Have you ever thought God was asking you to do something you believed was impossible? Something you didn’t believe you could do?
In his book, Just As I Am, Billy Graham writes of the following event.
"One summer while in New Jersey, I was having lunch at a roadside diner when I was greeted by a big, smiling man whose eyes grew large as he studied me. "Hallelujah!" he shouted, grabbing and pumping my hand. "What an answer to prayer! I was just sitting here praying that I might meet Billy Graham, and in you walk! I didn’t even know you were on the East Coast." He introduced himself as Dr. Theodore Elsner, a preacher from Philadelphia. "I have a great burden on my heart," he said. "It’s a message that I believe is from the Lord. Billy, you must go on national radio. You know Dr. Maier the great Lutheran theologian and radio preacher from St. Louis is dead, and you’re the man God could use to touch America through radio." I did not know what to think. Dr. Elsner urged me to contact Fred Dienert, his son-in-law, and Walter Bennett, a Christian who was also a radio agent. Impressed though I was by this abrupt meeting, I did not look up either Mr. Dienert or Mr. Bennett; indeed, I pretty much forgot the whole idea. I was so busy that I could not imagine adding anything else to my plate. A few weeks later I was speaking at a conference in Michigan. Two well-dressed strangers approached me and introduced themselves as Fred Dienert and Water Bennett. I did not know whether Dr. Elsner had spoken with them since he had met me, but their mission was to interest me in a national radio program. I was still president of Northwestern schools, still active with Youth For
Christ, and spinning in a whirlwind of national interest in our evangelistic Crusades. I told Fred and Walter that I appreciated their interest but simply could not do a radio program at the time. My closet advisers - Cliff, Bev, and Grady- concurred; it was out of the question. Later, in Portland, these two extremely persistent men repeatedly lay in ambush to catch me. All they wanted, they claimed, was five minutes of my time. I got so irritated with their pestering that sometimes I took a back elevator to avoid them. I finally told Grady to let them know I was not interested in their scheme to get me into broadcasting. Leave me alone was my message.
"As I came out of the hotel one night, continues Billy Graham, there they were. "We want to say good-bye," one of them said. "We’re leaving tonight for Chicago." "All right, fellows," I said laughingly, "if before midnight tonight I should get $25,000 for the purpose of a radio broadcast, I’ll take that as an answer to prayer and be willing to do a national broadcast." The thought was so incredible to them that they laughed along with me before heading for the airport.
More than 17,000 people were at the meeting that night. Just before introducing my friend Bob Pierce for a brief report on his travels in the Far East, I told them about the burden Walter and Fred had for broadcasting the Gospel, and the $25,000 condition I had laid down. The audience joined in my laugh. After Bob spoke, I preached and then extended the Invitation to receive Christ. Afterward, in the little room set aside for me in the tabernacle, a number of people dropped by to greet me. Several of them said they believed God had spoken to them during the service about helping us go on national radio. They began to leave cash, checks, and pledges. I couldn’t believe it.!
"Billy," said Frank Phillips when everybody had left, "people have given us $24,000 tonight for radio!" Their confidence and generosity were enough to make me weep. But how could this be God’s answer? It was $1000 short. I told Grady, Cliff, Ruth, and Frank that maybe the Devil could give us that much to mislead us. We agreed to say nothing to anyone else about the funds and went out to eat, which was our custom after the service. We got back to the hotel about eleven-thirty.
"There are two letters here for you, Mr. Graham," said the desk clerk. Postmarked two days earlier, they were from people I hardly knew- businessmen Howard Butt and Bill Mead. Both said they believed we should go on radio and that they wanted to be the first to contribute. And each enclosed a $500 check! Stunned, I bowed my head and said a silent prayer. Emotion so overcame me that I could not think straight. Clearly, the funds had come form God.
Then, when I turned to go to the elevator, who should be standing in the lobby but Walter and Fred! They had been at the airport, they said, but something had told them not to get on the plane. I put my hands on a shoulder of each man. "Sign us up for radio for at least thirteen weeks," I told them. "God has answered prayer. We have the $25,000. We’ll take this as a step of faith."
That radio show, that was begun with $25,000 that Billy Graham never expected to see was The Hour of Decision. And it was enough.
One thing is certain, If God has called you to play a role in building His Kingdom, God will see it through. But it’s going to take faith on our part to obey the voice of God. Tonight’s passage is Genesis 18:9-15. It records for us the moment when God gave to Sarah the promise he had been giving to Abraham for years. It was finally time for her to bear a son to Abraham. The promise itself sounded ludicrous. For a 90 year old woman to have a baby seems to us to be out of the picture.
1. For faith to work; FAITH MUST BE PERSONAL; I would like you to keep your bookmark there in Genesis and to roll forward to Hebrews 11:11.
The last time we saw Sarah was 13 (16?) years earlier in chapter 16:1 where she exhibited an utter lack of faith in comparison to Abraham’s Faith/ salvation moment in chapter 15:6. At that time, she heard Abraham talking about a son, and determined that she was going to make it happen by passing her Maid Hagar over to Abraham to be a second wife. We know what an utter mistake and a terrible failure that was.
Now in chapter 18; Sarah has to come to her own faith if she’s going to bear the promised Son to Abraham. Hebrews 11:11 says that Sarah conceived in faith, by which we understand that without her own faith in God’s promise, Abraham’s faith wouldn’t get her pregnant; for God will not use an unwilling subject.
When Gabrielle announced to Mary that she was going to bear the messiah it seems He waited Mary’s consent, because he didn’t leave until she conceded. (Luke 1:38 "And Mary said, "Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.")
Chances are good, we won’t get a miracle off of someone else’s faith. God does not force himself on anyone - he waits for and even encourages and enables our faith so that we invite him in by faith. When our faith becomes genuine, the God of the impossible steps up to the plate. Because for faith to work, Faith must be Personal.
2. GOD KNOWS THE HIDDEN HEART (v12-13,15) Here in verse 13, when Sarah hears God say that she’s going to bear a son - she laughs and says to herself, "Self- How possible do you think that is?" But God knew Sarah’s Laugh. In chapter 17:17 When God told Abraham that he was going to have a son, Abraham laughed too! And God knew Abraham’s laugh (17:17). This poses an interested contrast.
Abraham laughed at the promise too, but we can only assume since he wasn’t rebuked; that his laughter was indeed a burst of joy and mirth perhaps at the visual imagery of a 100 year old man being the father of an infant child. But it seems clear enough from the fact that God rebuked Sarah that her heart was full of doubt at the giving of the promise.
When God called Sarah on her laughter - she burst out of the tent and proclaimed "I didn’t laugh!" But God is never fooled - not by clever words, and not by a silent mouth. It really was rather foolish for Sarah to try and deny to God’s face what she herself knew to be true.
We can’t fool God into thinking we trust him to work in us, if we don’t really trust him. Again, we consider Hebrews 11:11; if Sarah had not had true faith, there would have been no baby Isaac. We can deny our doubts, but God knows. Notice that God doesn’t rebuke her strongly here though. God’s reproof was gentle, because He knew that was all he needed. A gentle reminder that God is God and we are not; sometimes we need that.
Be honest with God if doubts arise in your hearts. If God is calling you to do something spectacular - it’s going to take faith, but no amount of contrived and insincere faith will do the trick. God knows the inner heart of what we think and he knows if we don’t believe him or trust him. But trust gets much easier when we fully realize my third point:
3. GOD SPECIALIZES IN THE IMPOSSIBLE (v14)
God didn’t ask Sarah to get pregnant, nor did he ask Abraham to make her so. God committed himself to Sarah’s successful pregnancy . A miracle made all the more remarkable because it followed 90 years of Abraham and Sarah’s failure to conceive.
Could it be that there is something God is asking you to do - something you feel totally inadequate to accomplish? What is it that God has asked you to do that you can’t do? What call has God placed on your life, that you have shoved to the side, maybe even laughing at it?
Be assured of this: GOD SUPPLIES THE TOOLS FOR THE TASK HE ASSIGNS! He is "The God Of The Impossible." And we can trust him to equip us to do what he calls us to do.
