FEB 26 2023 | Genesis: Behind the Curtain S3E5 | Behind The Curtain – Season 4

Sea Change Church · Genesis: Behind the Curtain S4E5 · "Behind The Curtain - Season 4" · February 26, 2023
Automated transcript. Not reviewed for accuracy.

I invited a guest to speak today for us. And if you're brand new come back next week and I'll be back on this series. Rondi Pogue is one of our missionaries. She's amazing. She goes the India she works with all these women in India women there have a sexual abuse. She goes into the prisons works in the prisons preach the word of God Behind the Walls where we don't go in. I've noticed since she was in her early 20s, and they threw in to be the youth pastor when one of the youth pastors got fired so they threw in her and they're like you're in charge and it was like all these kids and She's just such a faithful faithful woman of God. And when I was thinking who would preach for this series that I thought I want to I want to have someone else just kind of have some breath in a different way to to interpret it or not interpret it to look at the scriptures. I thought of Randy so she'll be up in just a second. Olin is going to read the scripture and then she's gonna get the sermon Bumper in the walk-up music which would be cool. But only come on up and by the way Olin is free of cancer. So let's give it up.

Thank you. Praise be to God. So if you have your Bibles this morning. Turn to Genesis Chapter 18. Scripture verses will be verses 9 through 15. By the way, I'm part of the worship team Ministry. And I have been ever since. I was a young man. Anyway, today's scripture reading Genesis 18 verses 9 through 15. Where is your wife Sarah? They ask him?

there in the tent he said Then one of them said I will surely return to you about this time next year and Sarah your wife will have a son. Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent which was behind him. Abraham and Sarah were already very old. And Sarah was passed the age of childbearing. So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought after I'm worn out in my Lord is old. Will I now have this pleasure?

Then the Lord said to Abraham. Why did Sarah laugh and say? Will I really have a child now that I am old? Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at the appointed time next year and Sarah will have a son. Sarah was afraid so she lied and she said I did not laugh. But he said yes, you did laugh. the word of the Lord Good morning. Every time I go to a Padre game, I always imagine what my walk-up song would be if I ever played MLB. So there we go. That works. I'll never get it but I just got that so like Adam send my name is Randy Pogue, and I'm really excited to be here with you this morning and I have to be honest about a month ago. Adam sent me the scripture and he said here's what I want you to teach on and I immediately open the Bible and read it and I went oh I don't know that I have 30 minutes to teach how to this story because it's a pretty basic story. You just heard it. It's straightforward. So I've been sitting with the Lord for a month and saying God would you speak to me would you show me the depths of your scripture? Because every verse there is richness to the word of God and so I've been sitting on it and praying and diving in and studying and God has shown me so much and it has blown me away. So I'm excited to share with you what God has been teaching me this last month.

I've titled the message ability amid impossibility when something seems impossible or when something is impossible. There is ability in Christ. God is able and we're going to talk through that today. When I was in college, I developed in a food allergy and if anyone has a food allergy, you know, it's quite a bummer. I'm a foodie as well. So that really gets in the way but it caused such havoc and it was did so much to my body negatively that I was actually excited to take it out of my diet. Well, then after college, I developed a second food allergy then eight years later. I developed a third food allergy and then a month later a fourth and then a month later a fifth and then two weeks later a six. So as you can imagine at this point in life, there's not a lot I can eat going out to eat was super hard going to people's homes was impossible because I'm not going to give him a list of things, you know, can you not use any of these in summer Whole Food categories?

And so I started going to any doctor people would tell me. You know Western doctor and naturopathic doctor. I did weird things you guys some of the things I look back and like but I was just like I'll do anything. I just want this gone and then one day God said to me and I'll never forget it was on the phone with my mom in the car.

telling her crying of just I just keep getting these Foods robbed from me. And God said I want to heal you you haven't asked me I am able. And I'm almost embarrassed to say I didn't ever pray about it and I look back and I go why didn't I do that? Did I not think God was able And I do I do think he's able but I think I thought as I look back. Oh, well, some of us just live with things right some of us have ailments and we just live with them. And so I think I thought that Well, I heard that from the Lord and I said game on let's see you he on me and so I started Faithfully praying I started asking people. Will you join me in prayer?

I believe God's Gonna heal me and do you know three months later? I was healed of all six food allergies. Praise God God is able I recently said to my best friend. She is a thyroid issue. She is Hashimoto's dealt with it her whole life super strong Christian and I said, have you ever asked God to heal you on this? Just like I haven't and again, I think it came down to she's like, it's not that big of a deal. We all have ailments and I said, let's start pursuing god, let's start asking him to heal you because he is able and so she hasn't been healed yet, but we are praying and we are asking so that's what we're talking about today. I'm gonna do a quick review before we jump into the scripture because what we're gonna review is gonna go into what we're talking about today. So I'm gonna do this quickly. But in Genesis 12 Abraham God says to Abraham I will make you into a great nation. So this is the first time God has given him a promise that you're gonna have Offspring You're Gonna have children later in Genesis 12. God says to Abraham to your Offspring. I will give this land this is now the second time God has given him the promise Genesis 13. The Lord says to Abraham. I will make your Offspring like the dust of the earth so that if anyone could count the dust then your Offspring could be counted.

Genesis 15 Abraham is saying Lord. I'm old Sarah and I are getting old. You keep telling us three times now. We're going to have children. Come on, where are children and who we gonna leave our inheritance to can we leave it to a servant sure, but we don't want to we want to leave it to our kids God's response to his crying is look at the sky and see if you can count the Stars.

That's how many descendants you will have. This is now the fourth time they've been given the promise. Genesis 16 Sarah has had it. She's saying okay. I know how to deal with this. It always works when we take matters into our own hands, right? So brilliant idea Abraham come in come in. Okay. So here's what we're going to do to have a child. You're gonna sleep with our servant Hagar and then we're gonna get a child, right? That's gonna make it perfect.

And Abraham agrees and so they have a child Ishmael. Definitely. This was Plan B as Adam talked about last week, right? That was not plan a that was Plan B. So then Genesis 17. God told Abraham that he would be the father of many nations and Sarah would have a baby. Abraham laughs that is the fifth time. God has given him the promise.

And then in Genesis 18 verses 1 through 8, which is right before where we're going to start Abraham is at his tent and three men show up. And Abraham falls down and bows down in front of these three men. He has Sarah and his servant cook them a meal. And these let me clarify who these three are this is the Lord into angels and that's where we leave off. So Genesis 18:9 through 15. That's where we're going to jump in to the scripture. So verse 9 says this where is your wife Sarah? They asked him they're in the tent. He said so the first probably seven eight times I read that verse.

I thought it was very straightforward. Where's your wife? She's there in the tent. Okay move on. I kept sitting on the scripture and as I kept sitting on it the Lord broke it down and I went oh interesting. If the Lord is there right it's two angels and the Lord doesn't the Lord know where Sarah is. So why is he going to Abraham to find Sarah?

And as I sat on that question, the Lord said go to Genesis 3:9. So I went to Genesis 3:9 and it says this but the Lord God Called to the man. Where are you? And this is it. This is Adam and Eve. Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from? the Lord God Called To The Man Who Ate of the fruit first the woman did And yet God's going to the man to say, where are you?

You see men. You are the head of the household. And this story just like Adam and Eve is showing us the same thing that God is going to Abraham for his wife to see where is she? Just like God went to Adam to say, where are you? his wife was right there, but he was going To Adam he's going to Abraham. Because he is responsible to lead his family.

So then I sat on the question. Where is your wife Sarah? And I thought well, she's right there in the tent clearly the Lord knows she's right there. The Lord knows all the Lord sees all and God said go back to Genesis 3:9 when he's asking the man in Genesis 3:9. Where are you? He's not asking him where he physically is. Right, he's asking him. Do you know you've sinned?

Are you sorrowful for what you've done? Are you ready to repent? Where are you? And the same question. God is asking Abraham. About his wife Sarah. Where is your wife Sarah's faith? Is she ready to receive the promise again? Because I'm going to give her the promise again. Did you lead her well? Did you walk her in the truth? Did you remind her of the promise that I'd give you guys five times? So when I speak it she's ready to stand on that promise and say yes God, I believe you. We're gonna have a child. Where is her faith?

You see that question as we first read it. We think it's oh, where's your wife Sarah physically, but it's so much deeper than that. Is where is her faith? Have you led her well? That's the question that's being asked here. Let's go into verse 10. Then one of them said I will surely return to you about this time next year and Sarah your wife will have a son now. Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent which was behind him and I want to clarify who's speaking here. This is the Lord speaking.

and what I find funny is that every time the promise is getting given God keeps adding on more details and I don't know that I mean God knows everything so but You know here he's clarifying this time next year. I'll be back and Sarah your wife like the one you married. The one that was supposed to have the child not Hagar. Okay.

Okay, let's I didn't ever think I'd have to make this clear to my children and my creation but Sarah your wife. She's gonna be pregnant. Right and I find that so much. It's so relatable. We look at the story. We laugh and we go. Oh these Knuckleheads and then I go. Yeah, that's that's me though. Right. I'm the one that God's like okay Roundy. I didn't think I'd have to break it down this much for you.

But here we are so I'm gonna break it down for you and what a gracious and kind God, right? Who would do that? And here's what I love is they messed it up. for goodness sakes Abraham slept with a servant and yet what does God saying? I'm gonna stand true to my promise. I'm gonna stand true to it, even though you've made it messy. And if you know this story of Hagar it is messy it is sad and God is saying I'm gonna stand true to my promise because I am able.

And that's what we see her. Here's the other thing. This is now the sixth time they're hearing the promise. Isn't that relatable? How many times do we have to hear the promises of God over and over and over? And as I said in this I thought gosh God if I was God, I would have given up a long time ago like maybe after the third time I gave him the promise I would have been like okay, you don't trust me. You can't figure it out. Like I don't know what to say. Good luck. But here he is continuing to give this promise over and over and that's like God in our lives. He's gonna continue to tell us the promise. This also tells us how important it is that we need to stand on God's promises and know his promises and know the truth because we're no different than them. We may not sin like they sin but we're no different. And so we need to hear the promises a God over and over.

The other thing I like is that Sarah was listening to the entrance of the tent. It's just Humanity, right? We've all listened in on some conversation whether it's at a coffee shop or when you're a kid listening to your parents' bedroom or whatever it may be and it just makes the Bible relatable and I love that the humanity that sometimes we can take the people in the Bible and just put them up on this pedestal and they are people to learn from right they are people to look up to but they were all so human and it makes it a relatable book and a relatable story.

It's gone to verse 11 Abraham and Sarah were already very old and Sarah was past the age a childbearing. So you're going okay. What is their age 90 and a hundred? So very old Sarah was obviously passed menopause. So this is telling us this is gonna be a miracle scientifically this can not happen. And I think that's probably why they're struggling.

They're getting they're not getting old. They are old. And if I had someone who came up to me and was 90 and 100 and said yeah, God told us we're gonna have a child. I think I would think I don't know what God you're praying to and you're hearing but not my God, right like 90 and a hundred. So we see why they are probably struggling with this promise.

Verse 12. So Sarah laughed her herself as she thought after I am worn out and my Lord is old. Will I now have this pleasure? So me clarify who the Lord is here. This is a lowercase L because this is meaning Abraham the lord of the household as we talked about before he is the Lord. He is the head of the household because that's how God has arranged our households and our marriages to be so that's what that means. So Sarah laughing to herself and thinking after I'm worn out my Lord is old. Well, I now have this pleasure is all in her head. No one has heard this because it has not been audibly.

And I'm imagining she's in the tent and she's listening and she hears this and she's probably like who are these Jokers out here who are these comedians? He's traveling comedians telling us we're gonna get pregnant at 90 and a hundred. Right when you think about it, sometimes you go. Oh, yeah, it's the Bible. It was back then it happens. This is crazy a 90-100 year old.

But here's what's interesting that God showed me. Sarah laughed Who laughed first? If you remember in our review we talked about in Genesis set 17 the fifth time the promise was given Abraham laughed. Here's what's interesting. Sarah followed in the steps of Abraham remember the question that God asked him at the beginning. Where is your wife Sarah?

Was not physically as where is her faith. Have you led her well And here we see the answer. That she followed her husband's footsteps. Now I understand. We all have free will I get it you can't control. But I think this is showing that he didn't lead her well. He didn't say come on hun. This is the promise. I know it's hard. It's shaky. Sometimes it's hard for me to believe but we've got to stand on the promise of God.

Instead. She's following his footsteps and laughs. going on to verse 13 Then the Lord said to Abraham, why did Sarah laugh and say well I really have a child now that I'm old. This proves the character of God this proves his attribute that he is all knowing. He hears. All right, because Sarah laughed in her head and she had that thought in her head and the Lord is saying to Abraham. Why did she laugh?

So this proves who he is. Did you also notice the Lord is asking Abraham why she laughed? and again, I think it's because the Lord is saying I'm going to confront you in the way that you didn't leave your wife well, and it's not condemnation, but it's addressing what has happened and so is he is asking Abraham. Why did she laugh?

Right and God is so good at asking questions. And if the more you read the Bible the more you see God and Jesus ask questions instead of saying, nope. You're wrong. Nope that sin. Nope, you fail right? Because then we get defensive we shut down. But when you ask a question, it makes you sit with it and makes you evaluate and you come to that conclusion. I'm sure it's very much like a parent.

Where you can say something, but when your child comes to it on their own, it's more powerful. And so that's the same here. I believe is the Lord is asking a question to get Abraham to think. The Lord was looking for Faith and he found disbelief. The Lord is always looking for faith. And you know in the last couple years the Lord has really taught me and reminded me to get back to Faith that sometimes I like to go off and study these deep things about my faith, but I forget it's all about faith.

It's not about all the disciplines and all this and that but it's about faith in Christ. And that's what he's looking for. Is those who have faith? verse 14 is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at this at the point of time next year and Sarah will have a son. This is the seventh time they are now receiving the promise.

Here's what I love. God did not get angry at their disbelief, but he responded with dealing with the sin of unbelief. That he said hey is anything too hard for me? Is anything too hard? I told you six other times is anything too hard. Again, it's asking a question. It reminds me. a lot of the adulterous woman Who if you're not familiar with this story where she's caught in the middle of having an affair and they pull her out in the middle of the town and back in those days. You would be stoned to death the woman would for being caught for being in the middle of a fair and she gets down on the ground and she's covering yourself because she's afraid the stones are gonna be thrown at her and all these men are standing there with their Throne the stones ready to throw them and Jesus walks on the scene and he says you who have not sin May cast the first stone.

And they all drop their stones and they walk away. And the last one standing is the only one who was qualified to throw the stone and he didn't. He got down to her level and he said go and sin no more. Right here. He addressed what was going on and sent her off on her way. No condemnation. No shame. Here's what I want for you go and sin.

Excuse me, no more. Go. And I see that here. It's very similar to me. That the Lord is saying nothing is too hard for me. There's no shame. There's no condemnation, but my children nothing is too hard for me. Nothing. Will you believe the promise the seventh time? I'm telling you this. I've never have broken a promise to and I'm not gonna do it. Now.

You see no habit. No, we're worrying. No fear. No problem. No relationship is too big for God. None of it. We look at the Bible in some stories. I wrote down was the Red Sea. Just go stand at a large body of water. And imagine it partying and being too walls. And they're being a deaf dirt path for you to walk through. Amazing that happened and that could happen again today.

That's not just something that happened then and God couldn't do it now he's able. If he wanted to he could do it today. He raised Lazarus from the dead. He raised Jesus from the dead the blind can see the lame can walk. The deaf can hear a virgin had a child. Paul's transformation you look at Paul who killed Christians? And he became a man that we read the books that he wrote about who God was in the transformation in his life.

God is able nothing is too hard for him. And I think a lot of times we can believe it for other people. But it's hard to believe for ourselves. And I wonder if that was the same thing with Abraham and Sarah. That they think oh, yeah, God God could have done that for someone else, but me. Right. It's a lot harder when it's for yourself because you're in the thick of it. You're in the emotions. I think of 90 and a hundred year olds that I know.

And my grandmother died a year and a half year a year and a half ago. She was too much. Shy for 99th birthday. This woman was sharp. She worked until she was I want to say 96 drove until she was 94. She had 11 grandkids. She knew everything about us. I mean till the day she died. She was still staying stuff incredible, but I can remember what it was like for her to Simply get in and out of bed right at 90 and she fell I think the last fall took her but I think it was three total fall. She had and I think a couple of them were getting in and out of bed.

So imagine a 90 and 100 year old not only are going to make a child that that age they're going to have a child at that age a body a woman's 90 year old body. And they're going to raise a child at that age, right? That's hard to believe I could probably believe that a little bit more for someone else, but for me, no. But God is able and that's why we need to surround ourselves with people who stand on the Promises of God.

When where we can say I get it? It's hard you're struggling. But here's the promise. Here's the truth of who God is and what he's going to do if he promised it he's going to come through. in verse 15 Sarah was afraid so she lied and said I did not laugh, but he said yes you did. So God here again. He's confronting what is going on? And he said I don't want you to deny this. I want you to believe my promise.

And so I'm going to confront you on this and say you did laugh but there's no shame no condemnation. I just want you to grab a hold of this promise. So what are the takeaways? Here are the three main points the three takeaways. The first one I have is I really loved seeing how Abraham just like Adam was the head of the household and how God went to him and said, where is your wife's Faith?

Have you led her well, men you God has called you and it is an honor what an honor. To be the head of the household the head of your marriage. And I know that can kind of be controversial sometimes to hear that. But let me tell you it's not a large in charge. I say jump you say how high? God says that you are to love your wife as Christ loved the church and how did he do that? He laid his life down. He sacrificed.

It's a high calling. What is your name? If you have children father, what is that represent the heavenly father? It's an honor that you would get to do that. You see 85% of Youth in prison come from fatherless homes. 75% Long-term Correction Facility inmates come from fatherless homes, the women I work with at Las Colinas. I would say probably every single one. I've worked with come from fatherless homes.

There is an importance in your role and it's an honor. There's a quote I heard this week and it said the only place a man is irreplaceable is his home. Man, isn't that the truth? We see our world and we look around and we go. Yeah without fathers. That's what happens. So what a beautiful calling you have. The second point is God is able.

God is able ability amid impossibility. God can defy all laws of nature. He's Able in your life and those around you And the third main point is God is a promise keeper. So we need to remember his promises and his truths. We need to be in the word of God ourselves. We need to be coming to church. We need to be in a small group because just like Abraham and Sarah. We need to constantly hear them, right because we waver there are times in life where I waver more than other times, but where I waiver of did God really say that We've got to hear him time and time again, and that's why it's important who we surround ourselves with. Do you have people around you who are reminding you of the promises? That's something I'm I love doing with friends of hearing them out sitting in the English with them and then saying but let me remind you.

Here's the promise of God. Here's the truth of who he is. Don't forget that. So I'm gonna end with this story. I have a really good friend. We used to be roommates and she and her husband have been trying to have a baby for eight years. And they've done it all they've been told it was her husband who won't be able to because it issues. He has they've done in vitro. They've done it all nothing.

Will last you they got pregnant and God had told her you're going to have a child. So she's been standing on that promise. God told me God told me we're gonna have a child and so they did and we were all excited. So many people have been praying for her. And him as well and then four months later, they lost the child. and obviously they were it was beyond words for them.

She sat with the Lord again, and she said was was that the child you promised me a child that was a child and I'll meet that child one day, but will we have a child here on Earth or was that it and the Lord said no, you're gonna have a child and she said, okay. And so she's still standing on that promise and they haven't seen it come fulfilled yet.

But they're standing on that and they encourage me constantly with the way that they stand on the promise. No, God told us. And we're gonna have the faith. And so may we be people who have the faith that believe nothing is too hard for the Lord nothing for ourselves for others whether it's big whether it's small and let me say this. I don't want this to sound.

Like oh if you just pray you're going to be healed, right? That's that's not the gospel. That's not what happens. Sometimes we know God doesn't heal. He doesn't give the baby. He doesn't whatever. But with faith we move forward and we have faith and trust that God is able that regardless, even if I wasn't healed in my six food allergies. I know God is able to do it whether he doesn't or not that's his choice. So I just want to make that clear. I'm not just saying, you know, you hear all kinds of crazy messages out there. If you don't have enough Faith, you won't be healed. That's not this message. God is able And I believe he wants to heal us and he wants us to ask that pleases him.

Let's pray. Father we thank you that we cannot grasp you. That we can't box you in? That you can do things like the Red Sea splitting a sea. Blind people can see death can hear lame can walk. Someone at 90 and a hundred can have a child. Would you increase our faith in you? So we are people who would believe that you can do that today?

In our lives that you are able nothing is too big for you. We ask for your help God because we know that we are like Abraham and Sarah. Where we laugh sometimes when we hear things. The promises. Yeah, right that that can't happen to me. Look how I messed up. But God you stand true to your promises. So would you find us people? That when we hear a promise.

We're standing firm and we're believing it and we're not laughing but we're excited to see the fruition of that promise. Father thank you. Again. Thank you that you're so big. That you defy all laws in nature. Would you give us a desire a craving a yearning? For you and your word. We love you pray this in Jesus name. Amen.