June 18, 2023
We’re in a sermon series called “I love to tell the story!” We’re going through some stories in the first book of the Bible, Genesis. These are faith stories of how God loved and led His people. We started with the story of creation. The creation story is not an exact description of how God created the world. Instead, it’s a story that teaches that our good and loving God created the world. Our good and loving God created us and loves us. Last week we heard about how God started a relationship with Abraham. He told Abraham, I’m going to bless you so you will be a blessing. Abraham said, “Ok!” He followed God. The Lord looks for a willing heart. This week is about a promise God made to Abraham that He took a VERY long time to fulfill. And it’s hard to wait, right?
I want to ask you: Do you feel like you’re settling in life? You believed at one point or another that God would do something amazing, you had faith in miracles. You believed God would bless you and use you to make a big difference. But now, you haven’t seen God do something in a very long period of time. So maybe you’re willing to settle for a consolation prize. “God just do something. I don’t care what.” You are ready to settle.
Like maybe you wanted to start a new business. You would make it fantastic. You would use all your skills and be an entrepreneur. Now you’re like, ready to just sell Tupperware. Or you wanted a kid and decided you would be a fantastic parent. You would read them books every night, tell them stories, and pray with them. You would throw the perfect birthday party for them. Then one day your pray, “God help me not kill them today! In Jesus’ name.”
So, I want to talk to you if you’ve lowered your expectations of what God will do. Abraham and Sarah were a couple who had a dream, like many couples, to have a baby. It probably seemed to them like everybody else got pregnant, but they couldn’t. They’re devastated. God had said, “I’m going to make you the father of a great nation.” They hear that, it sounds great! They leave their homeland to follow God. They love this! God has promised they will be parents. It’s going to happen. They start planning their gender reveal party. They expect Sara will get pregnant any day now. But it doesn’t happen. They think, God is just giving us more time to prepare for the baby. They wait some more, but it doesn’t happen.
The promise God makes to Abraham that he would be a great nation comes in Genesis chapter 12. Now in chapter 15, there is still no baby. Genesis 15:1 says, “The word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: ‘Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.’ Abraham replied, ‘But I still don’t have a child. All I possess will be given to my servant Eliezer as an inheritance.’” Abraham and Sarah are senior citizens. Abraham doesn’t see any more how this whole great nation thing will come from him, when he doesn’t even have a child.
Some of you understand this. You have a goal. God, I know you’re going to help me pay off all my credit cards by summer. Then summer comes and you have more credit card debt than when you started your goal! You ask, “Where are you God?” Or you pray that your neighbor has a change of heart and comes to know God. But a year later it hasn’t happened and he’s meaner than ever. “God did you forget about me?”
Myself, I felt called by God to be a minister. I knew I had to go through three years of seminary, I thought, “I can do that.” There were also interviews with a local committee on ministry. Alright. Then there was an oral exam as part of seminary. They don’t put you in a dental chair for that. Instead, you get interviewed by a seminary professor and answer questions with biblical examples and discussion about how God and the world works. Well, I failed my oral exam. It was very upsetting! I thought, “I’m supposed to go into ministry. Why God, did you let me fail?”
If you ever felt that God wasn’t answering, that’s how Abraham felt. From his point of view, nothing was happening. He thinks I’m going to lower my expectations. So, what if my servant Eliezer is my heir? But God tells Abraham, Eliezer won’t be your heir. You will have a son.
The Lord knows that Abraham is afraid he and Sarah will never have a child. Abraham doesn’t see anything happening, and he’s tired of waiting.
Abraham is in his tent, he’s scared, his faith is wavering. And God takes him outside and says, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then the Lord said to Abraham, “So shall your offspring be.”
And Abraham believed!
Still, Abraham had to wait. In chapter 17:16, God said to Abraham, “I will bless Sarah and will surely give you a son by her.” And what did Abraham do? He fell on his face and laughed! A good laugh! An I-can’t-believe-it,-really laugh! Abraham says Sarah is 90 and I’m 100, are we really going to have a son! God says, “Yes!”
Then in chapter 18, three men come to visit Abraham and Sarah. One tells Abraham, when I return to see you in a year, your wife will have a baby son. This time, Sarah laughs! It’s an I-can’t-believe-it-really laugh! Finally, the baby comes, and Abraham and Sarah name him Isaac, which means, he laughs! They all laugh because this is so ridiculous and amazing!
You have no idea what God may do with a seed planted in faith. A seed works while you don’t see it. It can be dormant for a long time, then grow underground where you don’t see. But if God wills, great growth and fruitfulness will come from it!
After I failed my oral exam, someone told me, if you’re called to be a minister, go do it again. Don’t give up! So, I did. And the 2nd time I took it, I passed! God is good!
You have no idea what God may do with a seed planted in faith. You know when God showed Abraham the stars, and said, look at these stars. So shall your descendants be. You are one of the stars! You are the result of Abraham and Sarah’s faith, a descendant by faith of Abraham! We’re part of that great nation God promised to Abraham.
All Abraham was looking for was a son. He would settle for a son. But God was thinking of countless people! Abraham was thinking of addition: just add one to our family. God was thinking multiplication: your descendants shall be like the stars!
My challenge for you this week is to look at something awe-inspiring, like the stars or a sunset. Consider God’s greatness! And consider the great things he wants to do through you.
Our God is the God of breakthroughs, the God of miracles. He can do abundantly more than you can imagine. You have no idea what God can do through a seed planted in faith. Your life is a seed! You have no idea how many lives can be touched, how many lives can be changed, to the glory of God, when you act in faith.
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