Genesis 21:1-7 Bible Study | Episode #283

November 9, 2022

Hope Alive: Applying God’s Word to Your Daily Life

Genesis 21:1-7  Bible Study | Episode #283

I am Chad Harrison, and I am the teaching pastor of Lake Community Church and had been serving as a pastor for 25 years. I'm also a practicing attorney. This podcast is designed to help you study God's word and find God's will for your life. The purpose of studying scripture is that you might know the character of Jesus Christ, and that you might see the world from the Father's perspective. That you gain wisdom that changes your life. I pray in the name of Jesus right now that God would open His word to you and allow you to see Him and to know Him. To know His will, that you might glorify Him and that you might walk in faith and power each day, especially today. In Jesus name.

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Transcript

This is Chad Harrison, and you're listening to Hope Alive, Applying God's Word to your daily life.

Hi, this is Chad Harrison and I am the teaching pastor of Lake Community Church and have been serving as a pastor for 25 years. I'm also a practicing attorney. This podcast is designed to help you study God's word and find God's will for your life. I pray in the name of Jesus right now that God would open up his word to.

And allow you to see him and to know him, and to know his will, that you might glorify him, and that you might walk in faith and power each and every day, especially today in Jesus name. Good morning. Welcome to Lake Community Churches. Morning Bible Study. We are in Genesis chapter 21. Officially in the second half of the book of Genesis we will we will, we'll move through the Genesis Chapter 21 deals with several issues, but it starts out, Finally, And when I say finally, I don't mean that negatively.

I just mean finally the promise of God is fulfilled. Finally at the very, at the after, after chapter of God told Abraham that he would make him a great nation, go to a land you do not know. And live among the people you do not know, and I'll make you a great nation.

And he goes through all the difficulties and struggles and problems and all the things that happened. And he stayed faithful to God. He didn't stay perfect before God. He stayed faithful to God. He trusted God for his promises. He was expecting good things, expecting big things and he got those big things.

He he got He got those big things, but he didn't get the one thing that God had promised him in the beginning. He didn't get he didn't have a son with Sarah for for the future promises that God had given him. And and that was the main, that was the main point of him going to this place and doing what God told him.

And now, after chapters, chat literally, He's taken up 25% of the first half of the Book of Genesis and No Promises. He's gone through the Sodom and Gamar. He's dealt with, he's dealt with his his nephew. He's dealt with kings around him. He's met with Mel Keck. He's done, just innumerable amount of things, great things and poor decisions, the whole nine yards.

And finally we get to verse 21, verse one, and it says, And the Lord visited Sarah and he and as he had said, Notice the Lord lived up to what he said. It was not in Abraham's timing. It was not in Sarah's timing. It was in, in God's timing. He visited her. He, and that means he reckoned her. What that means is that at the right time one of my favorite songs is Psalm one.

It says blessed a man who's not walking the council of the wicked, nor stand in the way of the center, nor sit in the seat of the marker. But his delight is on the law of the Lord. And on it, he meditates day and night. He's like a tree planted beside the flowing waters. And then it says this, who bears its fruit in season?

And notice it doesn't bear its fruit all the time and bear its fruit. When the tree wants to bear its fruit, it bears its fruit in season, meaning God has a plan and God has a purpose and God has a timing for everything. And in that timing, he is wanting to give you his best, but his best is going to come when he has planned.

For your best. And that's the key. God knows what the best is and he knows what the best is and when the best should ha should happen. And for Abraham that seemed to be that seemed to be as far as his promises for Abraham, that seemed to be laid in life. Now, Abraham had lived up to a whole lot of other things.

He'd become a very wealthy man. He'd become a very well known man. In that part of the world, he'd become a very powerful man. He'd become a man who had many friends and many allies. He'd become a man who. Who had many people who worked for him and served him. He was by all definitions a great man of his time, but he did not have a child with his with his wife.

Sarah and so he did not have one to take his promises to take the the covenant God had with him on into the next generation. That's the only thing, and. Bearing his fruit in season meant that God was going to bring that about. It says for cons so God reckoned with Sarah.

He showed up and he brought about the end of the plan. He showed up, as he had spoken, as he'd said he was gonna do. Verse two for Sarah conceived and bore Abraham, a son in his old. At the set time of which God had spoken to him at the set time, at the right time. God shows up. It I can't emphasize it anymore.

It's, it is it is a miracle. It is a wonder, it is one of the things that makes the Bible and makes God. What it is and who God is. It is powerful. God's promises are yes and amen. They're true. They're going to happen. They're going to be brought. Sadly, a lot of times we're not looking for the promises of God, sadly, a lot of times we're so focused on ourselves that we're not focused on the plan of God for our lives and we miss out on many of the promises and many of the things he's done.

Sadly, we don't enjoy a lot of the promises of God that are at work around us. Sadly, a lot of times, a lot of times we do not even realize that the promises are there and we don't take advantage of them. But that doesn't mean that God hasn't shown up, and that doesn't mean that God has a, has it brought about a fullness to his promises?

He did. And he did it at the right time. It says that And Abraham called the name of his son who is born to him, whom? Sarah Bo. To him Isaac. Now , this is one of those things I know people don't understand, Kathleen and I have been dating have been dating since we were 15 years old.

Now, a lot of times, I like to say we got married. I was 16 and she was 21 because she's just a few months older than me. She's about eight months older than me. In fact, her birthday is this week. And and we joke with each other. I, I pick at her she gives these really dry comments to me.

We've been together for, for as far. Her life is concerned coming up 35 years. As far as my life coming up. It's only 25 years. And see that's how we joke. That's how we have fun. And she she just Knows me and I know her and it's just a lot of it's a lot of fun.

And sometimes we say things and we come up with things for the future that probably aren't gonna be that way. One of the things I've always wanted to be called, one of my grandfather's Big Daddy and naturally big Daddy has to be married to Big Mama, right? And and so I always say, The kid grandkids are probably are gonna call her big mama cuz they're gonna call me big daddy.

That being said, that's just fun. And we know from reading through Genesis that when when the angel of the Lord, right before Sodom and Jamara told Abraham that Sarah was gonna be with a child, Sarah laughed and and the angel Lord asked Abraham is Sarah. And , He just pointed out Abraham, I think actually in a comedic way.

I think it's actually the angel of the Lord was having fun with Abraham that Sarah was laughing at it, laughing at the possibility. It's not impossible for God to do these things. And I think the angel Lord thought it was funny that Sarah laughed. And we know now that apparently it was an inside joke with everybody because when Sarah bore him, a son, what he named him, denies it, which means one who laughs or to laugh it, it literally means laughter.

And and. Obviously they they enjoyed each other's company. A lot of times we make Christianity, we make our faith so serious. And the reason a lot of times you make it serious is because you're dealing with some major issues in your life, or you're dealing with your struggles and your dealing, dealing with your difficulties.

But the truth is, God has given us a special. And that special gift is laughter. That special gift is having fun and enjoying the life God has given us. God did not give us this life so that we could just barely make it through and go to heaven. God gave us this life so that we might glorify him in the midst of it, and one of the ways we glorify God in the midst of it.

Is to laugh, is to enjoy the life God has given us. For us to literally walk in it in a way that says, we think that life is good and life is fun. And so when Abraham Had his son and his wife had laughed about it, had I'm sure he picked at her about doing that in front of the angel of the Lord for a long time.

And when Isaac was born God called him Isaac. Abraham called him Isaac. And that is a fabulous fabulous. Passage, a fabulous verse in scripture that kind of shows an insight into Abraham and Sarah's relationship and when you've been together as long as they've been together, which is a lot longer than Kathleen and.

If there is no humor sometimes there's just nothing if there is no humor. And and we always want to have humor. I love to have humor. Oftentimes I can get very serious. Oftentimes I can get very passionate on Sunday morning, but one of the things I love to do is enjoy the fellowship that is God's people.

And one of the ways to do. Is to laugh and to laugh often with each other. It says, Then Abraham circumcised his son Isaac, when he was eight days old as God had commanded him. And this began this was a part of the way this is a part of. Of the traditions and the commandments of God to circumcising.

Remember, circumcised means to set apart. It means to, it. It's a physical symbol of a spiritual principle. Just like baptism is a physical symbol of a spiritual principle, just like communion is a physical symbol of a spiritual principle. So is circumcision. Circumcision in the New Testament, God says he has circumcised our heart, which means he has changed our heart and he set our.

A new and different. And here he does it on the eighth day. And remember, eight is always a symbol of new beginnings. It's a symbol of everything being made new and beginning. In fact in Revelation, at the very end of the book of the Revelation it says of Jesus, he makes all things new.

And Jesus is the. Of the new beginning. He's the God of the second chance and he's the God of the new beginning. He does not allow us to be mired in our sin and our pain forever. He is always bringing about a new day, a new beginning. Remember that? Each day, his mercies are new every morning.

They're new every morning. Every day is a new day for him. And it's a new day for you, and it's a new opportunity for you. And you say I bring all the struggles of my past into the day. Sure you do. But he remember his mercies are new every morning, which means today is a new day to change your life, a new day to set up a new life.

And for God's people. The eighth day is symbolic of that. And it's and on the eighth day, all the first, all the male sons were circumcised. Their hearts were changed and their hearts were set on. It's a picture of your life being set apart for God's purposes. And in fact, in a couple weeks we're gonna have baby dedication.

Now that's not exactly the same in circumcision. We're not gonna be doing any of that. But it is a time. Where you dedicate your child to the Lord. And I, I remember doing that specifically in the hospital room for both of my daughters. And they are definitely the lords today and they're definitely hard at figuring out what God's called them to be.

It's hard to be a pit preachers kid when you're growing up, and then when you become an adult, especially if you're a daughter and you're a preacher's kid, it's even more difficult because you think you're on staff and you're really not on. But you've always grown up being a part of. The ministry be intimately involved in the ministry, and when you go to a new church and your preacher's daughter you just think you ought to be naturally a part of the ministry and you ought to be right there in the middle of it.

I joke with my oldest daughter that she would just love to, she don't want to get paid. She just would love to go to staff meeting every week at her church. And I'm sure she. If they invited her, she'd show up every weekend. She would give them fully exactly what she thought ought to be going on.

And that is part of her, her growing up. And that's part of her being set apart from ministry. And that's part of just, the plan of God and the work of God going. All around us and in her life. And I love that God gives us new beginnings and new places and new opportunities.

And you know what the church we're in is a new beginning for us, isn't it? And he keeps giving us new beginnings as a church. And he's gonna continue to do that. There're gonna be new things going on all the time. I have quite clearly and I know it's from the Holy Spirit, seen some great things that God is planning to do for us and through us as a church and I am expecting that we're going to be a part of seeing God do some great things for the people of the community, especially those who are hurting and those who are least.

And those who have nothing. For them to feel an open door to the kingdom of God through a church that God has given us. And it says in verse five, Now, Abraham was 100 years old when his son, Isaac was born to him. He was a hundred years old when this happened. That's that. You go that's Old Testament age, not New Testament age.

I'm gonna tell you remember that God had set the the age of man to be. 120 years, it would be really like a 60 or 70 year old today being born having a child. It is. It's still an amazing, it's still an amazement if you did it in the ages that we live today. It's still an amazing thing for a 60 or 70 year old to have a child.

And and to have a child and healthy child and a strong child. Abraham was a hundred years old when this happened, and it says and Sarah said, God has made me laugh. And all, who here will laugh with me? And and that is that is a laughter of joy. It really is. It's a, you can tell that her laughter when the angel of the Lord was there, has turned into a family joke is turned into a family fun.

And now she has, because God has blessed her. She has. That, that laughter and that purpose is full and complete. And so she says God has made me laugh and all, Who here will laugh with me? And you know what I do too. I think it's funny too. I think it's hilarious. And not only is it hilarious, I think God's hilarious.

I think God does weird and new things around me all the time. I tell people all the time one of the things that God does for me and remember, He does he treats every one of us different in the sense that we're unique and differently. Unique. We're all equal before him, before his throne, but we're not the same.

God always is pointing out things to me as I walk through my day. He'll say, Go over here. And I'll go over there and I'll see something funny. It's almost like God wants to make sure I don't miss out on any of the funny stuff that's going on around me. He makes sure that I'm exactly where I ought to be.

Sometimes he'll say I'll be in court, and he'll say, All right, quit talking to this. Perfect. Go over there and sit down so you can hear this. And sure enough, I'll go sit down. And one of the most hilarious things that happens all week will happen right there in front of me. And it's like God's, it's like me and him.

Are enjoying the day together, and we, he knows something funny and hilarious is about to happen. He wants to make sure I know and I, I don't know why God does that with me, but I love it. I love to see funny things. I love to experience funny things around me. I love to see the uniqueness of humanity.

And even though in some ways it could be very sad and devastating in many other ways, it is just hilarious. She also said, who could have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? What she's saying is, who can imagine that this ha this would happen? Who could imagine that these things could take place?

Who could imagine? That in her old age, she would see see a child being born to her and that she would nurse share. She says, for I have born him a son in his old age. That is a great story and a lot of times when we deal with older folks who are Who are later in life, they think their life is over.

But the truth is that God is in the business of birthing new ministries and new opportunities to his people no matter what age they are. Sure there's a lot of excitement and there's a lot of life in youth and children, and we want to have as many youth and children as possible, but the older we are, especially when you get my age and older 50 and older, when you get that age, you are the ones who sustain the ministry.

You're the. You're the you're the foundation. You're the bedrock. You're the ones who make sure that the ministry continues on. In many ways, you're the ones who financially support and promote the ministries of the church And the whole reason for me especially to to be in ministry and sport ministry is to see God moving among those who come behind me and after me.

And God is in the business of giving birth to the new and the next generation of his people. He's in the, He's he's in the, in, in the business of doing. All the time and we get to be a part of it in our old age. We get to see see God move in powerful in big ways.

And because we've been around long enough we get a unique perspective on it because we actually know what's going on. A lot of times when you're young and ministries happening and things are going on around you, a lot of times when you're young, You miss out on it cuz you don't really even realize what's happening.

You don't know the hand of God. But, as we get older, we can actually see the hand of God at work around us. We can see the plan of God at work around us, and we can, And we're the ones in many ways who are making it happen. And why shouldn't we be? Why shouldn't we be? Why shouldn't, wouldn't we get old?

We just lay down and die. We shouldn't. Blows ourselves off to the world. It goes, blows ourselves off to the promises of God. I'm gonna tell. There's gonna come a day when I'm not gonna practice law anymore. I, there's gonna come a day when I'm gonna retire from that. I ain't doing that no more.

I'm just telling you as it is. And it is gonna be in the next 15 years. I'm not gonna practice law into my old age, but you know what I am gonna do? I'm gonna see the promises of God and I'm gonna do ministry until the day I die. I'm gonna be involved in what God's doing around me until the very day I die.

You know why? Because that's where the fun is. That's where the life is. That's where the laughter is. That's. The hope is that's where the opportunity is. And as long as I can get up and get myself to church, I'm gonna be involved in church. As long as I can get up, even if I'm not the pastor, even if I'm not the one preaching, I'm gonna be there.

I'm gonna see the promises of God fulfilled. I'm gonna see what God's doing until I'm an old man. And Why shouldn't we Really? Why shouldn't we? We should. And and I can promise you this it always gets better and better the older you get. I had my first pa, my first pastor tell me this, not too many years ago, he said, My.

He said my twenties were better than my teens, and my thirties were better than my twenties and my forties were better. My thirties and my fifties were better in my forties, and my sixties were better in my fifties, and my seventies were better in my sixties. And you know what he said, You ought to enjoy life and enjoy the next decade.

Just as much as you did the last one. In fact, you're probably gonna enjoy it more because the blessings of God and the plan of God are always good. And as prepare to receive the very best that comes from God and expect it to be happening for you. And if you do that, your eyes will be open and God can show you his good and very best that's available for you today.

As you go today, I pray that the Lord will bless you and keep you, that he'll make his face to shine upon you and that he will give you hope and peace today in Jesus