An Exposing Faith: Part 2

Introduction

Well, good morning!

What a blessing its been already. Getting to see someone profess their faith, seeing someone profess that Jesus has changed ‘em. I just hope you’re encouraged by that this morning. I hope you see that the gospel’s just as powerful as it was the first day it was given to us. God is still at work and God’s heart, its still for those that are far from Him. Meaning, we still have a great mission and we still have a great purpose as believers and as a church. Amen?

If you’d take your Bibles and open ‘em with me to Genesis chapter 18…we’re gonna be looking at the second part of this chapter, verses 9 through 15. If you remember I said last week, this chapter, we’re breaking it up into three parts…three parts that each show how our faith is exposed.

Remember, in chapter 17, we saw God set Abraham apart. He gave him a new name, a new purpose, a new hope…He gave him a sign of this new covenant to show everyone else that Abram and his people, they belonged to God…and that God was their God. And because of this setting apart, God commanded Abram to live blamelessly…to live in such a way that testified to God Almighty…live in such a way that shows others that God has changed everything about you.

And listen, being set apart, it means we care about people made in God’s image. I think we really saw that from Abraham last week in the first 8 verses when he was approached by these three men, right? It means we care about God’s Word, it means we care about being in God’s presence; we’re gonna see that as we continue. In fact, I think these things, how we respond to these things, it really exposes who we are…it exposes our faith…what we really trust in.

Listen, Genesis 17, that was Abraham’s encounter with God…but as we continue here in chapter 18, we’re gonna see Sarah’s encounter with God. God’s gonna use His promise (or His Word) to bring Sarah to the end of her own strength. He uses His Word to give Sarah an understanding of what’s actually possible…He uses it to show her who she really is and who He is…He uses His Word to correct her and rebuke her…all for the purposes of building her up and blessing her beyond imagination…all for the purpose of bringing Him glory.

Listen, any of guys ever been in the middle of a crowd and you laugh at something that no else laughs at? Now, I can’t say that I have because I feel like I have a pretty good sense of humor…but I have been with my wife on multiple occasions where she has. Typically its at the movie theater and she finds things funny that aren’t usually funny. And listen, when she gets to laughing, it’s very, very noticeable…like there’s no hiding it. But what most people would do in those situations…unlike my wife…when they laugh at something no one else laughs at…they’d try and turn that laugh into a cough and try to cover it up, right? You almost wanna be invisible (my wife, she just laughs louder in those situations)…but most people, they just wanna shrink away from that embarrassment.

What about this…you ever thought of how embarrassing it’d be if your thoughts were somehow uncontrollably linked to your vocal cords? Like so whenever you were thinking something, it was just broadcasted for everyone else to hear? Instead of, “I’m pleased to meet you,” as you leave today…instead, you’d blurt out, “Hurry up honey, I’m gonna miss the kickoff if you talk to long!” Instead of, “Great sermon, pastor,” as you go out the door, you’d hear yourself saying, “I thought you’d never end!”

Listen, as funny as it might sound, that’s exactly what happens to Sarah in our text this morning. She laughed when God didn’t…And so, she manages to conceal her laugh…but her thoughts, they still reveal her unbelief…her distrust in what God was saying, His promise. The thing is, with God, He knows our thoughts, He knows our intentions.

And listen, while Abraham and Sarah both laugh at God’s promise of a son…there’s huge differences in these responses. Abraham’s laugh, it was more out of awe for what God was saying…Sarah’s laugh, its more about unbelief in what God’s saying…Which is the point of God’s Word, at its core, its meant to reveal that we have a serious sin problem. Our unbelief about God and His capabilities, it all stems directly back to the fall and our separation from Him. To doubt God’s promises…its to doubt what God’s laid out in His Word…its to call Him a liar. It’s to say that you know better than the eternal Creator. It’s to demote God from His place of sovereign power and authority, and its to promote yourself over Him. God’s Word, it’s meant, in the same ways as it was for Sarah here…its meant to show us what’s really possible…its meant to show us who we are and who He is…its meant to correct us and rebuke us. And listen, how we respond to His Word when it’s revealed to us, it exposes our faith.

And so, if you’re there with me…let’s stand as we read this passage together. Starting in verse 9. It says this:

Genesis 18:9–15 (ESV)

They said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said, “She is in the tent.” The Lord said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years. The way of women had ceased to be with Sarah. So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?” The Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.” But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid. He said, “No, but you did laugh.”

Thank you, you can be seated.

[Prayer]

Our three points this morning…number 1, God’s Word challenges our understanding of what’s possible…number 2,God’s Word gives clarity about us and God…and then finally, number 3, God’s Word corrects and rebukes us.

And so, with that, let’s dive into the first point.

I. God’s Word Challenges Our Understanding of What’s Possible (vv. 9-11)

God’s Word, it challenges our understanding of what’s possible.

Look at verse 9 through 11 with me again. It says, “9 They said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said, “She is in the tent.” Now pay attention to the text here…this conversation, its not so much intended for Abraham as it is for Sarah. Abraham knew everything that was being said here. In chapter 17, God had already come to Abraham and He told him that he was gonna have a son named Isaac by Sarah. I believe this conversation, it’s more about Sarah’s conversion…I think is more about her trust and her faith in God and His promise. And listen, last week I mentioned Abraham might not have initially known that the three men were God and two angels…but there’s no denying it now. The man says, “Where is your wife, Sarah?” Not only does he know Abraham’s married but he also knows the name that God gave her. I think this was a way for God to help Abraham realize who he was talking to and I think Sarah hearing her name, it would cause her to ease drop. It goes on, “10 The LORD said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door behind him. 11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years. The way of women had ceased to be with Sarah”.

Again, this conversation, its more for Sarah…she’s the one on trial here and she doesn’t even know it. It says she stands at the door listening…she thinks she’s concealed…she thinks she’s hiding. We’ll talk more about those details in just a moment but it also says that Abraham and Sarah are old…If you remember in chapter 17, it said that Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah, 90. Listen, you don’t have to have doctorate degree to understand the impossibility of these two people having a child. But look at the rest of the verse, it says, “The way of women had ceased to be with Sarah.” And so, not only is she old…she’s no longer having her menstrual cycle…And so, being able to biologically produce a child, it had gone away…the way of women, it wasn’t with her anymore.

And so, with all those details, understand what the text is showing us here…God’s promise to return in a year’s time and that Sarah would have a son…meaning, she’ll have a son when He returns…God’s promising the humanly impossible here…that’s the point Moses is making to his audience as we writes this. It was humanly impossible for her to bear a son. She had already been through menopause…and if you remember in chapter 12, in her natural strength, she was barren. God was promising the impossible.

And listen, He knew Sarah was there, listening…that was His intentions. She was right where He wanted her. He was taking her to the end of her strength, having to realize that what He was promising couldn’t be fulfilled by herself, like she tried in chapter 16…it was something that could only be fulfilled through some other kind of strength. He was showing her a future that was physically impossible…He was promising her the impossible to bring her to the end of her strength.

And listen, that’s exactly where the Lord wants us in our relationship with Him…to recognize our own weakness so that we’ll trust in His strength. A lot of people, they think that the reason they struggle in their Christian walk, its because they’re too weak, right? But guys, that’s not the case…the reason we struggle, its because we’re failing to realize our own weaknesses…which we’ll talk about more about in just a second…but guys, what that causes, it causes us to trust in ourselves rather than God. Listen, when we see our weakness and when we throw ourselves on God’s strength, that’s when we’re strong. God doesn’t help those who help themselves. God helps those who are helpless. Remember back to chapter 16, when Abraham and Sarah helped themselves, their idea, it led to Hagar and Ishmael. But guys see the text here, when they were helpless, God gave ‘em Isaac.

And so listen, how does all this translate over to us? Remember, Genesis to Revelation, its the grand narrative about Jesus and about man’s redemption through Jesus. And so, everything from cover to cover, it’s telling the same story. And while God isn’t audibly speaking to us, He gives us His Word for the same purposes. It communicates the humanly impossible and it challenges what we think’s actually possible.

There’s a reason we all fear, right? Because all fear, it leads to something we can’t change or control. All fear, it leads to death. It’s inevitable, it’s gonna happen. And when God promises to deliver us from that…to change the course of our life…He’s communicating the humanly impossible. His Word, it challenges our own understanding of what we think’s possible. And coming to salvation, it’s removing our trust and confidence in the world and in ourselves, and it’s all about placing that trust and confidence on the Only One that can do the impossible. Which is why things like baptism are such a blessing to witness. We get to witness what God’s done in removing death and raising that person to life.

You see, when it comes to salvation…one of the main things that keep people from God, its this idea that they have to do something in the process…like they have to contribute something, right? A lot of people think that if they clean up their lives a little bit, or if they go to church, or if they give money or whatever, they think those things’ll qualify ‘em for salvation. But understand what God’s Word says…it’s clear that Christ didn’t die for decent folks who have it all worked out…He die for people whose put their lives in order. Jesus died for the ungodly according to Romans 5:6. You can’t receive salvation until you’ve come to the end of your own strength and realize you’re a sinner and that you can’t do anything about your situation. Salvation, its not a matter of human ability combined with God’s ability…salvation, its all of the Lord.

But listen, even as Christians, who’ve placed their trust and faith in Christ for salvation, we still walk this journey sometimes thinking we’re competent enough to help God out as He changes us. And so, the Lord, He has to bring us over and over and over again to this point of helplessness, where we acknowledge, all over again, our own insufficiency and where we depend on His all-sufficiency. That’s the point of God’s Word…to challenge what we think’s actually possible by God’s power…and it causes us to shift our trust from ourselves to Him.

Which moves us into our second point.

II. God’s Word Gives Clarity About Us and God (vv. 12-14)

God’s Word, it gives clarity about us and God.

Look at verses 12 through 14 with me again. It says, “12 So Sarah laughed to herself (there’s an inner smirk…an inner laugh, she thinks she’s all alone, right?)…And so Sarah laughed to herself…saying…(Meaning she’s talking to herself. She’s blunt with herself…she’s thinking to herself. We’ve been there…but guys, her thoughts, they’ve now recorded for all eternity). She says, “After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?”…(I think the context here, it’s pretty clear, its that my wife’s supposed to call me lord, right?…Now men, I’m just joking, don’t go home and say that to your wife…just so I’m clear. But pay attention to the text…it doesn’t take a lot of hermeneutical study to determine what she’s saying…she’s saying its physically impossible for her to bear children. Not only is conception biologically impossible…but listen to her words, its impossible relationally as well…there’s no pleasure there. She’s saying, they’re old and they’ve not been intimate in some time. She’s saying that what the Lord’s promising here it’s impossible. And so she smirks to herself…And listen, not only is she protected because its just her thoughts here…she’s not verbally said these things…she thinks she’s protected because she’s also in the tent. No one knows she’s there…no one can hear her). It goes on, verse 13, “13 The Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh (Why did Sarah laugh…I mean that should get your attention, right? And not only did He know she laughed but why did she) “say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’ Sarah thought she was eavesdropping on the Lord’s conversation…but all the while, the Lord was eavesdropping on her thoughts. Guys, that should get our attention. Do you really think that Sarah wanted her thoughts here to be immortalized for all eternity? The Word of the Lord, it endures forever, right? “After I’m worn out and my lord’s old, shall I have pleasure?” You want that engraved on your tombstone?

Listen, a lot of us, we read these narratives and we think, “Well that happened to Sarah, it doesn’t happen to me.” And we’ll sit back, we kind of judge Sarah for her faithlessness here…all while we act the same when God reveals the same in our lives…when God reveals the impossible. “God, you can’t really do that in me! You can’t use me that way…You can’t change this about me!” Its the same thing.

Listen guys, what’s Hebrews 4:12 tell us?

Hebrews 4:12 (ESV)

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Listen, we read that and we immediately think its just talking about the Bible, right? “The Bible’s judging the thoughts and intentions of my heart” And would you be correct in saying that? Yes…but that’s not giving a complete answer. Look at verse 13 of Hebrews chapter 4.

Hebrews 4:13 (ESV)

And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

HIS, HIM…that’s not a book, guys…that’s a person. In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. Pay attention here, whose exposed before Him? ALL…not just Sarah but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we must give an account, right? Which kind of helps us see to what end God’s bringing Sarah to…its the end of herself…God, through His Word…He’s showing her who she is and ultimately who He is.

God says in Genesis 18:14:

14 Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.”

Guys, your faith, it’s exposed by how you receive God’s Word. Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commandments, right? Keep my Word. Be doers of the Word…not just hearers.” When you hear it…when God reveals it through the Word, through the illumination of the Spirit…do you apply it and do you live by it?

You see, what God’s saying to Sarah here…its that you might be finite…you might be separated because of your own actions…you might be old and withering away…but there’s nothing I can’t do. He’s saying, “I’m separate from you. I’m nothing like you!”

Guys, the purpose of God’s Word, its to reveal who we are at our core…that we’re sinful…that we’re separated…that we’re depraved and unable to do anything righteous. None of us seek God…all fall short of God’s glory. Guys, that’s Paul’s words to us…Paul’s words inspired by the Spirit of God. The Word, it tells us that we’re all dead in our sins…lifeless without Christ. And listen, the worse part of that, its that there’s nothing we can do about it on our own, through our power. We’ll never be good enough…we’ll never be righteous enough…we’ll never be worthy before the Creator of the universe. Apart from Jesus, we’ll die and remain separated forever…and guys, that reality, that’s our decision based on how we’ve responded to God. It’s our fault.

That’s what the Bible says about us. That we’re different from God…separated…we’re nothing like Him from a heart perspective.

But listen, the gospel, its all about what God intends to do in those He’s chosen…very much like Abram. He takes the dead and He gives ‘em life. Those that turn to Him by placing their faith and trust in Jesus…they’re resurrected to life. Those that believe Jesus died…those that believe He took on our sin…those that believe He rose to life again…those people, they get to share in Jesus’s righteousness…they get to share in His resurrection. They’re given something physically impossible…something that’s only possible outside of their own strength.

And listen, how you respond to that message…about who you are and about who God is…how you respond to that, it exposes your faith…it reveals who you are now. Do you believe you’re a sinner that needs God’s grace…do you believe you were dead in your sins…do you see the consequences of your bad decisions, the path it was leading to? Listen, do you believe in the power of Jesus’s blood? Do you believe it covers you today? That it makes you righteous in spite of who you are? Do you believe in the power of His Spirit to persevere you? Do you believe that God’s separate from you and that He alone has the ability to do the impossible in you.

Guys, God’s word to Sarah here…its was meant to do the same thing in her heart…He was revealing to her, who she was…and through His promise, He was revealing to her, who He was. That He’s entirely and completely different than anything she had experienced. He was showing her that He IS faithful and that He IS capable. Her encounter with God, it changed her.

And so, my question to you this morning…Has God’s Word, has it changed your perspective about you and about God? Does that knowledge, does it define who you are today? It’s impossible to have ‘faith’ in God without first acknowledging who you are. That’s why Jesus says in Matthew 5:3:

Matthew 5:3 (ESV)

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

You can’t be reconciled…you can’t be restored…brought to life, without seeing who you are and without seeing God for who He is. And listen, you can’t be reconciled, without believing that truth. That’s the purpose of God’s Word.

III. God’s Word Corrects and Rebukes Our Actions (v. 15)

And then finally, point number 3…God’s Word, it corrects and rebukes our actions.

Let’s look at verse 15 again. It says, “15 But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid. He said, “No, but you did laugh.”

I love this because that word for “No” there in the Hebrew, it means “Oh, no…” Meaning, “Oh, no…but you did laugh, Sarah!” And you kind of see how that just ends the discussion, right? Like God’s Word has the final say. This whole time she thought she was eavesdropping on the Lord…but the Lord was eavesdropping on her thoughts. He knew everything she was thinking…He knew about her unbelief…He knew the condition of her heart. And listen, it didn’t matter what she said…it didn’t matter what she thought…it didn’t matter what she believed…God’s Word rebuked her, it corrected her…and it had the final say.

Guys, let me be as blunt as I possibly can…people that have come to know Christ…people that claim to walk with Christ…people that claim to love Christ…it doesn’t mean you won’t make mistakes…it doesn’t mean you won’t fail or experience some kind of hardship, maybe even hardship you’ve caused…it doesn’t mean you won’t fall into sin…but guys, it DOES mean that when you hear God’s Word, firstly, you believe it…trusting that God’s Word is inspired by Him…trusting that its infallible, inerrant…trusting that its the source of truth…our foundation. And listen, secondly…it means you let God’s Word shape you. You understand? Are there difficult things that God’s Word shares with us? Absolutely! But we’re to believe it…and we’re to allow it to shape our thoughts…our beliefs…our ideologies.

Let me just give you some examples because I know some of you, you’re sitting there and you’re thinking, “But I do let God’s Word do that!” Do you?

If you know that all men are created in God’s image and that God despises the lost of life…then why do you vote for political candidates that support things like abortion. If you believe what it says in Psalm 139 that all of us were known even before we were born, then why vote for someone that supports the taking of innocent life. And listen, I’m not getting political with you because this isn’t a political issue…it’s a biblical issue.

Some of us, we’re choosing to leave our spouses because of some kind of sin that’s happened in the marriage. We think that whatever the other’s done to me, its justification to leave my spouse. Jesus says in Mark that what God put together, let not man separate. There is no reason for biblical divorce. If you believe in the power of the gospel, then you also believe in the power of God to redeem any situation.

Some of you, you try your hardest to justify why you have to miss the gathering together of God’s people…”it’s the kid’s sports or some school event…my job…my busy schedule…the New Testament church was different than today”…but God’s Word, its clear in Hebrews, “Don’t forsake the assembly of God’s people.” And let me be very clear…that goes beyond just Sunday mornings.

Some of us, we justify the lifestyles we live, the things we do…we say things, “Well, I have freedom in Christ…I can do whatever I want…it’s my right!”…Paul says in Ephesians 5:21…talking to the church here, “Submit to one another.” He says in Romans 14, “Don’t cause another to stumble.” Guys, you might have freedom in Christ, but if you overlook your responsibly to disciple and build up your brothers and sisters in Christ, if your actions cause them to stumble (regardless of your freedom), if you just keep living in such a way that’s contrary to the Word of God, you’ve missed the point of the gospel and you’re not as submissive to the Word of God as you claim…You want the promised land, the freedoms, without God…Remember, the very God that says, “Follow Me, and I’ll make you fishers of men!”

How you respond to the Word of God…it exposes your faith…who you are! Quit justifying yourself…quit justifying your actions…and let God’s Word have the final say.

Remember what we talked about last week…genuine salvation…a genuine circumcision of the heart…it gives us a heart for the Word of God…it gives us a heart for people. How we treat those made in the image of God and how we treat God’s Word…it exposes our faith.

Closing

Do you see what God’s doing with Abraham and Sarah here? Not only has He set them apart but now He’s building their faith…He’s giving them the means to live different, to look different.

He’s testing their faith, He’s showing the reader here, us…He’s showing us what it looks like when one of His own are exposed. They treat people with dignity…and while they still might make mistakes, they give God’s Word ultimate authority.

And so, let me just close with this question…you’ve heard the Word of God (what it says about believers)…you’ve heard the gospel (what it says about unbelievers…that you’re a sinner, that there’s absolutely nothing you can do about it…you’ve heard that Jesus, who is God, came to us…died for us…took on our sins…that’s its all a free gift for those that repent and belief in Him). You’ve heard those things…my question, “Now that you’ve heard it…what is God’s Word exposing about you and you’re faith?”

Every heard bowed and every eye closed.

The praise team’s gonna come back up…the altar’s open…I’ll be down front if you need to talk to me…maybe you have questions or you want me to pray with you…but I just want you answer that question and I want you to respond however the Spirit leads. “What is God’s Word exposing about you?”

You take this time.

[Prayer]