Sarah Overhears the Promise of a Son

Well, let me invite you this morning to, turn in your Bibles to Genesis chapter 18 for our time of study. And the word this morning. Genesis chapter 18. We're doing a verse by verse study through the book of Genesis, and as we continue in our study of this book this morning, we come to Genesis chapter 18 verse 1, and my goal, this morning is to cover verses 1 through 15.

And if you wanna give a title to the message this morning, it would be Sarah overhears the promise of a son. Sarah overhears the promise of a son. I, my wife and I have two daughters, both of whom are now, married. And as a father of daughters, one of the things that I have noticed over the years is how careful I have had to be in engaging in private conversations within earshot of them, because they can hear more than I think they can hear.

I've even experimented sometimes, over the years, by quietly talking to my wife. in our downstairs living room about one of our daughters, and that daughter will speak up from her upstairs bedroom. And say, I can hear you, Dad. It amazes me.

I sometimes don't hear things that are being said right next to me because my mind is off somewhere else, but the women in my house hear everything. What I've learned over the years is this, if a woman's ears are perked, There is nowhere within a neighborhood block. That they will not hear what you are saying and don't think whispering. Keeps them from hearing.

They have a special ability to hear whispers even better. Than when you're talking normally. Any of you experienced that? Any of you dads experienced that?

OK. It's just the way I think God made women and we will see in our passage today that God assumes Sarah's giftedness in this area. God will deliver a message to Sarah, and he will do so by letting Sarah overhear a conversation that God is having with Abraham. And God will thereby minister to Sarah and see to it that she hears some sweet words of promise and receives help from the Lord in getting to a place of faith.

It's a beautiful story. Last week, we studied Genesis chapter 17 and in that chapter we saw how God appeared to Abraham when Abraham was 99 years old and how God restated His covenant promises to Abraham and expanded on some of them. And we saw how for the first time in the last chapter, God specifically mentioned Sarah in his promise to Abraham, and God promised Abraham that he would give him a son through Sarah. We saw that in verse 16.

We saw how Abraham initially responded. Initially he laughed with disbelief at the promise of God and we saw that in Genesis 17:17. In fact, he fell on his face laughing. That's how funny.

It was to him, but we saw how God spoke further with Abraham. And brought him to a place of faith. We know that Abraham was in a place of faith, believing in the Lord and His promises by the end of chapter 17, because in the last several verses of that chapter, we see Abraham willingly being circumcised together with the men of his household in order to bear the mark of God's covenant promises in his own flesh. So there's every reason to think that Abraham by the end of Genesis 17, is in a place of faith, believing the promises of God.

And there's every reason to believe that he would have told Sarah. What God had promised about through her, providing a son at this time next year, which God had promised in chapter 17, and Abraham would have told her that God says that you're gonna have a son named Isaac by this time next year. However, what happens in Genesis chapter 18 reveals the fact that while Abraham was in a good place, while he was in a place of faith, Sarah is not in the same place. As Abraham In fact, she's lagging behind in her faith.

In our story today, God is going to actually read Sarah's thoughts and voice them out loud. And central in her thoughts is an unbelieving laughter. At the promise of God and the question, shall I indeed bear a child when I am so old. Sarah is never going to conceive a child with such unbelief in her heart.

God wants to do a miracle in Sarah's womb. In the coming months, but he will accomplish that miracle. By first doing a miracle in her heart. God will accomplish that miracle in her womb, and he will do so through the instrumentality of faith in her heart.

And so priority number 1 for God at this point of the narrative of Genesis is to, to root out the unbelief that is in Sarah's heart and to get her to a place of faith. And in Genesis 18, we will see God actually showing up at Sarah's house. In order that she might hear God's promise from his own lips, and that's the story of Genesis 18:1 through 15. Here's how we'll break down the story.

We'll observe six developments in this account of the Lord restating his promise of a son in Sarah's hearing within earshot. of Sarah. The first development in this story is the Lord appears at Abraham's home. In the form of 3 men.

The Lord actually makes an appearance in this passage, and he appears at Abraham's home in the form of 3 men. We're told a few things in verses 1 and 2. 1st of all, We're told where the Lord appeared to Abraham. Look at verse one.

Now the Lord appeared to him, speaking of Abraham by the oaks of Mamra. While he was sitting at the tent door. In other words, the Lord came to Abraham's house. Imagine sitting on your front porch and Jehovah personally visits your home.

That's what happens here to Abraham. We're told also when the Lord appeared. Verse 1 tells us that he appeared in the heat of the day, which would be at some point in the afternoon. Abraham would have been sitting at the door of his tent enjoying his afternoon siesta when the Lord decides to show up and make his appearance.

We're also told the particular manner. In which the Lord appears to Abraham. He appears in the form of 3 men. In verse 2, this is what we're told.

When he, Abraham, lifted up his eyes and looked, behold, 3 men were standing opposite him. There's an element of surprise here, which means that Abraham, for whatever reason, maybe he dozed off, did not see these men approaching from a distance and coming towards his tent. All we're told is that the 3 men were standing opposite him. In other words, they were standing in front of him some distance away when he first sees them.

As the narrative of Genesis 18 and then 19 unfolds, we'll eventually know that one of these three men is Jehovah. And the other two are called angels in Genesis 19:1. So we know that this is Jehovah appearing. In the form of a man.

And he has two angels who are with him who also look like men. Commentators are divided on whether or not Abraham knew right away that this was Jehovah. In some ways, Abraham's response to the three men is consistent with how Abraham would respond to the Lord Himself, but there's other things that Abraham does in this story. That seemed to indicate that he saw these men, at least initially as ordinary travelers who could use some washing up and some rest and some refreshment.

Either way, the impression that you get Is that the way that Abraham responds here to the three visitors is the way that he responded to all people who passed by his tent. And if that is the case, that, then we can say that verses 2 through 5 provides us the clearest glimpse of how Abraham behaved in his normal everyday, day to day life. Every other event recorded In the life of Abraham in the book of Genesis is recorded because it was out of the ordinary. This encounter with the Lord in Genesis 18 ends up being out of the ordinary, but it starts off normal enough.

And it's this normalcy. That provides us perhaps the clearest glimpse of how Abraham behaved in his normal everyday life. And the picture, guys, that we're gonna see of Abraham is beautiful indeed. Look at how Abraham responds to his 3 visitors, and this leads us to the 2nd development in the story of God restating his promise of a son in Sarah's hearing, and that is Abraham invites the 3 men to receive his hospitality.

First of all, Abraham greets these men in the most eager and humble way possible. Look at what he, the text says in verse 2. And when he, Abraham, saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth. Don't forget that Abraham is how old?

He's 99 years old and here he is running. From his tent door to meet these men and offer hospitality to them. We're also told here that he bowed himself to the earth, which was a sign of great respect and urgency. If Abraham knows that this is Jehovah, right away, then he's bowing in worship.

At the very least, this is Abraham assuming a humble and pleading posture before his potential guests that he's about to invite to stop. And stay with him for a while. It's evident that among the three men, one of them was clearly the primary one among them. Throughout this whole passage, there are times when Abraham speaks to all three of the men and other times he's just addressing one, the primary one among them.

And here in verse 3, he addresses the one. The primary one. Look at verse 3, and he said, My Lord, if now I have found favor in your sight, please do not pass your servant by. The word that is translated, my lord is the Hebrew word Adonai.

This is one of the names of God and this is why the New American Standard translators capitalize Lord here. Because Abraham is in fact talking. To the Lord. But keep in mind that this word Adenai was also used as a very respectful greeting among men.

In fact, Sarah is going to call her own husband Adoni. In Genesis, I think verse 18, later in this account. She will call him Adoni using the same root word and in Genesis 19:18. Lot is going to refer to the two angels as Adonai.

So we don't have to take Abraham's use of this word Adonai to mean that he knows that it's Jehovah just yet. Notice that Abraham speaking to the primary men among the three, refers to himself as your servant. This is the way Abraham thought of himself, obviously in relation to the Lord, but it's also the way that he thought of himself in relation to guests in his home, just as we do today, right? Part of the spirit of hospitality is conveying respect.

To your guests and posturing yourself as a servant to them, and this is what Abraham, at the very least is doing here. As Abraham looks upon these guests, he seems to think of them as human enough to need rest and refreshment before they travel on. So he basically offers them 4 things. First of all, he offers them a way to wash up.

Look at verse 4, please let a little water be brought and wash your feet. He also offers them rest. He says to them, and rest yourselves under the tree. He also offers them the promise of food.

In verse 5, he says, and I will bring a piece of bread that you may refresh yourselves. It's these offers. That indicate that Abraham probably did not know. That this was Jehovah and two angels just yet.

when Jehovah appears to someone and they know it's Jehovah, they don't typically respond. By offering God water to wash his feet with, or a tree to rest under, or offering him a piece of pita bread. To be refreshed by. Abraham also here promises not to intrude too much on their plans for the day.

At the end of verse 5, he says to them, after that, you may go on since you have visited. Your servant. He's saying, I won't keep you long. You'll be on your way soon.

The last part of Abraham's statement could be translated literally from the Hebrew because for this account, you have come across your servant. In other words, Abraham is saying here, it's providential that you have happened to come this way so that I could provide you with refreshment. Well, how do these men respond? This brings us to the next development in this account of God making an appearance and restating his promise of a son within earshot of Sarah, so that she could be brought to a place of faith.

And this third development is the three men accept Abraham's hospitality. Look at the end of verse 5, and they said, so do as you have said. In other words, we'll stop and wash up and let you bring us a piece of your bread. That's all they're saying here.

What Abraham does as soon as they say this is enough to make the reader laugh. These guests have agreed only to let Abraham. Give them a piece of bread, yet look at what Abraham does starting in verse 6. So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah and said quickly, prepare 3 measures of fine flour, knead it and make bread cakes.

Notice that Abraham is insisting that Sarah use the fine flour, meaning the finest, the choicest of wheat flour that they had. Amazingly, Abraham tells Sarah to prepare 3 measures of fine flour. And it's hard to know exactly how much this is, but just about any commentator you will read will tell you that this is at least a few gallons worth of fine flour, which will make far more bread than these three men could eat. Abraham is not only wanting these men to have plenty of bread to eat right now, but he's wanting them to have bread for their journey.

And this is also just the way it is with Middle Eastern hospitality where the host provides far more for his guests than they could possibly hope to eat. At the very least, this is going to take some time to prepare. This is like Imagine being at someone's home and, the man of the house says to you, would you like a piece of chicken? And you say, sure.

And then immediately he runs to his wife and tells her to go out in the backyard and kill a chicken. So that they can prepare it. And cook it and then give you that piece of chicken that you agreed to eat. That's what Abraham is doing here.

And speaking of meat, look at verse 7, Abraham also ran to the herd and took a tender and choice calf and gave it to the servant, and he hurried to prepare it. The language here indicates that Abraham finds the best calf of his flock. That would provide the tenderest and most delicious meat, and he hurries to have it prepared by his servant for these 3 visitors. Notice, guys, the language of eagerness and haste in This passage.

In verse 2, we see that Abraham ran from his tent door to meet these visitors. In verse 6, he hurried into the tent to tell Sarah to prepare food for his guest. He tells her to do it quickly, and in verse 7, we're told that Abraham ran to the herd to get a calf and that he hurried. To prepare it 3 weeks ago, we looked at Romans chapter 12 verse 13 where Paul calls upon us to pursue or chase after hospitality.

And this is what Abraham is doing. He is pursuing hospitality with the greatest of eagerness. And he probably doesn't even know yet that this is Jehovah. And two angels.

On top of that, we see Abraham serving these guests himself. Look at verse 8. In verse 8, it says, he took Kurds. Which is basically yogurt.

Which is the only thing in this story that I do not like. Abraham took the curds and milk and the calf which he had prepared and placed it before them. Don't forget that this whole thing started. With Abraham offering to bring these visitors a piece of bread.

They agree to let him bring them a piece of bread and by the time everything is said and done, they're getting a meal of bread cakes, yogurt, milk, and calf meat. Speaking about what Abraham does in this passage, the Jewish Talmud. Makes this observation, it says such is the way of the righteous, they promise little but perform much. And that's what Abraham does.

In this passage As he shows hospitality to these men. Lastly, we see that Abraham serves as a waiter for these guests. Look at how verse 8 ends, it says, and he was standing by them under the tree as they ate. I don't think we can imagine a better example of hospitality in all of the Bible.

Abraham was clearly a man who pursued hospitality, who opened the door of his heart and his home to others, and we are blessed to get this glimpse of Abraham in this seemingly normal moment of his life. Anyway, the men are enjoying the meal and Abraham is serving as their waiter, bringing them dish after dish. He stands by them, serving them while they eat, but eventually these men get to the reason for their visit, and this brings us to the next development in The story And that is that the Lord.

Promises Abraham a son.

Through Sarah. And he makes that promise in Sarah's hearing. Notice what the men do first. At some point in the conversation.

Verse 9, it says, then they said to him, they said to Abraham, where is Sarah, your wife? Notice that they're using the new pronunciation. Of Sarah's name They call her Sarah. Not sorry.

Evidently, these men know that Sarah is Abraham's wife and they know her new covenant name given to her a few days earlier back in Genesis 17. Given the fact that Jehovah is one of the three men, we know that these men are not asking. About Sarah's whereabouts for their own benefit. Their goal is to ask this question in order to get Sarah's attention for the announcement that they are about to make.

All Sarah needs to do is hear these men mention her name and ask where she is and she is all ears for what the men are about to say next. Look at Abraham's response to their question, and he said, there, in the tent. The language indicates that Abraham would have pointed to Sarah. He doesn't just say she's in the tent.

Literally, he says, there. In the tent, pointing. to where Sarah is. So, Sarah, no doubt, hears this and imagine what she is thinking at this moment.

Have you ever been, I know this probably happened to all of us. You've been in a social setting where maybe you're talking to someone and there's another group of people in the room talking and, you overhear people in that other group talking and they mention your name. Maybe one of them even says, where is so and so? And they mention your name.

And then you hear someone in that other group say over there as they're pointing at you, meanwhile, you look away and act like you don't hear anything. But you're listening. You're riveted, aren't you? A person may be talking to you in a conversation at that moment and you're looking at them politely.

But you're not listening to what they're saying. You're listening to what the people in this other group are saying because they're talking about you. And that's how Sarah is right now. She's all ears at this point.

And her ears are tuned to the conversation that Abraham and these 3 visitors are having. And now that the Lord knows that he has Sarah's attention. Look at what he does in verse 10. says, and he said, And he probably whispered it, knowing that she would hear the whisper even better.

And he said, I will surely return to you at this time next year. And behold, Sarah, your wife will have a son. This is a very similar promise to what God promised a few days earlier in Genesis 17:21 and the language used here is probably what started to open Abraham's eyes that this is Jehovah. Sitting here talking to me.

Who else could say, I will surely return to you at this time next year and thereby cause your wife to have a son? Only Jehovah could talk this way. So Abraham at this point is probably beginning to realize conclusively that this is Jehovah. As for what Sarah is doing, look at what the very end of verse 10 tells us.

It says, and Sarah, was listening At the tent door, which was behind him. Sarah didn't just overhear, she was listening. At the tent door. The Lord's back was to her while he talked with Abraham, but Sarah was listening in and heard his promise that he would return at this time next year and cause Sarah to have a son.

Sarah now is hearing the promise of God from his own lips. And how does she respond? This brings us To the next development In the story of God speaking his promise and Sarah's hearing. Think about it, Abraham would have told her the promise God had spoken.

We're gonna have a son through you, Sarah, this time next year. God told me that, and now Sarah is hearing it. From the Lord's lips Himself. This is the 2nd time she's heard this promise now, and how does she respond?

She laughs with unbelief at the Lord's promise of a son. She laughs with unbelief at the Lord's promise of a son. First of all, to help us appreciate Sarah's response. The narrator very graciously reminds us of something just in case we forgot.

Look at verse 11. Now Abraham and Sarah were old. Advanced in age. Not only that, but the narrator tells us that Sarah was past childbearing.

Literally the last phrase. there in the Hebrew is translated this way, there ceased to be for Sarah, the way of women. And that expression, the way of women. is used elsewhere in the Old Testament to speak of the menstrual cycle.

Of women And the narrator is telling us that Sarah's cycle had ceased. In other words, she is a postmenopausal woman. She is well past the point. of hot flashes and carrying fans with her wherever she went.

Sarah's womb, guys, is in a state of double death. Throughout her life, she had been barren. But she did experience the monthly cycle, which always was a sign of possible hope. But her cycle had long since ceased.

So here's the math. Barren womb Plus menopause equals the double death of any dream. of having a child. This is the physical state of Sarah right now.

As for the state of her faith, look at how Sarah responds upon hearing the promise that the man who's the Lord has just stated. Verse 12, Sarah laughed to herself, saying, after I have become old, shall I have pleasure, my Lord being old also? Notice that Sarah here does not speak her thoughts out loud. She doesn't speak her thoughts to her husband or to the Lord.

The text simply says she laughed to herself. Literally, she laughed in her inward parts. That's how the Hebrew reads. And as she laughs in her heart, she is saying in her heart, after I have become old, shall I have pleasure, my Lord being old.

Also, The Hebrew word translated old at the beginning of Sarah's statement literally means worn out. This is the word we would use to speak of worn out clothing. Or a worn out pair of shoes. Sarah here is describing herself as worn out and of no use for anyone interested in childbearing.

On top of that, she's married to a man who's 10 years older than she is. She says, shall I have pleasure, my Lord, being old also? Guys, even in Sarah's moment of unbelief, she's very respectful in how she thinks about her husband and the apostle Peter is actually gonna point this out in 1 Peter chapter 3, verse 6. But as respectful as Sarah is, she can't deny the fact that her husband is just plain old.

So here's the math now. Barren womb plus menopause, plus 99 year old husband equals the triple death of any chances of ever having a child. Talk about a hopeless situation. And Sarah is contemplating all this and she says, shall I have pleasure?

At the very least, in that expression, she's speaking of the pleasure of conceiving and having a child together with Abraham. You'll notice that Sarah's response here is very similar to Abraham's back in the previous chapter when God had made the same promise to Abraham. In Genesis 17:17 that you see at the bottom of the screen. The text says Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said in his heart, will a child be born to a man 100 years old, and will Sarah, who is 90 years old, bear a child?

So he had this, a similar response to Sarah. But Abraham had the benefit of God speaking further with him. And bringing him to a place of faith by the end of the chapter, chapter 17. And Abraham, no doubt, went home after that encounter with the Lord and shared all of this with Sarah.

But while he had moved on in his faith and was in a place of faith, Sarah is actually still stuck in exactly the same spot that Abraham was in Genesis 17:17. And the words of promise that the Lord, this man who's visiting their home, that he is now speaking, is surfacing her unbelief, so that it can be dealt with. Sarah responds with laughter and with questioning in her heart. Obviously not believing any of this is possible.

In fact, it's not only not possible, it's laughable. And guys, as, as understandable as Sarah's laughter is, To us, imagine how that laughter sounded to God. God is El Shaddai. He can do the impossible, he can bend nature to his own will.

He can do anything he pleases with the absolute power that he possesses. Nothing is too hard for him, and he states what he intends to do. I will return to you, and Sarah will have a son this time next year. And when Sarah hears El Shaddai stating his intention, She laughs.

Well, El Shaddai is not gonna let that stand. It turns out that Sarah's moment of private unbelief is not so private. And this brings us to the final development in the story of God restating his promise. In Sarah's hearing, and that is the Lord exposes and challenges Sarah's unbelief.

He exposes and then challenges Sarah's unbelief. Look at what happens in verse 13. And the Lord said to Abraham, Why did Sarah laugh, saying, shall I indeed bear a child when I am so old? Since the introduction of the Lord, which is the Hebrew word for Jehovah in verse one, this is now the first time in the story itself that we're told that it's the Lord who is speaking.

Which is supposed to hit us like a thunderbolt. It turns out that this is not just a man who is speaking. This is the Lord, this is Jehovah, and he knows that Sarah laughed in her heart, and he knows exactly what she said in the privacy of her own heart, and he's calling her out. God's response to Sarah here is striking.

Part of what's striking is that he doesn't address Sarah directly. Instead, he hears Sarah laugh. And question with unbelief in her heart. And Jehovah turns not to Sarah, but to her husband.

And the text says, the Lord said to Abraham, why did Sarah laugh? Men, husbands be challenged by this. When your wife is in a place of unbelief. It may be that the Lord won't come to your wife first.

But he will come to you first and say, why is your wife not believing? Don't misunderstand, Sarah is responsible for her unbelief, and the Lord will talk to her directly in just a moment. But Abraham is also responsible to tend to his wife's spiritual well-being. So the Lord locks eyes with Abraham and says to him, why did Sarah laugh?

Saying, shall I indeed bear a child when I am so old? Abraham give an account. For your wife's response. When I was reading this passage a few weeks ago in preparation for today, this question of the Lord to Abraham about his wife pierced my heart.

I started thinking back on so many moments in mine and Donna's marriage. When if God had visited my home, he would have listened to my wife's thoughts in the privacy of her heart, and then he would have locked eyes with me and said, Milton, Why is your wife crying? Why is Donna having trouble believing that she is precious to me? Why is your wife walking in condemnation and not believing that my grace is for her?

Man, if God visited your home today, What might he ask you as a husband about your wife? Would he read your wife's thoughts and then look at you and say, why does your wife not believe my promises? Why is your wife in a place of unbelief? Why is your wife angry?

Why does your wife feel unloved by me? Why does she laugh? At my gospel promises. At the core of the Lord's question to Abraham.

is the fact that there's nothing funny about what he had promised. So still speaking to Abraham. But speaking loudly enough for Sarah to hear, the Lord says to Abraham in verse 14, Is anything too difficult for the Lord? The Lord is saying, is God a God of limits?

Are there things he just can't accomplish because they're just too difficult for him? Is Sarah really content to believe in a God who is something less than omnipotent? He's asking this question for Sarah's benefit as she listens, but he's also arming Abraham with something to say to his wife in the days to come to help her with her faith. Then the Lord very graciously repeats His promise from verse 10.

And says at the appointed time. I will return to you at this time next year and Sarah will have a son. And I'm so glad the Lord responded this way. He didn't retract his promise out of anger.

He also didn't retract his promise out of embarrassment. He could have said, wow, I appreciate Sarah's laughter, it's awakened me to the fact that this maybe is too difficult for me after all. Now I'm embarrassed to have promised what I promised. What was I thinking?

But God doesn't respond in these ways. Guys, when God makes a promise, when you read in His word, any promise that he makes to you, God means what he says and he says what he means. And so here in this story, God restates his promise and he retracts not one iota of what he had said earlier in his earlier promise. So what has Sarah just heard in verse 14?

Well, she's been reminded that nothing is too difficult for Jehovah. She's also heard the same promise graciously repeated by The Lord She also knows that the speaker, who she probably now is figuring out this is the Lord, that he knows that she laughed, yet he still restates his promise that this good thing will come upon her. What grace This is now the 3rd time that Sarah has heard this promise from the Lord. She heard it from Abraham.

When God made that promise back in Genesis 17:21, when God told Abraham that Sarah will bear you a son named Isaac at this season, next year, and now, and Sarah would have heard that secondhand through Abraham. And maybe she even said, I need to hear this from the Lord's lips. Well, the Lord is now letting her hear this promise from his own lips in verse 10. And then he states it again in verse 14 for a 3rd time.

We see the grace of God at work here. Technically, guys, is it not true that God only needs to state his promises once and we need to believe what he says? But we see here that God is willing to speak His promises, however often Sarah needs to hear them in order to be helped in her struggling faith. Imagine though what a shock this is to Sarah's system.

This man speaking has his back to her, the fabric of the tent is separating them. Sarah is merely laughing in her inward parts and questioning what the speaker is saying in the privacy of her own heart, but this speaker, Just indicated that he knew exactly what she was thinking. And that she had laughed in the privacy of her own heart, and he publicly calls her out for it. Sarah's first instinct.

is to lie. Look at what she does in verse 15. The text says Sarah denied it, however. Saying I did not laugh.

The Hebrew word translated denied is the Hebrew word, it's one of the words in Hebrew for lying or deceiving. The word it is not even in the Hebrew text. Literally the text reads, Sarah lied, however, saying, I did not laugh. Now there's actually something good that's happening here.

As wrong as it was for Sarah to lie, And say that she did not laugh. Her lie, her denial at least indicates that she has been moved enough to a place of faith to such a degree that she actually feels embarrassed for laughing. That's a good thing. Sarah could have said, yes, I did laugh.

And I'm not ashamed to have laughed because what you've said is ridiculous and it'll never happen. But she doesn't defend. Her laughter in a brazen way, which means that she's ready to renounce her laughter, and the unbelief that lay behind it. The only problem, is that she's renouncing her laughter in the wrong way.

She tries to renounce her laughter by denying. That she had laughed at all. And this is how deceptive the human heart can be even in moments when God is doing a good work in us. Sarah is ashamed of her laughter, but she handles that shame by denying and trying to cover the fact that she had laughed.

And God loves her so much. That he's not gonna let her get by with it. Why did Sarah respond this way? The text tells us the reason.

In verse 15, the text says, for she was afraid. Turns out she had nothing to be afraid of. God delights in those who confess their sins to Him, and he stands ready to forgive them and prosper them if they'll confess their sins and not conceal their sins. It's the person who denies their sin and conceals their sin, who has very much to be afraid of from the Lord.

Look at how the Lord responds to Sarah. He turns to Sarah directly at the end of verse 15, the text says, and he said, no, but you did laugh. God wants Sarah to understand that there was in fact unbelief in her heart, and he's telling her that there is no sense in hiding it from me. Why would you lie to God?

I know your heart. I know your thoughts. Now we're not told here of Sarah's response because we already know everything we need to know if we're thinking carefully. We know that Sarah felt shame over her laughter and that's a good thing.

We know that she didn't bother trying to defend her laughter, and that's a good thing. We also know that Sarah does not argue with the Lord when he restated the fact that she had laughed. Her silence means that she was willing to let the statement of the Lord stand. She's willing to let the record show that she had indeed laughed, the laughter of unbelief.

We also know from later scriptural revelation. That God succeeded in moving Sarah to a place of faith. In this very promise of God that he is stating on this occasion. We know this from Hebrews 11:11.

Listen to what the writer of Hebrews says in this verse. He says, by faith, Sarah herself received the ability to conceive even beyond the proper time of life since she considered him faithful who had promised. Notice the words by faith. And just a few weeks from this encounter in Genesis 18, Sarah will conceive in her womb, and the writer of Hebrews says she conceived by faith.

Since she considered God faithful who had promised. Sarah obtained this miracle of conception in her womb through the instrumentality of her faith. And this explains why God shows up on her doorstep in Genesis 18 to help move her to this place of faith. So that she would be able to come together in physical intimacy with Abraham and conceive a child together with Abraham by faith.

So let's say it this way, all in all, God does 3 miracles. First of all, he enables Abraham to believe the impossible and he achieved that in chapter 17. Secondly, he enables Sarah. To believe the impossible.

And he goes a long way towards achieving that in chapter 18. And then thirdly, God supernaturally works through the faith of Abraham and through the faith of Sarah and causes Sarah to conceive in her womb, the Son of Promise, whose name would be Isaac. By the way, we lose something here in the English translation. Let me throw one Hebrew word into the story and it, it'll make more sense.

When Sarah first heard the promise, Verse 12 tells us that she Isaaced to herself. Then in verse 13, the Lord says to Abraham, why did Sarah Isaac Then in verse 15, we're told that Sarah denied it, however, saying, I did not Isaac. And at the end of verse 15, God responds by saying, no, but you did, Isaac. And this is why their son.

Will be named Isaac, which means laughter. Turns out that God has a sense of humor. And in the end, the kindhearted joke would be on Sarah. When Isaac is born in Genesis chapter 21.

Sarah is going to say, you can write this reference down, Genesis 21:6. She will say after Isaac is born, God has made laughter for me and everyone who hears will laugh with me. Sarah did not mind at all being on the receiving end of God's wonderful joke. What we do learn in a story like this in the book of Genesis is that sometimes when God wants to tell a really good joke, it takes him 100 years to get to the punch line.

But what a punch line, what a punch line and how gracious and how good God is. What a great story this is of God going to such great lengths. To tend to Sarah's faith. We see here in this passage that wives matter to God and we see here that the state of a wife's faith matters to God as well.

Abraham and Sarah's marriage was dead from a reproductive point of view and God wanted to bring it to life, but for that to happen, Sarah, the wife needed to believe. The promises of God together with her husband. We also see here that God is loving Abraham here also. Abraham believed the promise of God, but Sarah didn't.

Abraham had shared God's promise with Sarah, and Sarah refused to believe it. And I'm sure Abraham tried to persuade her, but to no avail. Maybe Abraham even prayed to the Lord and said, Lord, You're gonna have to do a work in my wife's heart to bring her to a place of faith, and I'm telling you, if Abraham prayed that prayer, God answered it. In the most personal and beautiful of ways by showing up on their doorstep.

And letting Sarah listen in on a conversation between the Lord and Abraham. Which Gives us so much as men to think about. Listen, men, does your wife experience benefit? And does she gain help for herself from the overflow of your relationship with Jehovah?

If your wife wanted to gain help for herself spiritually and she decided to seek help by listening in on your fellowship with God as you commune with Him, would she hear anything that might help her? Would she hear anything at all? Do you even fellowship with God? Sarah is blessed to have a man, Abraham.

Who is conversing with God, and she listens in. And finds help for herself from listening in on her and her, her husband's fellowship with God. We also learn in this passage a valuable lesson on hospitality. Everybody you're ever gonna read will agree that the writer of Hebrews was thinking about this incident.

In Genesis 18 when he calls upon his readers to not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for some have entertained angels unawares. The amazing thing to me is initially Abraham. was just showing hospitality to some strangers who looked like they could use a good meal. And receive refreshment.

But before this occasion is over, Abraham and his wife have received a very special blessing and a word of assurance from the Lord. The story teaches us guys, an important lesson about hospitality and the lesson is this, that when we open our hearts and we show hospitality to others, there is unique and surprising blessing that we often experience. That intersects beautifully with the narrative of what God is doing in our life. In the guest-host relationship.

The guest often blesses the host. So open the door of your heart. Open the door of your home, open the door of your care group, Open the doors of this church. To others and prepare to be blessed.

Let me close with this. Going back up to verse 14. The Lord responds to Sarah's laughter by saying, Is anything too difficult? For the Lord.

And the Hebrew word that is translated difficult literally means wonderful. Literally, God is saying, is anything too positively wonderful? For the Lord Is anything really too good to be true when it comes to the Lord? The very Hebrew word that the Lord uses here that is translated difficult is the word that is used in Isaiah 9:6, speaking about the Messiah.

Saying unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given and the government shall be upon his shoulders, and his name shall be called. Wonderful. Same Hebrew word In Genesis 18, Sarah thinks God's promise of a son is too wonderful to be possible, and all she has heard. is the first part of a multifaceted miracle that would ripple through the centuries all the way.

Down to the birth of the one descending from Isaac whose name would be called Wonderful. That's Jesus, the Son of God, God in human flesh, who would live on this earth in human flesh, a perfectly righteous life and who would die on the cross for our sins and then be raised from the dead on the 3rd day so that he might live forever to save those who call upon Him by faith and his name. It is wonderful. What Sarah found too wonderful to believe in Genesis 18 was not even 1/1000 of all that God planned to do through the centuries.

Boy, if she would have heard the whole thing. She couldn't have stopped laughing. Little did Sarah know of the fullness of all that we know today. Thousands of years later, if the gospel shows us anything.

It shows us that there's nothing that God considers too wonderful to give to us or to bless us with. If we would respond to him by faith. And hear him as he speaks to us, his great and precious promises in his word. Let me ask you to bow your heads this morning.

If you're here today, I got good news for you. If you've never believed in Jesus, that if you would look to him as your Lord and Savior and call upon him for salvation. God will Forgive you of all of your sins, past, present, and future. He would make you his child adopting you into his family.

He would clothe you with the perfect righteousness of Jesus, and he would prepare a home for eternity in heaven. With him. Those are wonderful promises and those are just a few. Don't laugh at the promises of God this morning.

Don't say this cannot be true for me. Nothing is too wonderful for the Lord who speaks those words of promise to you. Believe in him and call on him today. Let's pray together Lord, I fear that all of us consciously or subconsciously, even those of us who know you, We find some promises from your lips, believable, and then there are other promises that are just too wonderful.

To be believed We're just not sure they're true. I pray, Lord, that you would condescend to minister to us in our unbelief. You would draw out our unbelief and confront our unbelief out of love and that you would speak your promises again and again and again to us and help us as brothers and sisters. To speak your word, your promises again and again to one another.

May we do that tonight and tomorrow in our care groups, and we do that in our homes and remind one another of your great and precious promises. We know that a part of how you intend to Encourage us. With these promises is to challenge us to open the doors wide of our hearts to others. To strangers.

That they might enter into our lives and end up being channels. Of your precious word, your precious grace to us that furthers the narrative of what you're doing in our life just as we would seek to further the narrative of what you're doing in the lives of those that we would open our hearts to. So help us, Lord, to go deep and believing your promises in community with one another. We thank you for this opportunity to give our offerings to you, Lord, receive these funds, do much with every penny that is given for the glory.

Of the one whose name is wonderful. We give ourselves to You, Lord, in the name of Jesus, and all God's people said,