Leaving a Godly Legacy: Mothers

Introduction

Happy Mother’s Day

Video…

Body: Genesis 23:1-2

Introducing the Theme:

Leaving A Legacy: We are going to do a two part series out of Genesis, the first on Mother’s Day and the second on Father’s Day...

Read Genesis 23:1-2…

The focus of this section is not really Sarah’s death as much as showing Abraham’s legal claim to the land in which she would be buried.

Meaning, Abraham is now the legal owner of a piece of what would become the Promised Land...

However, we ought not to quickly get by Sarah’s life, because Abraham would not approve.

The Legacy of Sarah - Her Obituary:

Obituaries...we typically focus on the best parts of someone’s life, leaving out the bad parts, or putting a spin on them.

Sarah, wife of Abraham:

Sarah was born in Ur of the Chaldeans to Terah and one of his wives. She married Abraham (then known as Abram) and would eventually move with her family to Haran after the death of one of her half-brothers. After her father Terah died she would go to the land of Canaan with her husband, following the call of God. During their time in Canaan they would travel extensively throughout the land, even making a trip down to Egypt. She’ll be remembered as a giving woman, even giving her servant Hagar to her husband in order to allow him to have a child…a decision she would later regret. Sarah enjoyed a good joke, and could even be heard laughing inside her tent at times. Her greatest joy came at the birth of her son Isaac, when she was ninety-years young. During his childhood Sarah could be found working hard at home while Abraham and Isaac would go for long walks in the mountains. She went to be with the LORD at the age of 127 while living in Hebron.

Sarah lived and incredible life with many interesting facets. For instance, she is the only woman in the Bible whose age is mentioned. She is listed as one of the OT heroes of faith in Hebrews 11. And she is often mentioned throughout Scripture as an example of a godly woman. She was not known to be a woman whose beauty came not from her clothing, hair or jewelry, but from her gentle and quiet spirit.

Sarah is survived by her husband Abraham of over 100 years and her son Isaac. A graveside service is scheduled for sometime around 2028 BC at the cave of Machpelah.

All of those facts about Sarah’s life bring us to our text this morning, in which we see Abraham mourning over the loss of his beloved wife.

Big Idea: How can godly women leave a legacy?

A godly woman leaves a legacy by following God’s commands.

Genesis 12:1–5 “Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan...”

Here we see that Sarah left her home and family to go with her husband to a place she knows nothing about.

Does that sound easy? No way! How could she do this?

Humbling herself before God...

Humbling herself before her husband’s leadership...

Not popular today…

Humbling herself enough to show sacrificial love...

Most important thing for a healthy marriage, not love or communication, but sacrifice.

What was the outcome of Sarah’s obedience to God?

God blesses her and her family when she follows His commands!

A godly woman leaves a legacy by loving her husband through the ups and downs of life.

Genesis 12:10–13 “Now there was a famine in the land. So Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land. When he was about to enter Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, “I know that you are a woman beautiful in appearance, and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me, but they will let you live. Say you are my sister, that it may go well with me because of you, and that my life may be spared for your sake.””

This is just one example of Abraham messing up. In fact, he does this exact same thing later in their life with Abimelech.

Let’s be honest, how many wives are going to be okay with your husband handing you over to another man in order to protect himself? What if he did that twice!

How could she do this?

By trusting that God is faithful.

Hard times of our life can make us question God’s faithfulness…

God had called her to something greater than herself…

By realizing that she too is flawed.

What is the outcome Sarah loving her husband no matter what came?

Her husband would be devoted to her and she would be able to experience miraculous blessings from God.

A godly woman leaves a legacy by providing for the needs of her family.

Genesis 21:1–3 “The Lord visited Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did to Sarah as he had promised. And Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the time of which God had spoken to him. Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore him, Isaac.”

Sarah would become a mother at a very old age. How did she provide for her family?

She supported her husband throughout his life…

Never once do we see Sarah going against Abraham, in anything.

In a survey of 258 counseling centers it was discovered that the top 5 basic needs of a man were:

Sexual fulfillment;

Recreational companionship;

Attractive spouse;

Domestic support;

Admiration.

Focus on those last two for a minute:

Men want to feel like they have someone to support them at home and admire them for who they are.

The world is good at tearing men down…

If they aren’t supported and respected at home, they will look for some place where they will get it!

She provided for their marital needs (even in the bedroom)…

They had a child when she was 90! We don’t like to talk about such things, but strong happy marriages must be strong and happy in the bedroom too!

In fact, it is more vital today than ever before that a wife is attentive to the bedroom marital needs because pornography is easier to access than ever before, sexual permissiveness is becoming the order of the day in a so-called “hook-up” culture, and men are feeling beaten up emotionally more than in a very long time. When men feel like this they will look to experience relief...however they can get it!

So, while it is very true what Peter said about the inner beauty of a woman, don’t lose sight of the fact that men are visual and women are emotional when it comes to desire. Men will very rarely be emotional when it comes to sexual desire before they are visual...

She protects her son from danger…

In Genesis 21:8-14, we see Sarah pushing to have Hagar and Ishmael sent away…Sarah doesn’t sound very loving and kind here.

Genesis 21:8–14 “And the child grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, laughing. So she said to Abraham, “Cast out this slave woman with her son, for the son of this slave woman shall not be heir with my son Isaac.” And the thing was very displeasing to Abraham on account of his son. But God said to Abraham, “Be not displeased because of the boy and because of your slave woman. Whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for through Isaac shall your offspring be named. And I will make a nation of the son of the slave woman also, because he is your offspring.” So Abraham rose early in the morning and took bread and a skin of water and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, along with the child, and sent her away. And she departed and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba.”

However, her desire is to protect Isaac’s rightful place as the child of promise.

If it wasn’t for Sarah, Ishmael would have had a legal claim to it…

What was the outcome of Sarah providing for the needs of her family?

When the family is provided for she found her fulfillment.

Not a politically correct statement…

Challenge: Women of God, do you want to leave a godly legacy?

Follow God’s commands.

Love your husband through (and in spite of) the ups and downs of life.

Provide for the needs of your family.

And you will leave a legacy that will be remembered for a long time after you leave this place!