Mothers Day Sermonete

Sarah ( Sarai)

Intro: Good Morning. Happy Mothers Day. The Mother that I chose to share on this morning is Sarah. First known as Sarai, Abraham's wife. The reason I though she was a great story to talk about is because her story is far from perfect. Maybe some of you could relate maybe you feel like you haven’t always done it perfectly or made some mistakes along the way. I would like to encourage you today with Sarah’s story. It’s a story of God’s grace and leadership.

1. SHE FOLLOWED THE CALL FOR HER LIFE.

a. Gen 12:1-2 “Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing.”

b. At this time he was 75 yrs old. Imaging that. Your husband says he hears from a God you do not know and says that this God told him he will make of him a “great nation”. ( but your barren, and your 75)

i. The word from the Lord was given to Abraham but the call was for both of them.

ii. That took a great woman to obey her husband as he sought to obey the Lord. Trust him and follow.

iii. 1 Pt 3:3-6 ..... as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, whose daughters you are if you do good and are not afraid with any terror.”

So she followed the call on her life as the word had been given to her husband.

2. SHE WAITED IMPERFECTLY

a. They left Er of the Chaldeans and took everything they had into the wilderness with this open promise. This obscure promise

i. A promise that wasn’t audibly heard by her. So imagine how she’s feeling now that she has left all she knew to follow this call on her life.

ii. As they are walking out this call on they’re lives the Lord appears to Abraham again in Shechem and says to your descendants I will give this land. But....

b. Then comes a famine. Isn’t it just like God to give a promise a vision a call.... then put it up against a famine and time to test your faith?

i. Abraham goes to Egypt and tells the men that Sarah's not his wife but his sister. (Cold blooded) Now she’s following after a man who hears from God but wabble’s in his faith. And I believe began wobbling in her’s as well.

ii. Here’s a woman, a mother to be with no signs of this promise at all. ( Most women when they hear they’re gonna have a baby you can be sure it will show up in about 9 months) And now her husband is wavering.

c. I believe it’s here that the enemy gets a foothold into her thoughts and then into her heart.

i. Gen 16:1-2 “Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. And she had an Egyptian maidservant whose name was Hagar. So Sarai said to Abram, “See now, the Lord has restrained me from bearing children. Please, go in to my maid; perhaps I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram heeded the voice of Sarai.”

ii. We all know this mistake to be costly but to Sarah it was the only way God could perform this promise. She got caught up in relying on her own understanding and not Gods.

iii. She tried helping God out. And now that child he had from Hagar the maidservant is the enemy of the Jewish nation today. Costly mistake

d. And yet.... in Gen ch 15 God renews the promise to Abraham....Even though Sarah went before the Lord.

i. This is where God shows his tremendous grace and patience in the lives of Sarah and Abraham.

ii. Sarah failed and yet God never took the call from her life. She still was going to be the mother of a great nation. Imperfect as she was she would still be a mother of a great nation. AND A GREAT MOTHER.

3. SHE LAUGHS THE LAUGH OF A MOTHERS HEART

a. When you look at it in totality , Abraham and Sarah waited 15 years before God renewed His promise, and 10 more years before the promise was fulfilled and Sarah bore a son, Isaac.

b. Sarah probably wouldn’t win an award for waiting and she even laughed at the idea that God could do what He promised, but thankfully God’s promise did not rely on the level of Sarah’s faith. God fulfilled His promise according to His plan and Sarah responded in Gen 21: 6  And Sarah declared, “God has brought me laughter. All who hear about this will laugh with me. 7 Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse a baby? Yet I have given Abraham a son in his old age!”

c. I see Sarah as this mother who was a mother to be so long that there were bound to be some mistakes along the way. And yet God is not moved by any of them. She was able to look back at her life and laugh as she sees how good God is and how faithful He remains to Himself.

I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO ALL THE MOTHERS WHO MAY HAVE DONE IT IMPERFECTLY BUT WALKED WITH GOD NONE THE LESS AND LAUGH AT ALL THE WAYS GOD MADE THINGS HAPPEN IN SPITE OF THE MISHAPS.