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INTRODUCTION
ILLUS: Quotes about Mothers.
- Napoleon Bonaparte: “The future destiny of the child is always the work of the
mother. ”
- Abraham Lincoln: “All that I am or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.”
- Phyllis Diller: “I want my children to have all the things I couldn’t
afford. Then I want to move in with them.”
- The Late Erma Bombeck: “When your mother asks, ‘Do you want a piece of
advice?’ it is a mere formality. It doesn’t matter if you answer yes or
no. You’re going to get it anyway.”
As we spend some time in the Hall of Fame of Faith, on this Mother’s day let us skip to the
mother who is listed in that great faith chapter TEXT.
1. The Beauty of Sarah
- Intro Gen. 11:29 - Sarai “my princesses” 17:15 to Sarah
“princesses.”
- Wife of Abraham, 10 years younger than Abe, lived to be 127 years old death recorded in
chapter 23.
20:12 actually half sister, same father Terah, different mother.
- 12:11-20 Abraham tried to pass her off as sister down in Egypt, afraid that
because her beauty they would kill him. Got in trouble, kicked them out of Egypt.
Careful - interestingly she was age 65.
QUOTE: Ryrie: “Though Sarai was 65 she doubtless was in her prime, since the
life span of the patriarchs was about twice that of people today.” Let me
careful, but we live half as long, what is our prime?
- Abraham did that again with King Abemeleck 24 years later in 20:1-18, this time
it turned out better, Abraham was given many gifts. But she was 89. Not uncommon for
kings to take unmarried women into their harem. Careful here - she must have been
something, a woman of great beauty.
- Peter mentions her in 1 Peter 3 in the context of inner beauty, faithful.
- However, 11:30 the first description of Sarah - one sentence - a curse,
“Sarai was barren; she had no child.” It was considered a judgment
of God. Even with beauty she didn’t have everything she desired.
2. The Doubts of Sarah
- Three most detailed descriptions of Sarah aren’t in very faith living light.
- Chapter 16 - Sarah 11 years after the promise was made, she did the
culturally acceptable thing, but the ungodly thing - had Hagar be the surrogate
mother of this promised child. Didn’t work, created all sorts of problems.
Ishmael - still today. Arabs and Jews claim Abe as father.
- Chapter 18:1-15. READ 18:9-15. Sarah laughed at the words of the
“men” about having a child, and then denied she laughed. She laughed
because she was too old and Abraham was too old.
- Chapter 21 - after Isaac is miraculous conceived and born, Sarah turns
on Hagar and Ishmael and they have to flee.
- Yet she is called a woman of faith, how???
3. The Growing Faith of Sarah
- READ Genesis 21:1-7
- Hebrews 11:11: “By faith even Sarah herself” - Sarah had faith
herself. Not second hand or proxy of Abraham’s faith, but personal faith. Sarah is
one of many is Scripture of people whose faith surmounted great impossibilities.
- She had growing faith, even though failed and laughed; the past was not a deterrent to
the future. God is still faithful to His promises.
- “received the ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of
life.” Sarah was cursed with the disease of barrenness, plus she was past the
age of childbearing - double strike, became a double blessing.
ILLUS: Sarah was one of three barren older women who had a child
- Hannah birthed Samuel, and Elizabeth birthed John the Baptist.
God is the God of the impossible.
- In all spiritual encounters it is easier to doubt than to have faith. There is hope for
our doubt when we take God at His word.
“Sarah must be commended for her willingness to change her approach and to
make way for the development of her faith. The conviction that God is faithful is
one of the cardinal aspects of biblical doctrine.” (Tyndale, p. 233)
- “since she considered Him faithful who had promised” One must first
trust the person before the promise - trusted God then trusted His word.
- Sarah had to come to the same conviction as her husband that God would keep His promise.
God is always faithful Lam 3:22-23;
- 1 Thess. 5:24; “Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to
pass.”
- Heb. 10:23 “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for
He who promises is faithful.”
PRACTICAL LESSONS FOR WOMEN TODAY:
- Be a woman who has beauty of the heart.
- Message of Proverbs 31, 1 Peter 3:1-6
- Be a woman who believes God’s promises.
- Take them at face value, don’t alter them, claim them
- Be a woman who can have faith in the midst of doubt.
- Faith is not the opposite of doubt, unbelief is. Doubt can be a means to moving
to faith rather than unbelief.
ILLUS: I am sure that every one of you ladies have had great challenges in youre life - if
you haven’t you will - having children, raising children, raising your husband,
balancing work and home, health, a loss. Nature of the human condition. How did you get
through it? Faith in God!
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