October 22, 2006

God Made Me Laugh
Gen 21:1 -8

We have been speaking much about the promises of God to people and looking by faith to their fulfillment. we have seen the faith of Abraham in its ups and downs and in many areas we have seen the faithfulness of God. But come back with me to a moment a few chapters ago when this woman Sarah did just what you might have done if you were told you would have a child at 90 years of age.

Gen 18:9 -15 And they said unto him, Where [is] Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent. And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard [it] in the tent door, which was behind him.

Now Abraham and Sarah [were] old [and] well stricken in age; [and] it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?

And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old? Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.

Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh.

Here the doubtful ( and deservedly so humanly speaking) laughter of Sarah was exposed and she was ashamed of it. How often we laugh in derision at the hopelessness of a situation, and God might be saying “why are you laughing?” Is my promise, my faithfulness humorous?

But now fly swiftly to chapter 21 and notice a different sort of laughter on this glad day.

Ps 113:9 He maketh the barren woman to keep house, [and to be] a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the LORD.

Here we see Joy at the birth of the promised son. exultant joy because God has faithfully done what he said he would do.

Lu 1:14 And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.

That joy is the joy of promises fulfilled. But Recall Abraham's joyful laughter on that other occasion? That is the laughter of a deeper joy, the joy of trust that God will do as he promised. Now I want you to understand the promises of God and understand that not every promise in the book is yours. For instance when God promised Abraham he would be the father of many nations, that was HIS promise and not your promise.

Now you come in on that promise as you are blessed in it, but it isn't a promise to you. SO before you run around claiming this or that promise, make sure that it is for you. Then, if you are sure God has promised you something, just believe in Gods word and act as if the promise is secure, it is. What do I mean? simply this, If God says there has no temptation taken you but such as is common to man and there is a way through it, then realize that no matter HOW bad it looks, your situation is only temporary. If God says “I will never leave you or forsake you” or “nothing shall separate you from the love of God,” Then why are you acting like an orphan?

Sarah had a specific promise from God, the promise of a SON, And here it is, fulfilled. She erupts in joyous laughter. How great is the blessedness of promises received.

But today we will dwell on the greater blessedness, the blessedness of the joy of faith.

I like to call it, “Faith in the Dark”

In John's gospel chapter 20 we read a tremendous true story, one that I would love to see dramatized by competent actors. In this passage most of the disciples were closeted away together hidden in a room because they were afraid of the Jews. Remember that these same religious leaders had brutally beaten and crucified one who they followed not 3 days before. remember that their master had said “they hated me, they will hate you?” SO they were huddled together like hens in a thunderstorm. Then there were the stories of sightings of Jesus; And so they were probably expectant, but who could imagine HIM suddenly appearing in the room like that.

One of them, though ,was absent, as you recall and later on as he slunk back into the room he was amazed at the animated talk and excited tones that greeted him. “Thomas Thomas, He was here, he's alive.. it really was Jesus the women were right HE'S ALIVE. And you know how Thomas felt. You know what it is like when a group of other people share a great time at bible study or at a retreat and you had to work and somehow you feel as if they feel they have climbed to a higher plane and left you back there? Thomas is in that situation now and He looks at them and he says, “Oh, I am a skeptic, I saw him die too I saw the spear thrust and he was already dead then. I saw those horrid wounds. I will not believe unless I put my finger in them and thrust my hand in his side. Then I shall be convinced.

Jesus made him wait over a week you know. He let him wallow in his doubt 8 days, and on that day they were all together and The Lord appears to them and looks right at the open mouthed Thomas and because he knows Thomas’ heart he speaks to it.

“Hi Thomas. Come here Thomas, reach out and touch my hands, no, no really Thomas, put your finger in my nail prints beloved child, here wanna see my scar, touch it and Thomas, do not be faithless but believing.”

And I know, being erudite scholars of the word that you have remembered these famous lines as Thomas Blurts out in awed trembling voice “MY LORD AND MY GOD.”

Isn't that something? What a great testimony, huh? But guess what? Jesus

isn't that impressed. He tells Thomas that it is FAITH that pleases God. GREATER BLESSING on those who have not seen, yet believe.

1Co 1:22 -25For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.

Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

The writer enjoins us here to trust God and realize that He is the GOD here we are the people, He is the creator we the created. And we have to trust his simple plan to do extremely involved things.

This involves an understanding, an understanding that even though it looks as if things are not good, Gods plan is good. Keep in mind according to Romans 8 :28 that God has a purpose and recall that all things work together for good to those who are called according to that purpose. Now recall that verse 29 of Romans 8 details that purpose For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

If you could look ahead years or maybe even months or maybe even just moments from now, and see with the mind of God what his plan is, how this incident is not a setback for him but a lesson in trust then it would be easier to live. I just Got upset and angry over present situations, I had another option. I had the option to trust that God was doing this with a purpose and I could have said, “God, I accept this as from you and for your purpose and praise you.” Then God would have been pleased.

We live in a generation with a very temporal view of God. The consensus is that God is up there busily trying to make us feel good and get rich and stay well, but we have laid aside the notion that this God has a larger purpose, to present to himself a glorious church without spot or wrinkle. And if we can trust him for that, for the joy ahead, we can endure suffering now.

Look at John 18:11 with me: Keep in mind that Jesus and the disciples are praying in the garden of Gethsemane and Peter, bold boy apostle, thinks to rescue Jesus from the mob. He has seen his mere word knock these guys over so he whacks off an ear.

Then Jesus replants that ear and turns to peter and says “Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?”

Peter, with best of human intent, tried to rescue Jesus. What if he had succeeded? what if the disciples had shocked these guys and overthrown them that night? It would have been a great coup, a great triumph as this precious Son of God was spared a horrible tortuous death and the dreadful agony of all the sin debt of the world. Now it would have been only a temporal victory for could they shortcut the eternal plan of God then they would have condemned themselves and us to a fiery eternity.

Jesus said it “Peter, the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?

Hebrews 12:1a-3 let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of [our] faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.

Jesus looked past that horrible dreaded evil day of suffering and shame to the counsel of God set into effect since before he world began. And he saw in those future days the JOY of bringing many sons into glory, the joy of providing forgiveness of sins, the joy of obedience to the father heart of God, And so because he knew the joy, he endured the pain. endured the hardship affliction agony because he trusted.

1 Peter 2:21-23 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow in his steps. Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed [himself] to him that judgeth righteously:

Consider His words to Peter and apply them to yourself in your situation. Shall you not drink of the cup that God has given you? Even if it involves hardship?

I find that too often we as humans try and bring human pressure to bear on a situation instead of trusting this totally able and sufficient God to honor his word.

We pull our swords and feebly try to work things out for God and often with disastrous consequences. What God wants is for us to look at the situation, do what he asks, and commit the results to the one who judges righteously.

Sarah had Joy in a promise fulfilled, but real God pleasing faith has joy in a promise fulfilled before it is fulfilled.

Turn to Hebrews 11 with me:v.1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. That means if God said it, it will happen, it has substance.

As we look further in this passage we find great deeds of faith accomplished, and some were miraculous things, dead raised, people delivered from jail and so on. But also others endured cruel torture and mocking not accepting deliverance so they might have a better resurrection. But notice the last part of all this “These died NOT HAVING RECEIVED the promise.”

Blessed, Jesus said to Thomas, Blessed are you, BUT MORE BLESSED are those who believe me just because I say it, with no sign, no touching my wounds, no confirmation except their faith. They are happy indeed.

I have often thought it and more often heard it, “If only this or that would change I could be happy.“ when what God desire

I was watching my friend Joe carve a statue of his daughter years ago, chiseling away the parts that didn't fit. He started with a block of wood and as he went he cut away piece after piece. He was removing all the parts that didn’t look like his little girl.

God is at work and is conforming you to His dear Son’s image.

He will shape you and chisel away at you even though the chisel is sharp and bites sometimes, you must not resist him but allow yourself to be molded to him. Trusting that He knows best.

There was a farmer who had three sons: Jim, John and Sam. No one in the family ever attended church or had any time for God. The pastor and many others in the church had tried for years to interest the family in the things of God but with no success. Then one Spring day Sam was bitten by a rattlesnake. The doctor was called and he did all that he could but Sam's outlook was pretty glum. So the pastor was called . He looked around at this farmer and these boys who never wanted God ‘til trouble came, then he prayed. He prayed for the boys life then said:

“And now oh Father, wilt thou send another rattlesnake to bite Jim, and another to bite John and send a really BIG one Oh merciful Father to bite the Old man. For years we have done everything we know to get them to turn to thee, but all in vain. It seems ,therefore that all our combined efforts could not do what this rattlesnake has done. we thus conclude that the only thing that will do this family any real good is rattlesnakes; Lord send us bigger and better rattlesnakes. Amen.”

Would you do me a favor? Would you ponder that story as you go? Good. Let us pray.