6/9/19 Genesis 18:1-15 “Name Something Too Hard for God!”

07 Jun 6/9/19 Genesis 18:1-15 “Name Something Too Hard for God!”

6/9/19     Genesis 18:1-15        “Name Something Too Hard for God!”

In a few minutes we will be talking about Abraham and Sarah whom the Jewish people consider to be the patriarch and matriarch of their religion.  I have talked before about how we sometimes laugh at God because we don’t have enough belief.  We also pray this way.  We often give only a lip service prayer for the healing of our nation or for world peace or even healing for ourselves.  We know how to go through all the motions but we really don’t believe in what we are praying.  And at the same time God doesn’t get angry with us for doing so.  I am in the process of reading a book about miracles and there are many of them.  I think that we have all witnessed miracles and sometimes we may not know it.  All this made me remember just how thankful I am that we have a God who loves us and doesn’t get angry at us over the small stuff.  And as the saying goes, it’s all small stuff.

Now that we know that we all do this, let us take a look at today’s Scripture lesson where we have Sarah laughing at God.  She was doing the same thing that we often do.  This is a story of faith and belief.  Let’s see if we can find times in our lives where we have laughed at God.  Let’s also see if we can find some ways to strengthen our faith from our reading today.

First of all we find God coming to Abraham in the heat of the day.  What happens next was typical of people in those days.  Try to remember that Abraham doesn’t know this is God yet.  So he hurries to the three men and offers them a place under a tree.  He washes their feet.  We can see that this was a custom long before the time of Jesus.  Abraham also offers them something to eat.  If there is one thing that these early people did a lot better than we do today is that they knew how to extend hospitality.

Then he goes to his wife Sarah and tells her to make some bread, three seahs worth of flour.  This is enough to make many, many loaves of bread.  Then he goes to his herd and gets a choice calf and has it prepared for a meal.  He brings the three strangers all of this plus curds and milk.  He does this not having a clue who these people are.  This may not seem like that much to us today but this would have been quite an extravagant meal.  It would seem to me, that he is doing for the least of the people the most.

As we look around our world, there are many places where it is real hard to find this kind of giving.  For example take a look some of the countries in Africa where the government takes the food and sells it for their own profit while letting hundreds of thousands of people starve to death just because they are not of the same religion or race.  It is estimated that there are a billion people in the world at any one time that are extremely hungry or starving.  And this doesn’t just happen in Africa, it happens all over the world.  Even our own government refuses to get involved in the feeding of the hungry abroad if we don’t like that country’s government.  The world and that includes us, should hang their heads in shame.  There should be some way to by-pass governments when we are trying to feed the poor because governments are just too political.  I think that this country has had about enough evil politics to last several generations.

We can also see this even in our own personal lives.  How many times have you said of someone that they should get or have gotten what they deserve?  We say to ourselves and others that this person deserved jail, or that person deserves to go broke, or those two people are so miserable that they deserve each other.  We like to sit back and judge people and situations.  But that is not what we are supposed to do.  None of these people deserve our judgment.  We definitely are not to judge people who aren’t Christian.  What they deserve is our love.  And that is what Abraham is doing in this reading.

Abraham is serving God and two angels and he doesn’t even know it.  Think about that the next time when you are faced with a stranger.  He/she may be an angel.  Didn’t Jesus tell us to serve the least of his people?  Can you see how a lot of the New Testament writings tie in with the Old Testament?  This book isn’t rocket science.  It basically tells us to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul and mind and to love our neighbor as ourselves.

What happened next had to get Abraham thinking.  The strangers ask where his wife Sarah is.  This is odd because they do not know the name of his wife and it was not considered to be proper to talk about one’s wife to strangers.  And as Abraham is thinking about this, the Lord says that he and Sarah will have a baby by the same time next year.  Sarah, who is eavesdropping in the tent nearby, laughs to herself.

She laughs because she is about 90 years old.  She laughs because Abraham is about 100 years old.  She laughs because these strangers obviously don’t know what they are talking about.  She laughs because this is humanly impossible.

Now let me ask you a question.  Am I the only one here today who has laughed at God?  I have probably done this many times but this one instance really stands out for me.  How in the world is God going to make me a pastor?  After all, one of the prerequisites is that one should be able to speak in front of people.  Another is that a pastor should have a spotless life.  All of the qualities that I thought a pastor should have, I didn’t have.  I had completely given up on any idea of being a pastor until Pastor Debra called me up a little over thirteen years ago.  I had laughed at God because I thought that there was no way He could make a pastor out of me.  And now you have to almost tackle me to get me to sit down and be quiet.  And this is because I am excited about what Jesus Christ has done in my life.  And I am excited about what Jesus can do in your life and in the life of this(the) church and in the world.  Jesus Christ is exciting!  He is the reason for the season and not just Christmas season but all seasons of life.  He is in charge of all things and I found out that He can do anything.

So the first important lesson we have here today is not to laugh at God.  Then He goes on to say, “Is there anything too hard for the Lord?”  I would like you to think about that for a moment.  I think that all too often we know this in our hearts but we have a tough time to put it into practice.

A few weeks ago I suggested you read a book called Do Hard Things by two teenagers for teenagers.  I think that the insight of these two young adults applies to each and every one of us.  We live in a society where many, many people try to get by in life by doing the very least amount of work or effort.  This is one of the reasons our welfare system is so completely out of whack.  Then they wonder why their lives are so sad and miserable.  Well these two young people saw the same thing in their high school.  I don’t think that it is strange at all to find this kind of behavior running rampant in our young people when that is the exact behavior that many of us model.  As the old saying goes, the acorn doesn’t fall too far from the tree.

Anyway these two nineteen year old twins, Alex and Brett Harris, wrote this book called “Do Hard Things.”  It is about a teenage revolution against low expectations.  This book is a great read for any adult.  I worked for 25 years in the US Postal Service.  I had the honor of seeing low expectations every day during that time.  Now don’t get me wrong, there were people that this didn’t apply.  Unfortunately, there were many others who had low or no expectations.  It is an easy rut to fall into.  I’m sure every person here can tell us of places where you have seen this happen.  In just about any industry in this country you can see people, and lots of them, just doing enough to get by and keep their jobs.

But this is not what God has in mind for us.  This type of behavior is orchestrated by the devil.  God wants us to do things and it has taken a couple of young men, teenagers to show us the way.  These young men are anchored in Jesus Christ and honoring Him is an important part of doing hard things.  These young fellows would be the first ones to tell you that there is nothing, nothing too hard for God to do.  And if there is nothing too hard for Him to do, then there is nothing too hard for you to do with the help of Jesus Christ.  When you set out to work for Jesus, you have the world in front of you and Jesus at your side.  Remember this as you go about you week.  You can do it.  We can do it.

The last thing I would like to point out today is that you cannot hide from God.  Sarah tells God that she did not lie to him.  She said she did not laugh.  There are many times when we think that we can do things and God doesn’t know.  We think that God doesn’t know about those impure thoughts we have about someone.  You think that He doesn’t know about the revenge you would like to get on that person who really wronged you.  You think that He doesn’t know when you rationalize why you are not in church.

But deep down you all know the truth.  God knows everything that you think and do.  There is no way you can hide anything from God.  And one of the things that He wants from us is that we take all of our sins to Him.  He knows every sin that you have committed before you come to Him.  And notice that God does not get angry here.  He does not condemn Sarah.  He tells her the truth about herself, she lied.

And that is what God does to you also.  And you don’t like it when God tells you about your sins.  You don’t like to be told that your thought life is wrong.  You don’t like to be told that your life style is wrong especially when everyone is doing it.  We don’t like it when God tells us that our churches are definitely headed in the wrong direction.  And if the United Methodist Church doesn’t get back on the right track they will find themselves on the outside of God and not even know it.  If we continue to read in this story we will find that God did not punish Sarah for laughing.  And He continued to bless this couple as Isaac was born a year later when Sarah would be about 91 years old.  There is nothing impossible for God!

And God doesn’t want to punish you either.  Actually, you punish yourselves as you break the rules of God.  It is your choice.  You know the rules and choose to disobey, knowing the consequences.    In this case we can see that it is not unlike the stories in the New Testament where God wants us to confess to Him.  He wants us to tell Him about our sins.  He already knows about them but the point is that many times we don’t want to talk about it or acknowledge it, especially to God.

However, there is nothing better than the feeling you get after you have genuinely confessed your sins to Jesus.  This is one of the things that He wants you to do.  This is one of the things that you were made to do.  God has set up all of these things that you read about in the Bible so that you can have a better life.  God doesn’t want to punish you; He wants you to come to Him in humbleness.  That is why I ask, “Do you have Jesus living inside of you?”  If not, then invite Him in today and ask Him to forgive you of all of your sins.  Then you can begin your own great life in Jesus Christ.

Jesus will do the same thing for you that He did for Sarah.  He will tell you the truth about your behavior.  And when you tell Him the truth about your behavior, then Jesus will forgive you.  It is only then that you will begin a new life in Christ.  And if you already know Him, remember to keep confessing on a daily basis.  If there is one thing that Jesus loves, it is when you come and talk with Him.

Today we have taken a look at an abbreviated version of the story of Abraham and Sarah.  We have seen how two people, who some consider to be the patriarch and matriarch of our religion, stumble in their humanness.  We have seen how Sarah laughed at God and lied to God.  And still God loved them.  And through them you can see how God loves you in the same way even though you sin.  As you are going about your life this week, I ask you or should I say that I dare you to take your wrongful thoughts to Jesus.  Tell Jesus about them and let Him forgive you.  Then ask yourself, “Did I feel better before or after I confessed?”

Life in Jesus is what you strive for in your life.  It is what Jesus wants from you.  When you put your trust in Him, then there is nothing too hard for the Lord to do.  And that my sisters and brothers in Christ is a very, very good thing.  Jesus loves you and loves you and loves you.  And just when you think that He can’t love you anymore, Jesus loves you some a whole lot more.  Jesus loves us all.  Thank you Jesus for your love and patience.  And thank you Jesus for first loving us.  Let’s pray.