It's Not Too Late For Sarah Series

Sermon for August 09, 2009:

Sermon Series: It’s Not Too Late:

Sermon # 04: It’s Not Too Late For SARAH:

Scripture Ref: Genesis 11:30

Introduction:

This morning I want us to look at ONE of the GREATEST WOMEN found in the BIBLE, her name is SARAH.

The BIBLE INTRODUCES us to SARAH with this phrase:

Genesis 11:30 ‘But SARI was barren, she had no children.’

For a JEWISH WOMAN to be WITHOUT a CHILD was almost like having a CURSE upon her.

Don’t lose track of the FACT that SARI is 65 years old.

& bear in mind that between chapter 11 & chapter 21 – there has been 25 years that has expired.

Genesis 12:1-4 Now the LORD has said to ABRAM, Get thee out of thy country & from thy kindred & from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will show thee. & I will make of thee a great nation & I will bless thee & make thy name great & thou shall be a blessing & I will bless them that bless thee & curse them him that curses thee & in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. & ABRAM departed as the LORD had spoken to him. & ABRAM was 75 years old when he departed out of HARAN.

In this COVENANT GOD PRONOUNCES a BLESSING upon ABRAM saying, ‘I’m going to give you a son.’

Now ABRAM is 75 years old. His wife, SARI, had NEVER gotten PREGNANT & she is now 65 years old. But in the MIDST of their BARRENESS GOD promises, “I’m going to give you a son.’

Now we all know that such a thing is simply NOT LOGICAL.

ABRAM is 75 years old. SARI is 65 years old.

Is it TOO LATE to EXPECT LIFE to SPRING FORTH from BARRENESS?

This couple had been LIFELESS for so long.

Realizing that even THINKING of such a thing is NOT LOGICAL, SARI decides to HELP GOD out in HIS PLAN.

SARI one day says to ABRAM: ‘My lord, I have a young & pretty HANDMAID named HAGAR & I want you to go into her & she shall give you the SON that I cannot give you. By now I am TOO OLD & my BODY is ALMOST DEAD. It would take a MIRACLE for me to give you a CHILD.’

Such a thing SOUNDED GOOD to ABRAM. We don’t find ANY RECORD where SARI had to BEG HER HUSBAND to go & have SEX with this young HANDMAID.

Genesis 16:3 “& SARI, ABRAM’S wife, took HAGAR her handmaid, the EGYPTIAN, after ABRAM had dwelt 10 years in the land of CANAAN, & gave her to her husband to be his wife. & he went in unto her & she conceived & when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her sight.’

It’s as the old saying: ‘There are too many people in the kitchen.’

NOTICE WHAT SARI DID: {This is important.}

SARI went for a HUMAN SOLUTION to BRING ABOUT a SUPERNATURAL PROMISE.

So they CREATED a MAJOR CONFLICT within their household, to put it MILDLY.

GOD has to RETURN to ABRAM ANOTHER TIME to explain to him in no uncertain terms, “ABRAM, this is NOT going to work.’

Let’s turn to Genesis 17:

Genesis 17:5 Here the LORD CHANGES ABRAM’S NAME to ABRAHAM.

Genesis 17: 15 ‘Then GOD said to ABRAHAM, As for SARI, thy wife, you shall not call her name SARI, but SARAH, shall be her name. 16: & I will bless her & give thee a son also of her, yea, I will bless her & she shall be a mother of nations, kings of people shall be of her.’

GOD told ABRAHAM to CALL HER SARAH {MOTHER of NATIONS} BEFORE she had even CONCEIVED her 1st CHILD. That is a FAITH BUILDING EXERCISE! Calling SOMETHING that IS NOT as though it ALREADY IS! AMEN?

Genesis 17:17 ‘Then ABRAHAM fell upon his face & LAUGHED & said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is a 100 years old? & shall SARAH, that is 90 years old, bear?’

Now here was SARAH. She COULD NOT CONCEIVE a CHILD when she was 65 years old & NOW it is 25 years later.

SARAH is NOW 90 years old.

It only SOUNDS LOGICAL that IF SARAH COULD NOT have a BABY when she is 65 & she had NEVER GOTEN PREGNANT throughout all of her ADULT YEARS, for as long as she & ABRAHAM had been MARRIED, then WHY WOULD GOD THINK that she COULD GET PREGNANT NOW?

& ABRAHAM FELL on the GROUND & LAUGHED.

‘Call her SARAH –{MOTHER}, yeah, FUNNY LORD!”

& ABRAHAM says to the LORD, ‘SURELY you must be talking about ISMAHAEL my SON by HAGAR?’