God's Big Picture: Genesis 16-18:15

CIT: Even though God’s plan may seem impossible, nothing is too hard for him. therefore, we should always trust God’s plan instead of ours.

Abram and Sarai don’t trust God’s plan

God gives Abraham a sign of the promise

Evidence that God can do the impossible

Abram and Sarai don’t trust God’s plan (Gen. 16)

Abram and Sarai still don’t have a son.

Only one chapter after God has told Abram that he is going to have descendants that out number the stars, and sealed that promise with a covenant, Abram and Sarai begin to doubt God.

Sarai tells Abram that God has prevented her from having a child and they need to figure this problem out for themselves.

Sarai tells Abram to sleep with her servant Hagar

The solution that Sarai comes up with is for Abram to sleep with her servant so that the servant could have a son for Sarai.

This was actually a common practice in the ANE, but that doesn’t change the fact that this is blatant sin. Not only are Abram and Sarai acting immoral and taking advantage of Hagar, they are also doubting that God will keep his promise.

Sin breeds sin

Remember that sin is rooted in reaching around God for the blessing of God.

Hagar becomes pregnant after sleeping with Abram, and becomes proud of the fact that she became pregnant so easily and her mistress was not.

Hagar’s pride and lack of self control is sinful stemming from the first sin

Sarai becomes abusive towards Hagar due to her anger and jealousy for Hagar getting pregnant.

Sarai’s anger and jealousy is sinful stemming from the first sin

One time I had to build an entertainment cabinet for my parents. I thought I was smart enough to build it without reading the instructions so I tossed those to the side. After what seemed like 127 hours I finished the cabinet, only to find out what I stood it up that it was dangerously unstable and had to be taken apart. The worst part though was when I took it apart I ended up breaking and losing multiple pieces because they were in the wrong spot. So, we had to buy an entirely new cabinet. The next time I was told to build the cabinet and I made sure to follow the instructions, and you know what the cabinet was perfect. Simply because I followed the instructions I was able to build a cabinet properly.

God gave Abram and Sarai instructions to be patient and wait for him to give them a child, but they threw out the instructions in favor of their own wisdom and that only caused more sin and suffering to happen in their lives and in the lives of those around them.

God has given you instructions as well. To reject the things of this world and follow Jesus in everything you do. God promised Abram that his obedience would be rewarded with a son and descendants that outnumber the stars. God has promised that our obedience would result in peace and a true hope for a better future.

God is gracious

Even in all of this sin God is still gracious not only to his chosen people but also to people outside his chosen family.

God was gracious to Hagar is telling her that her offspring will be numerous. He even blesses her soon to be son, Ishmael.

God had no obligation to bless Hagar and Ishmael like he did, but he chose to because he is gracious to all people of the earth.

God is still gracious to Abram and Sarai in keeping his promise.

God gives Abraham a sign of the promise (Gen. 17)

God tells Abraham to live like he believes in God.

Immediately following the disaster we saw with Hagar, God shows up to Abram and tells him to, “walk before me, and be blameless.”

How does Abram go about walking before God and being blameless? He lives out his faith in God. Take the Hagar disaster for example, if he had lived like he believed in God then he would have trusted that God was going to eventually give him a son, so there would be no need to go a second hand route.

God is calling us to this as well, that we are to live like we believe in him and his word at all times. When we are tempted to sin, live like you believe in him and his word. When you are tempted to cheat on your homework, live like you believe in God and his word. When you are tempted to watch pornography, live like you believe in God and his word. When you are anxious about your future, live like you believe in God and his word. At all times, live like you believe in God and his word.

Circumcision represents the change that happens with faith.

If you don’t know what circumcision is ask your parents afterwards, just know that God gives Abraham the sign of circumcision for a few reasons.

First, it is an outward sign of inward change. The circumcision that Abraham goes through shows his faith in Jesus Christ has changed who he is. Romans 2:29 points to this that the outward circumcision of the old covenant was evidence that our heart had been circumcised, that the sinful nature of our heart ad been removed and God has given us new life in faith.

Second, it is an identifying mark that Abraham was set apart as a member of the Kingdom of God. That he was different, lived different, and believed different than all those around him.

This language sounds familiar because the outward sign of inward change for us as Christians is not circumcision, but it is baptism. Our baptism after believing in Jesus by faith is the outward sign that we have been changed inwardly by the regeneration of the Spirit and faith in Jesus. Our baptism is a public statement that we are different than everyone else because we are part of the Kingdom of God.

This sign shows that God is going to keep his covenant with Abraham and his family.

The sign of circumcision had marked Abraham as God’s chosen people and God has declared that he would keep this promise to him and would carry it forward through his family.

Evidence that God can do the impossible (Gen. 18:1-15)

God visits Abraham to tell him that he will have a son

This happens in Gen. 18:10

Sarah hears and laughs in disbelief

This happens in Gen. 18:12

God tells her that nothing is too hard for him

This happens in Gen. 18:14

Mary is given impossible news and is told the same thing (Luke 1:37)

Jesus resurrection is evidence that God will do the impossible for us. (1 Cor. 15:20)

I want to be very clear. When we say that God can do the impossible for us because he has raised Christ from the grave this does not mean that we can fly now because Jesus has risen. It does not mean that we are going to make all the money in the world because Jesus is risen. It means something even more improbable. It means that broken wretched sinners can be reconciled to a Holy God.

This impossible news is made true for us by faith, by believing in God our relationship with God is now reconciled.

Conclusion

This past weekend you experienced something great, you were taught incredible truths from Scripture, but now you have a very real decision to make. Are you going to take hold of what you heard this past weekend, and tonight, and believe in God and his plan, that it is the only source of peace, and then live like you believe in him and his word? Or are you going to keep trying to make it work on your own? Because we saw how that worked for Abram and Sarai. If you keep trying to make this work on your own you’re just going to keep building broken cabinets, but Jesus has died and risen for you so that you no longer have to keep failing, you can be counted as one of God’s people and succeed in his success.