Genesis 18:1 And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;
2 And he lift up his eyes and looked and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground,
3 And said My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away I pray thee, from thy servant:
4 Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree:
5 And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said So do as thou hast said
6 And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth
7 And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetcht a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it.
8 And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat
9 And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said Behold, in the tent.
10 And he said I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.
11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.
12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also
13 And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh saying Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old
14 Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.
15 Then Sarah denied saying I laughed not; for she was afraid And he said Nay; but thou didst laugh
We have been looking at Great Questions asked by God.
We saw God ask Adam and Eve “Where are You?”
He also asked “Who told you that you were Naked?”
God asked Cain “Where is your brother?”
This is the next Question that was asked “Why is Sarah Laughing?”
V. 13 Wherefore did Sarah laugh
I believe that today we say “Yeah, right” with more than a hint of sarcasm.
. When David stood in front of Goliath with 5 smooth stones, the Bible tells us the giant laughed, but not for long.
They laughed at Jimmy Carter ( A peanut Farmer ,76 years old running for President of the US)
Laughing can be a result of joy, but it can also be a result of disbelief, as was the case here in Genesis 18 with Abraham & Sarah. Abraham had been hearing about this promised child since he was in his 70’s.
Now he was near 100 and Sarah was 90. It had been nearly 25 years since the original promise and you can feel their sarcasm and bitter disappointment as you read about their laughter.
Abraham and Sarah laughed at God’s promise.
Sarah and Abram’s reaction was understandable and God seemed to have a great deal of patience in dealing with them, but laughing at God is something we don’t want to do.
Ecclesiastes says there’s an appropriate time to weep and a time to laugh. I don’t know if it’s ever appropriate to laugh at God, His Words, or Promises.
Have you ever been tempted to laugh at God?
We laugh at God when the preacher talks about grace, forgiveness, & mercy & we ignore these truths and in our hearts say “Yeah, right.”
We laugh at God when we read his promises in the Bible to care for us just as he cares for the lilies of the field and sparrows, yet we go right on feeling anxious and worried about trivial things.
Anytime we ignore or discount the promises of God, it’s really no different than Abraham & Sarah’s laughter.
Let me share a few truths from this story about why doubting God is “no laughing matter.”
Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
First of all, the Bible tells us “without faith it is impossible to please God.”
Those who seek God must believe that he exists, that He is who He says He is, and that He will reward those who seek him.”
So laughter as a result of doubt is ………………………………………………
Obviously displeasing to God.
Now Sarah must have known in her heart that her laughter was wrong.
She got pretty defensive when God asked the question “why is that woman laughing?”
15 Then Sarah denied saying I laughed not; for she was afraid And he said Nay; but thou didst laugh
She experienced fear because she knew who she was laughing at.
Laughing at the Creator of heaven and earth is no small mistake..
The Lord Almighty, El-Shaddai is no one to laugh at.
It’s one thing to laugh at a teen-age shepherd boy waving a sling.
It’s one thing to laugh at a Peanut politician making speeches & campaign promises.
But you don’t laugh at the promises of the Creator and Maintainer of the universe.
When God comes to us with a promise or a command, he knows ahead of time of our weak faith and human frailty.
That’s why He introduced himself with the name “El-Shaddai.” El-Shaddai means “God of the mountains” or “God Almighty.”
Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
There’s two powerful things that come out of these verses.
1. Unbelief limits God’s ability to do mighty works and 2. We can’t even begin to please God or receive anything from Him without faith.
What causes us not to activate in faith?
Matt 22: 29 Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.
This addresses the very core of our lack of faith. There’s a difference in knowing what the scriptures say and knowing the scriptures.
I can read a book on a famous person, I could recite to you all the major achievements of that person’s life, all their failures and if you didn’t know much about me, you might think that the person I was talking about was a friend of mine. The truth is, I just know about them. I really don’t know them.
People know about the scriptures, they’ll tell me, I know that’s what the scriptures say, but!
Whenever we face a crisis of belief God always come to us through His Word and reminds of His nature and particular attribute that fits our need.
If our financial present & future is in trouble or we’re hungry, he reminds us that He is our Provider.
If we face physical danger He is our Defender or Shield.
If we are spiritual hungry or thirsty, He is our Bread and Living Water.
Whatever our need or crisis, God comes to us as God Almighty, reassuring us that whatever our situation, He is more than able to handle it. So don’t laugh, or ignore, or disbelieve his Nature.
II. Don’t laugh at God’s Commands.
Gen. 17:1 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. (Complete, Fully sincere )
2 And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.
“Abram, if you really believe I am who I say I am, and that I will do what I say I will, then do this: walk before me and be blameless.”
Many Christians laugh when we hear commands like “walk before me” or literally “walk with me.”
To walk before God means to be constantly aware of his continual presence in our lives.
We are told to be perfect but we know that is impossible.
Would God ask us to do something that is impossible?
Being perfect makes us say “Yeah Right”
JESUS SAID
Mt 5:48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
We must understand the meaning of the scripture
PERFECT means to completely follow God and believe what He says.
But if you believe God is who he says He is, and believe that He keeps His promises, if you believe that His Holy Spirit resides in you to strengthen and empower you, then you will find miraculous strength to handle every temptation and trial you face. “Greater is He that is in you, than He that is in the world.”
III. Don’t laugh at God’s Promises.
This promise to Abram and Sarai was definitely one that seemed impossible.
I don’t think even Ripley’s Believe it or Not readers would buy this story: a 100 year old man and 90 year old woman having their first baby after their Golden Anniversary.
Gen. 21:1 And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said and the LORD did unto Sarah as he had spoken
2 For Sarah conceived and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him.
3 And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac.
Abraham believed God and all his incredible promises, and it was credited to him as righteousness.
Eph 3:20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that worketh in us,
What promises have you been holding on to? Don’t laugh God can perform it
God can save your ungodly Kids.
He can put that home back together.
He can cause peace to rule over that situation that seems so impossible.
That’s not how it works in the Kingdom. God wants to bless you, make your name great, and multiply your spiritual gifts and spiritual children.
He is preparing a place for you right now, a paradise that will last for eternity, and it’s nothing you can earn or deserve, but just something you have to believe and give thanks for.
Conclusion:
What’s your need this morning.
Do you feel like your relationship with God is not what it needs to be?
I challenge you this morning to look deep inside yourself. Quit giving up so easy. Quit trusting everything else as your source instead of God
Don’t laugh. It’s no joke.
God wants you to walk before him and follow His Son Jesus Christ.
He wants to work miracles in your life, in your spirit, and even in your body.
It’s no joke, He has called you by name and you are His. There’s no better way to say thank-you than by giving your heart completely to Him. There’s no other Person worthy of our hearts and devotion, than El-Shaddai, God Almighty.
