Live Sent Even When You Do Not Know the Plan: Abraham and Sarah

This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it. How many are glad they are in the Lord’s house this morning? It’s great to be back here worshipping the Lord with you, I hope you enjoyed listening to our Benton Campus pastor last week and more importantly I hope you are learning what it means to live sent in our communities and our world.

Today we are going to continue in our series Live Sent. Some questions I want you to be thinking about is How do I live sent when I do not know the complete plan? Or if the plan I know doesn’t make sense? What if the call to live sent is passed down to me and I didn’t receive the call directly? What if I do not see any fruit to living sent?

We will look at these questions and try to get some answers by looking at the lives of Abraham and Sarah and we will have some reminders, things we need to remember as we are living sent in this world.

I. Trust God’s Word Even When it Doesn’t Make Sense

One principle we can learn from Abraham and Sarah, is trust God’s Word even when it doesn’t make sense. We read about Abraham, in our passage Abram because God hasn’t changed his name yet, lets’s jump into God’s word...

Genesis 12:1–9 (ESV)

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.”

Y el Señor dijo a Abram:

Vete de tu tierra, de entre tus parientes y de la casa de tu padre, a la tierra que yo te mostraré. 2 Haré de ti una nación grande, y te bendeciré, y engrandeceré tu nombre, y serás[a] bendición. 3 Bendeciré a los que te bendigan, y al que te maldiga, maldeciré[b]. Y en ti serán benditas todas las familias de la tierra.

Before we move lets pause and think what the Lord is asking Abram, the Lord shows up and tells Abram

leave your country

leave your extended family

leave your home

and go to the land that I will show you

You have to understand Abrams world, there was security in remaining with your people and your family. Abram would follow in his fathers footsteps, do they same work, grow the family business, safe, secure, with protection from his people and family.

Some of you may be able to identify with how Abram is feeling, because some of you have left your country, your people and family. You may know exactly what Abram is feeling. When God tells him to Go.

The LORD shows up and says Go not only does he say Go, he says

I will make you a great nation

in you all the families of the earth will be blessed

We do not know much about Abram at this point but we will learn that Abram and Sarah have no children. So how in the world will they become a great nation? How will all the families of the earth be blessed? None of this is making any sense, lets continue reading.

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.

4 Entonces Abram se fue tal como el Señor le había dicho; y Lot fue con él. Y Abram tenía setenta y cinco años cuando partió de Harán. 5 Y tomó Abram a Sarai su mujer, y a Lot su sobrino, y todas las posesiones que ellos habían acumulado, y las personas[c] que habían adquirido en Harán, y salieron para ir a la tierra de Canaán;

What do we see? Abram packs his bags and obeys. Did you notice his age? 75 years old… what? None of this makes sense.

Not only does he leave, buy Sarai goes with him. Can you imagine that conversation? Abram says the Lord told us to go. Sarai says where? Abram says I am not sure he says he will show me when I get there. Sarai asks Abram what did you eat last night?

Many times we focus on Abram, he recieved the call, the Lord spoke to him. We are not told Sarai heard the Lord, she is getting this information from her husband Abram, but it is still God’s word, still God’s call, still God’s mission for them, together.

Abram is trusting the Lord and is obedient to God’s call. He places his trust by being obedient, in faith Abram leaves and obeys God. But what about Sarai, she didn’t hear the Lord, she has to go along with with Abram, the information she receives is from the Lord, to Abram to her. Not only that but we learn in Genesis that Abram leaves her hanging, letting other rulers take her because he tells them she is my sister and not my wife. You know what is interesting, God protects her from any harm or from being taken advantage of.

This part is key for us, because many of us may not be able to identify with Abram, Paul or even Jesus. They are the all start team, I am just me. God is working in the life of Sarai, protecting her just like he is with Abram. Like Sarai, we are getting our mission from the Lord through the writers of the prophets and apostles, through God’s word, written and spoken to us. We didn’t hear Jesus’ voice telling us to go make disciples. Like Sarai we need to be obedient and play our part in the story of God, for the mission of God, for the glory of God. We need to trust God and be obedient even when things don’t make sense.

Reminder #1 - We are all sent but we may not all receive an official special calling like Abraham.

When they came to the land of Canaan, Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him. From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord. And Abram journeyed on, still going toward the Negeb.

y a la tierra de Canaán llegaron. 6 Y atravesó Abram el país hasta el lugar de Siquem, hasta la encina[d] de More. Y el cananeo estaba entonces en la tierra. 7 Y el Señor se apareció a Abram, y le dijo: A tu descendencia[e] daré esta tierra. Entonces él edificó allí un altar al Señorque se le había aparecido. 8 De allí se trasladó hacia el monte al oriente de Betel, y plantó su tienda, teniendo a Betel al occidente y Hai al oriente; y edificó allí un altar al Señor, e invocó el nombre del Señor. 9 Y Abram siguió su camino, continuando hacia el Neguev[f].

We see that Abram and Sarai trusted God, even without knowing the whole plan of God, even when the call doesn’t make sense, they have no child yet they will be a great nation. But Abram continues to trust God, worship God and keeps being obedient. We too must trust God when things don’t make sense, continue worshipping and living for the Lord, even though the plan doesn’t make sense in our eyes.

Reminder #2 - We must continue to live sent, even though we can’t make sense or we may not know the whole plan of God.

II. Trust God’s Word Even If We Experience More Waiting and Hardship Than Fruit

Lets fast forward 24 years and see where we find Abraham and Sarah, we know that Abraham and Sarah were obedient to God’s call, yet there is no children yet, like I said earlier, she is taken by two different rulers because Abraham lied to them saying she is my sister, her family becomes very dysfunctional. Abraham and Sarah experience more waiting and suffering while they are living sent on the mission of God. God shows up again, let’s see what happens.

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.”

9 Entonces ellos le dijeron: ¿Dónde está Sara tu mujer? Y él respondió: Allí[k]en la tienda. 10 Y aquel dijo: Ciertamente volveré a ti por este tiempo el año próximo[l]; y he aquí, Sara tu mujer tendrá un hijo. Y Sara estaba escuchando a la puerta de la tienda que estaba detrás de él. 11 Abraham y Sara eran ancianos, entrados en años[m]; y a Sara le había cesado ya la costumbre de las mujeres. 12 Y Sara se rió para sus adentros, diciendo: ¿Tendré placer después de haber envejecido, siendo también viejo mi señor? 13 Y el Señordijo a Abraham: ¿Por qué se rió Sara, diciendo: «¿Concebiré en verdad[n]siendo yo tan vieja?». 14 ¿Hay algo demasiado difícil[o] para el Señor? Volveré a ti al tiempo señalado, por este tiempo el año próximo[p], y Sara tendrá un hijo. 15 Pero Sara lo negó, porque tuvo miedo, diciendo: No me reí. Y Él dijo: No es así, sino que te has reído.

I wonder how many times we have been like Sarah, laughing at God because we do not think God will accomplish his purposes in my life, in our city in the world. How many times we doubt God is moving and working around us even though we can’t see or understand what he is doing. Or maybe we doubt God is moving and working because we experience more waiting and suffering than fruit, I have stood in Sarah’s spot before wondering, where are you God or thinking man maybe God is done working in and through me.

But Sarah is integral to the plan and story of God, without her their is no baby, there is no Isaac, there is no Abraham’s seed. We are all sent

Reminder #4 - In the waiting and suffering God is still working to accomplish his purposes in my life and in the lives of those around me, even when I can’t see it. So continue to live sent and trusting in God.

III. Live Sent Now By Looking Forward

Looking in the NT, we read about Abraham and Sarah, there is a particular passage I want us to take a look at,

Hebrews 11:8–16 (ESV)

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. (we will come back to this in a moment) By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised.

Wait a minute, we just read the story, Sarah laughed, then denied that she laughed. Some of us have laughed, doubted and dismissed God, but God is not through with us. God is still working in us and writing our story as a part of His story, the story of God.

Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.

These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.

8 Por la fe Abraham, al ser llamado, obedeció, saliendo para un lugar que había de recibir como herencia; y salió sin saber adónde iba. 9 Por la fe habitó como extranjero en la tierra de la promesa como en tierra extraña, viviendo en tiendas como[l] Isaac y Jacob, coherederos de la misma promesa, 10 porque esperaba la ciudad que tiene cimientos, cuyo arquitecto y constructor es Dios. 11 También por la fe Sara misma recibió fuerza para concebir[m], aun pasada ya la edad propicia, pues consideró fiel al que lo había prometido. 12 Por lo cual también nació de uno (y este casi muerto con respecto a esto) una descendencia como las estrellas del cielo en número, e innumerable como la arena que está a la orilla del mar.

13 Todos estos murieron en fe, sin haber recibido las promesas, pero habiéndolas visto y aceptado con gusto[n] desde lejos, confesando que eran extranjeros y peregrinos[o] sobre la tierra. 14 Porque los que dicen tales cosas, claramente dan a entender que buscan una patria propia. 15 Y si en verdad hubieran estado pensando en aquella patria de donde salieron, habrían tenido oportunidad de volver. 16 Pero en realidad, anhelan una patriamejor, es decir, celestial. Por lo cual, Dios no se avergüenza de ser[p] llamado Dios de ellos, pues les ha preparado una ciudad.

WOW! that is awesome church!

Sarah showed unbelief many times in her life, but what is she remembered for, her faith! Sarah is not just listed in the background, she is listed here as part of the story of God, because she believed God. Brothers and sisters, when we turn our lives over to Christ, when we turn from our sins and trust in him, we are new creations, our sins are thrown into the sea of forgetfulness and all that we are remembered for is our faith in Jesus. That is grace, that is the love of the Father lavished on us.

Abraham and Sarah had 1 child that is all Sarah experienced, just Isaac. But the writer of Hebrews says Abraham and Sarah greeted the promise from afar. They believed God would do what he said he would do.

They left their homeland for a better homeland, a heavenly one, so they lived as exiles and stranger on this earth sent on a mission by God. God prepared for them a city and welcomes them in.

Reminder 5# - Living Sent only makes sense if we are looking forward with an eternal perspective.

In the eye of eternity, our 60 - 100 years on this earth is just a dot on this earth, it is one grain of sand on shore of a beach,

When your kids are little, they are dependent on you, but as they grow the become less and less dependent on you and more independent. I being reminded of this again because we have 2 little ones with us again. One of them is learning to walk right now. As she is learning to walk, she will fall down, she will cry, maybe hurt a knee. What would happen if we just held her, never let her learn to walk. What if we didn’t let her experience the hardships of learning to walk. Would that be good for her?

No, we are looking to future reward of her walking, that is what makes all bumps and cries and falling down worth it.

Church on a greater level that is what it means to live sent in this world. Sometimes we are going to love on people, share the Gospel with them and they will reject you. You may shares the Gospel 100 times and no one responds. You may suffer for being a believer and sharing the gospel. But if we live as exiles and strangers in this land, looking for a homeland whose designer and builder is GodThe waiting, the suffering, the fruitless season are worth it because we serve a good Father who is not ashamed of us and who is preparing a city for us. So church live sent by trusting God, when it doesn’t make sense, when you experience more waiting and suffering than fruit by looking forward to the city which being prepared for us.