Home Alone

Intro

Home Alone. On November 16, 1990, the most beautiful Christmas movie I've ever seen was released in theaters across the United States: Home Alone.

This film is about little Kevin, a child who is left alone, forgotten at home by his parents, during the Christmas holidays.

Despite his young age, Kevin will find himself facing two thieves who will try to rob Kevin's home. In this time of loneliness and trial, Kevin will realize how important it is to have his family and his parents by his side in difficult times.

Abused, exploited, and rejected. The story of Hagar tells us of a young Egyptian slave who joins the caravan of a wealthy man named Abraham.

In addition to being rich, this man was considered a prophet of God:

Genesis 20:7 NIV

Now return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you will live. But if you do not return her, you may be sure that you and all who belong to you will die.”

While Abraham awaited the promise of a son, an heir who was slow in coming, Abraham's wife decided to use Hagar's womb to fulfill God's promise.

A son is thus born to Abraham through Hagar, whose name is Ishmael. This child will become a source of tension between Sarah and Hagar.

In fact, Hagar will first be mistreated and then expelled from Abraham's caravan. Rejected with her son and sent into the desert.

Application. This story tells of a young mother who hit rock bottom, not because of a bad man, not because an evil man exploited Hagar, but because a man of God, a prophet, a Christian family, greatly damaged this woman's life.

Abuse and exploitation by leadership is an increasingly common theme in many churches: men and women who should care their church, protect, and nurture those God has entrusted to them instead engage in evil acts.

This story reminds all those who have suffered abuse, bullying, and injustice at the hands of those who call themselves spiritual leaders, men and women of God, or prophets of the Lord, that God will care for those who have been victims of toxic and sectarian leadership.

Single Parent. The situation Agar finds herself in is the situation more and more parents find themselves in: being alone.

Stastics. Suffice it to say that in 1976 there were in Canda 289,000 single-parent families, while in 2022 there are about 2 million single-parent families and 81% of these single parents are women.

I think it's superfluous to point out that parenthood is often an impossible mission, even when there are two parents. Hagar was left alone with Ishmael, wandering in the middle of the Beersheba desert.

This young woman had reached the lowest point of her life. She had cultivated a different future for herself and her son, but then one morning, the man to whom she had given a son rejected her and cast her off forever.

Sermon’s outline. It is precisely when Hagar hits rock bottom that her story begins. Through Hagar's story, I wish to consider three aspects of her encounter with God:

God knows;

God provides;

God guarantees.

N.1 - God knows

God knows Hagar's condition. The desert is certainly no place to raise your child, yet this was the place and condition in which Hagar was (Genesis 21:14).

Perhaps, like Hagar, you too seem to be living a nightmare. You feel alone in the desert of this life with the great responsibility of raising your child. In the midst of all this loneliness I want to remind you that there is a God who knows you:

1A. God knows Hagar’s past. As I mentioned earlier, Hagar was forced into a "polygamous marriage". Because of the tension between her and Sarah, Hagar experienced many problems:

Genesis 16:6 NIV

“Your slave is in your hands,” Abram said. “Do with her whatever you think best.” Then Sarai mistreated Hagar; so she fled from her.

Because Sarah hated her servant Hagar, Hagar ran away, but the Lord found her:

Genesis 16:7 NIV

The angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur.

Application. We all have a past, made up of scars, insults and painful experiences. Perhaps your story is similar to Hagar's or even worse. What matters is that God knows your life, your history, your past.

1B. God knows Hagar’s needs. Verse 15 is clear:

Genesis 21:15 NIV

When the water in the skin was gone, she put the boy under one of the bushes.

No mother leaves her child, but now the end has come. It's the hardest time for Hagar, but God was there with her, because He sees!

Application. God knows your needs. The Lord knows your economic challenges. God knows when the water ran out! God knows when your child is sick! God knows when you feel lonely! God knows when your heart is broken. God knows your past and your difficulties.

N.2 - God provides

God provides for Ishmael. The resources Hagar had were limited and eventually ran out. But just in the darkest moment of her life this mother discovered that God knows and that God provides.

We want to consider the process that led God to provide for Ishmael's needs:

2A. God hears Ishmael’s weeping. Reading verse 16 we can see how the situation of Hagar and Ismale was truly desperate.

Mother and son were weeping in the desert but no one was close enough to hear them: Abraham drove them out; Hagar's family members were in Egypt; there was no friend.

But right in the middle of nowhere God heard their crying.

Application. Communication is an essential part of our existence: without communication, without the ability to express our discomfort, remaining isolated from our problems amplifies the gravity of the circumstance we are experiencing.

Perhaps communication with your family, relatives, friends, ex-spouse has definitely stopped and you are wondering who can help you. This is the time to cry out to God. He is in the wilderness with you! If you need help, call the Lord.

2B. God opens Hagar's eyes. Verse 19 states that the solution was already there and God opened Hagar's eyes.

God already has everything we need, even if we don't see it yet. Perhaps, just like Hagar, in recent days you have looked around but you have not found what you need.

It's interesting to note that God doesn't open a spring of water in the desert, but rather opens Hagar's eyes to show her that the spring is right there beside her.

Application. Perhaps you're looking for a miracle in your circumstances, a miracle in your desert; you want God to open springs of water, doors of opportunity, when in reality God needs to work the miracle within you, not around you.

Allow God this morning to open your eyes, open your mind, and contemplate the Lord's answer to all your needs.

The promise that Paul made to the believers in Philippi is valid for all those who are alone and find themselves in serious difficulties:

Philippians 4:19 NIV

And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

N.3 - God guarantees

Yahweh guarantees a future for Hagar and Ishmael. Just like Hagar, many people wander through this arid and immoral society with two major concerns: Will I be able to take care of my children today? Will I be able to give my children a decent future tomorrow?

God had begun to provide for this troubled family, but the Lord also wanted to guarantee them a future.

In this regard, I would like to consider two aspects that guarantee a glorious future for Hagar and her son:

3A. Hope for Hagar. Hagar had left his son under the bush because she had lost all hope, but in verse 18 God gives Hagar instructions and hope.

Application. Many parents are experiencing frustration and discouragement seeing their children have problems at school and at home.

They don't want to leave their children but they don't know what else to do. We want to remind all these parents in difficulty that in the Word of God, in the Bible, we find everything our children need.

Illustration. I heard of a man who was spending a great deal of money, living in grand style, launching out in business, and certain of his fellow tradesmen told me that they could not see a reason for his cutting such a figure. But one said, “There is somebody backing him; we are quite sure of that.” And so it is with us. We may well be strong, we may well be happy, for there is a power unseen by men that is at our back: The everlasting arms are underneath us and we cannot fail.

Spurgeon, Charles. 2017. 300 Sermon Illustrations from Charles Spurgeon. Edited by Elliot Ritzema and Lynnea Smoyer. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

Deuteronomy 33:27 NIV

The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He will drive out your enemies before you, saying, ‘Destroy them!’

God gave hope to a single mother in the wilderness and God will give His hope to you.

3B. Inspiration for Ishmael. In verse 18 God reveals to Hagar what Ishmael will become: a great nation! It is the Lord, not a statistic or a school’s committe, Who decrees Ishmael's future.

I am sure that from that moment Hagar would have reminded Ishmael of what God had planned for him, what the Lord had seen in him.

Application. What do you see when you look at your child? What do we see when we pray for our children? When we look at them we want to proclaim what God has planned for them.

I want to invite every parent to pray with their children and to inspire them with God's plans.

1121 Kids are not a short-term loan, they are a long-term investment!

Anonymous

Conclusion

No Longer Home Alone. It was really hard for Hagar to see God's answer in the desert. Yet the Lord revealed Himself in this woman's life.

God will give you His help and His support. The Lord knows, He provides for every need and guarantees you a blessed future.