301 N Loop 250 W, Midland, TX 79703

Part 7: Sarah and the Laugh

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS

PART 7

 
Message Notes
 
Reading Plan
 
 
 
 
 

Genesis 18:9-15

  • The Backstory: 

“Then one of them said, ‘I will return to you about this time next year, and your wife, Sarah, will have a son!’ Sarah was listening to this conversation from the tent.” Genesis 18:10 (NLT)

1. YOU’VE GOT TO HAVE YOUR OWN PERSONAL ENCOUNTER WITH GOD.

“Then one of them said, ‘I will return to you about this time next year, and your wife, Sarah, will have a son!’ Sarah was listening to this conversation from the tent. Abraham and Sarah were both very old by this time, and Sarah was long past the age of having children. So she laughed silently to herself and said, ‘How could a worn-out woman like me enjoy such pleasure, especially when my master—my husband—is also so old?’”  Genesis 18:10-12 (NLT)

  • God never gives you something without changing you.

2. YOU CAN’T PUT GOD IN A BOX.  AND GOD     DOESN’T PUT YOU IN A BOX EITHER.  

“Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh? Why did she say, ‘Can an old woman like me have a baby?’  Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return about this time next year, and Sarah will have a son. Sarah was afraid, so she denied it, saying, 

‘I didn’t laugh.’ But the Lord said, ‘No, you did laugh.’” Genesis 18:13-15 (NLT)

  • Don’t be afraid to tell God your weaknesses, your doubts and your struggles.  

“Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.” Genesis 18:14 (ESV)

“The Lord kept His word and did for Sarah exactly what He had promised. She became pregnant, and she gave birth to a son for Abraham in his old age. This happened at just the time God had said it would.  And Abraham named their son Isaac.” Genesis 21:1-3 (NLT)

  • The name Isaac means–Laughter.

3. HOW DOES THIS JOY COME INTO YOUR LIFE?

“And the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His Kingdom there will be no end.’”                                 Luke 1:30-33 (ESV)

“And Mary said to the angel, ‘How will this be, since I am a virgin?’...For nothing will be impossible with God.”  Luke 1:34,37 (ESV)

  • The Gospel is: God has loved you despite your failures.  

“But from there you will search again for the Lord your God. And if you search for Him with all your heart and soul, you will find Him.” Deuteronomy 4:29 (NLT)

MY NEXT STEP TODAY IS: 

  • __________________________________

 

This Week’s Reading Plan:

  • YouVersion® Bible App Reading Plan:  “Waiting on God - Shifting our Focus” (5 Days)

Close EncountersDr. John Gerlach