugh!” He says, “Oh yeah, you did!”

But who can blame her…She’s well past childbearing time…She’s 90..She’s way too old…isn’t she?