Sunday's Message - The Patriarchs: Encountering the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph (The Lord Promises Abraham a Son)

We're going to spend the summer of 2023 with the Patriarchs. During eleven worship services, beginning on Father's Day, we'll use passages from the book of Genesis to look at Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, focusing on how the Lord was consistently and actively involved in their lives. And by the end of the summer, we should have a better understanding of the one whom they followed and on how that same God can lead us. During this series, we'll look at the stories and passages below:

• June 18 - The Lord Chooses Abram (Genesis 12:1-9)
• June 25 - The Lord Promises Abraham a Son (Genesis 18:1-15)
• July 2 - Abraham Sends Hagar and Ishmael Away (Genesis 21:8-21)
• July 9 - The Lord Tests Abraham (Genesis 22:1-14)
• July 16 - Abrahams Finds Isaac a Wife (Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49)
• July 23 - Jacob and Esau (Genesis 25:19-34)
• July 30 - Jacob's Dream at Bethel (Genesis 28:10-19a)
• August 6 - Jacob with Leah and Rachel (Genesis 29:15-28)
• August 13 - Jacob Becomes Israel (Genesis 32:22-31)
• August 20 - Joseph and His Brothers (Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28)
• August 27 - Joseph Tells His Brothers Who He Is (Genesis 45:1-15)

On Sunday, the message focused on what we can learn from the Lord promising that Abraham and Sarah would have a son, Genesis 18:1-15. A recording and copy of the sermon are below. You can stream the service by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel at 10:00 a.m.

Well, here we are. We’re away from our church buildings. The temperature is just about perfect. And there’s all kinds of food just waiting to be consumed; therefore, the faster I preach, the sooner we’ll eat. Today is nearly perfect for a church picnic, isn’t it? But you know, that really wasn’t the case about three days ago. I mean, according to the weather report I saw on my phone, there was a real chance that we’d be dodging raindrops and splashing around in puddles. I mean, that was a distinct possibility. And I’ll tell you, that really presented me with a dilemma: should I pray that God delay the rain until after we’re finished, knowing full well that, if he didn’t, I’m going to be discouraged, but you know, if he did, I’ve got to believe that changing weather patterns for the entire world just to accommodate a church picnic in Sligo, Pennsylvania, man, that might have a few consequences a whole lot greater than some slightly soggy buns, hot dog buns. Of course, having said that, I think we all know that God never promised us dry picnics, regardless of what we choose to think or to do.

And I’ll tell you, that’s what we’re going to talk about this morning. Now, in case some of y’all don’t know this, last week, on Father’s Day, we started a sermon series dealing with the Patriarchs, you know who I’m talking about: Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and of course his twelve boys. And during our first message, we talked about how God called and Abram responded, something that I believe God also does to us and that we can do for him. Now that was the message last week.

And this morning, we’re going to look at another story related to Abraham, this time, one that centers on God promising that Abraham and his wife Sarah would become parents, you know, that they would have a son, something that would be absolutely essential if some of the other promises God had made were ever going to happen, you know like how Abraham would be the father of a whole bunch of descendants and how he was going to the founder of a great nation. You see, we’re going to take another passage from the Book of Genesis, and we’re going to look at what God actually promised to this patriarch and why Abraham could trust that it would be kept. And then, we’re going to take what happened back then and apply it to ourselves. And hopefully, by the time we’ve got a hot dog in one hand and a chicken leg in the other, we’ll have a better understanding of what God promises us right here and why we can take him at his word right now.

And I’ll tell you, it all starts with this story from Genesis. And since we’re not in the building; therefore, we don’t have the verses on the screen, you can find the passage on the back of one of the flyers in your bulletin. Now, the story begins with a little bit of context, doesn’t it?

One hot summer afternoon while Abraham was sitting by the entrance to his tent near the sacred trees of Mamre, the Lord appeared to him. Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. He quickly ran to meet them, bowed with his face to the ground, and said, “Please come to my home where I can serve you. I’ll have some water brought, so you can wash your feet, then you can rest under a tree. Let me get you some food to give you strength before you leave. I would be honored to serve you.”

“Thank you very much,” they answered. “We accept your offer.”

Abraham went quickly to his tent and said to Sarah, “Hurry! Get a large sack of flour and make some bread.” After saying this, he rushed off to his herd of cattle and picked out one of the best calves, which his servant quickly prepared. He then served his guests some yogurt and milk together with the meat. [Genesis 18:1-8a, CEV]

Now that’s how the writer set the scene. And with that done, he really got down to the nitty gritty, you know, the focus of this part of the story. He wrote,

While they were eating, he stood near them under the tree, and they asked, “Where’s your wife Sarah?”

“She is right there in the tent,” Abraham answered.

One of the guests was the Lord, and he said, “I’ll come back about this time next year, and when I do, Sarah will already have a son.” [Genesis 18:8b-10a, CEV]

Now that was what the Lord said. Of course, this wasn’t really a surprise. You see, he was simply restating a promise that he’d already made to Abraham. I mean, just listen to what happened back in chapter 15:

Later the Lord spoke to Abram in a vision, “Abram, don’t be afraid! I will protect you and reward you greatly.”

But Abram answered, “Lord All-Powerful, you have given me everything I could ask for, except children. And when I die, Eliezer of Damascus will get all I own. You have not given me any children, and this servant of mine will inherit everything.”

The Lord replied, “No, he won’t! You will have a son of your own, and everything you have will be his.” [Genesis 15:1-4, CEV]

And so, there you have it; Abraham and Sarah were going to have a son. That’s what God promised.

And I’ll tell you, I think we can get a pretty good idea about why he could trust that it was going to happen based on what followed. Just listen:

Sarah was behind Abraham, listening at the entrance to the tent. Abraham and Sarah were very old, and Sarah was well past the age for having children. So she laughed and said to herself, “Now that I am worn out and my husband is old, will I really know such happiness?” 

The Lord asked Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh? Does she doubt that she can have a child in her old age? I am the Lord! There is nothing too difficult for me. I’ll come back next year at the time I promised, and Sarah will already have a son.”

Sarah was so frightened that she lied and said, “I didn’t laugh.”

“Yes, you did!” he answered. [Genesis 18:10b-15, CEV]

Now that’s what happened, and I’ll tell you, I think this is really important. You see, God was going to fulfill his promise. Sarah was going to have a son. Abraham was going to be a father, but not because of them. I mean, it wasn’t because they deserved it or because they were faithful or because they were paragons of virtue. Man, they were really old. And when Sarah heard the Lord, she laughed, because what was promised, man, it just sounded ridiculous. And as the cherry on top of the sundae, when face to face with the Lord God, the creator of the universe, Sarah lied because she was scared. No sir, if it had been about them, I think God would have found another couple that was a little more serious and that placed a higher emphasis on telling the truth. No, the Lord was going to keep his word, not because of them, but because of him: because of who he was and what he’d already said and done. And in my opinion, that’s why Abraham could trust in what was promised. 

And you know, I think that applies to us just like it did to Abraham and Sarah. You see, God has made promises to us, hasn’t he? For example, he’s promised to protect us, something that I think the prophet Isaiah knew all about when he wrote this people:

Don’t be afraid. I am with you.

Don’t tremble with fear.

    I am your God.

I will make you strong,

as I protect you with my arm

    and give you victories. [Isaiah 41:10, CEV]

And a little later, when he said,

When you cross deep rivers,

I will be with you,

    and you won’t drown.

When you walk through fire,

you won’t be burned

    or scorched by the flames. [Isaiah 43:2, CEV]

Now that’s one thing he’s promised, but the Lord also promised to help us as we move into the future. I mean, according to Jeremiah,

I will bless you with a future filled with hope — a future of success, not of suffering. You will turn back to me and ask for help, and I will answer your prayers. [Jeremiah 29:11-12, CEV]

And Isaiah wrote,

The Lord gives strength

    to those who are weary.

Even young people get tired,

    then stumble and fall.

But those who trust the Lord

    will find new strength.

They will be strong like eagles

    soaring upward on wings;

they will walk and run

    without getting tired. [Isaiah 40:29-31, CEV]

Now this is something else God has promised. But let’s get real, no matter how great his protection and guidance may be, man, it fades when compared with the promise Jesus offered to Nicodemus and through him, to us, when he said: 

And the Son of Man must be lifted up, just as the metal snake was lifted up by Moses in the desert. Then everyone who has faith in the Son of Man will have eternal life.

God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die. God did not send his Son into the world to condemn its people. He sent him to save them! [John 3:14-17, CEV]

I’m telling you, just like the Lord promised Abraham and Sarah a son, this is what he’s promised to us.

And why can we trust him? Why can we believe that God’s going to keep his word? Why can we have faith that his protection and his guidance and his salvation is going to happen? Well, I’m going to tell you, right here and now, I don’t think it’s because of us: you know, because we’re so deserving and we’re so faithful and we’re so righteous. And if we have any illusions that it really is about us, just listen to what Paul wrote to the Romans. 

The Scriptures tell us,

“No one is acceptable to God!

Not one of them understands

    or even searches for God.

They have all turned away

    and are worthless.

There isn’t one person

    who does right. [Romans 3:10-12, CEV]

And a little later,

All of us have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. [Romans 3:23, CEV]

Now that’s what he wrote. Not exactly the kind of thing a guy wants to see in a Father’s Day card. And by the way, when he wrote “no one” and “all” and “us,” I think that’s exactly what he meant. I’m telling you, it’s not about us.

Instead, it’s about him. It’s about God. You see, I believe we can have faith in his word, because of who he is, something that the writer of the Lamentations understood when he wrote this:

The Lord’s kindness never fails!

If he had not been merciful,

    we would have been destroyed. 

The Lord can always be trusted

    to show mercy each morning.

Deep in my heart I say,

“The Lord is all I need;

    I can depend on him!” [Lamentations 3:22-24, CEV]

That’s who God is; therefore, we can trust in his promises.And we can trust in his promises because of what he does. but that’s not the only reason. We can also trust because of what he does. Remember, how Paul kind of trashed humanity in his letter to the Romans. Well, after describing just how bad they were and the rotten stuff they’d done, just listen to what else he wrote:

But God treats us much better than we deserve, and because of Christ Jesus, he freely accepts us and sets us free from our sins. God sent Christ to be our sacrifice. Christ offered his life’s blood, so by faith in him we could come to God. And God did this to show that in the past he was right to be patient and forgive sinners. This also shows that God is right when he accepts people who have faith in Jesus. [Romans 3:24-26, CEV]

Now this is one who was faithful to Abraham and Sarah and who is faithful to us even when we’re less than faithful ourselves. And I’ll tell you, that’s why we can trust in his promises.

Now, yesterday, when it was getting all overcast, I’ve got to admit, I said a little prayer, asking God to hold off on the rain until, maybe two o-clock this afternoon, and I did it even though I knew I was risking either personal disappointment or a global climatic catastrophe. Of course, since I don’t believe that God ever promised not to rain on our picnics, I was pretty sure that God’s will was going to be done whether I liked it or not. But you know, even though God never promised to keep our buns dry, he has made some promises to us, promises that we can trust, but not because of us, rather, because of him: because of who he is and what he’s done. And this is something we can know, because God promised Abraham a son.