Is anything too hard for the Lord?
Genesis 18:1-15 (NIV)
The Three Visitors
18 The Lord appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to
his tent in the heat of the day. 2 Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw
them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground.
3 He said, “If I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, [a] do not pass your servant by. 4 Let a little water be
brought, and then you may all wash your feet and rest under this tree. 5 Let me get you something to
eat, so you can be refreshed and then go on your way—now that you have come to your servant.”
“Very well,” they answered, “do as you say.”
6 So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah. “Quick,” he said, “get three seahs [b] of the finest flour and
knead it and bake some bread.”
7 Then he ran to the herd and selected a choice, tender calf and gave it to a servant, who hurried to
prepare it. 8 He then brought some curds and milk and the calf that had been prepared, and set these
before them. While they ate, he stood near them under a tree.
9 “Where is your wife Sarah?” they asked him.
“There, in the tent,” he said.
10 Then one of them said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will
have a son.”
Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. 11 Abraham and Sarah were
already very old, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. 12 So Sarah laughed to herself as she
thought, “After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?”
13 Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am
old?’ 14 Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah
will have a son.”
15 Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, “I did not laugh.”
But he said, “Yes, you did laugh.”
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18 The Lord appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to
his tent in the heat of the day.
1. Moses most likely wrote this
2. Now that God has confirmed the covenant with Abraham through circumcision – a few days to a few
weeks have passed – not exactly sure how long…
3. Abraham is chilling.
- It’s hot, he’s old and at some point over the last week or two, he got circumcised – he’s resting
4. He sees the 3 visitors
- 2 Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from
the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground.
- 3 He said, “If I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, [a] do not pass your servant by. 4 Let a little
water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet and rest under this tree. 5 Let me get you
something to eat, so you can be refreshed and then go on your way—now that you have come
to your servant.”
- “Very well,” they answered, “do as you say.”
a. He may not know one of them is Jesus – the pre-incarnate Jesus
b. Some translations say that he ran to them
c. It’s interesting that we see this passage as we celebrate Palm Sunday. In some way, we
are celebrating God coming near to man – as a humble visitor, and as a humble King on
a donkey, entering Jerusalem in peace. God’s presence is often disguised in humility
d. It’s possible that when Abraham calls Him “lord”, he may not have recognized the Lord
Himself, but merely someone more important than him.
i. He humbly ran to them, bowed and began to serve them
ii. When you’re humble, everyone is more important than you
iii. When everyone is more important than you, you don’t ignore those in
need – he’s tired and resting – he welcomes them
iv. He not only sees them, but he eagerly runs towards them…to welcome
them
v. Abraham doesn’t just see their needs too, he serves their need- gives them
shade
vi. He serves them quickly, sacrificially and selflessly
5. Good example of how God calls us to show hospitality
a. Romans 12:13
i. 13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
b. 1 Peter 4:9
i. 9 Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.
Hebrews 13:1-2
13 Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. 2 Do not forget to show hospitality to
strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.
Imagine that…If you have shown hospitality to strangers, you may have hosted an angel.
6 So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah. “Quick,” he said, “get three seahs [b] of the finest flour
and knead it and bake some bread.”
3 seahs of fine flour – 1 seah = 7 liters of flour
About 25–30 pounds of flour, depending on the exact density used.
That’s a huge amount—enough to make a large batch of bread for a sizable group.
- It emphasizes Abraham’s generosity and hospitality in the story. – 20 loaves of bread, 2lbs each.
He’s told Sarah to whip up enough bread for a party-
- It appears that he is not just providing for them in their current need, but future needs
- In verse 7, we see that He is also sacrificially providing them a meal from the best of his herd –
and doesn’t even eat with them
7 Then he ran to the herd and selected a choice, tender calf and gave it to a servant, who hurried to
prepare it. 8 He then brought some curds and milk and the calf that had been prepared, and set
these before them. While they ate, he stood near them under a tree.
- He sacrificed the best of the best
Your faith is revealed (exposed or displayed) by how you treat people.
Matthew 25:34-40
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your
inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you
gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you
invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison
and you came to visit me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and
give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and
clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters
of mine, you did for me.’
- Ever look back on our history and wonder how good God-fearing Christians could have treated
people the way they did – because of the color of their skin, or where they came from. Imagine
what they’ll think about us when they look back at us in 50 years.
- Is our faith displayed by how we treat people, or is our lack of faith exposed by how we treat
people?
- Jesus’ words in Matthew 25 are infinitely more important than anything we will hear come from
the mouths of our elected officials, political parties or news sources – on how to treat people
- Matthew 25 tells us that not only Your faith is revealed by how you treat people, but it
somehow plays a role in your eternal destination.
- In Matthew 25, Jesus puts an exclamation mark on it, with great, eternal emphasis on how we
should treat people – no matter who they are, what color they are, their legal status – or even
how they treat us.
- A Christians -
o If we see someone who is hungry, we should run to them and feed them
o If we see someone who is thirsty, we should be the first to give them a drink
o If we see a stranger, ours is the door that should be open first –
- If Your Door is Always Open, Jesus Doesn’t Have to Knock
- Revelation 3:20
- 20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will
come in and eat with that person, and they with me.
o If someone needs clothes, we should run to them and clothe them…often with our own
o If someone is sick, we should be tripping over each other to help them
o If someone is in prison, we should be the ones visiting them
- How we treat people, shows the world whether we follow Jesus or not. Abraham demonstrated
his faith by how he responded to these visitors…and so should we.
- 9 “Where is your wife Sarah?” they asked him.
- “There, in the tent,” he said.
- 10 Then one of them said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your
wife will have a son.”
- This is really the first clue that this is Jesus – and He has come to assure Abraham and Sarah of
the promise God made regarding the birth of Isaac.
- Reminiscent of the revelation of Jesus’ Kingship as He rode a donkey into Jerusalem
o He had spent a great deal of effort to instruct those around Him to not tell anyone that
He is God – then He triumphantly rides into Jerusalem on a donkey – implicitly declaring
that He is indeed the King – coming in peace.
- This promise that was made to Abraham and Sarah is reminiscent of the promises to Zachariah
and Mary
- Luke 1:11-19
- 11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of
incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 13 But the angel
said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will
bear you a son, and you are to call him John. 14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will
rejoice because of his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take
wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is
born. 16 He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go on
before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their
children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared
for the Lord.”
- 18 Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well
along in years.”
- 19 The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to
speak to you and to tell you this good news. 20 And now you will be silent and not able to
speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at
their appointed time.”
It turns out, Zachariah is going to respond in a similar way to Sarah…doubt
Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. 11 Abraham and Sarah were
already very old, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. 12 So Sarah laughed to herself as she
thought, “After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?”
13 Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am
old?’ 14 Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah
will have a son.”
15 Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, “I did not laugh.”
But he said, “Yes, you did laugh.”
- Sarah seems to doubt what Jesus is saying. At first, I thought maybe we’re assigning this to Sarah
– Abraham laughed at the notion too, so why is it different?
-
Genesis 17:15-17
15 God also said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be
Sarah. 16 I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the
mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.”
17 Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, “Will a son be born to a man a hundred years
old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?” 18 And Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael might live
under your blessing!”
- So what’s the difference? Best as I can tell, the difference is, God didn’t respond to Abraham
with “What’s so funny?”
- Sarah thought she was listening in on their conversation, but the Lord was listening in on her
thoughts and was picking up on doubt.
- You see- People can be close to God’s presence, but miss what He’s actually doing.
Palm Sunday – people acknowledge that their King has come – Hosanna! – means save now. The people
were expecting a king to deliver them from Rome, but Jesus came to deliver all of us from death. Even as
Sarah laughed, and later as the people’s shouts turn from “Hosanna” to “crucify Him” Human responses
to God often swing between doubt and misunderstanding
We find ourselves harboring doubts about God’s abilities because of…
- Waiting on healing from a terrible diagnosis
- Waiting for that prodigal son to come home
- Impossible family situation
Matthew 19:23-26
23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom
of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone
who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”
26 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Nothing is too large or too complicated for God to accomplish.
Is Anything too hard for the Lord?
1. Abraham and Sarah were 99 and 90 years old…it was impossible for them to get pregnant – in
fact, it’s possible that God waited to make it possible only AFTER it was impossible. – Only God
2. Good Friday – Our separation from God, due to our sin, was impossible for us to overcome on
our own. It is only by God’s grace – Jesus birth to a virgin (“impossible”), sinless life
(“impossible”), death on a Roman cross, and resurrection from the dead (“impossible”). It is only
by God making the impossible possible, through Jesus, that we can have a relationship with Him
and spend eternity with Him…if we confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord and believe in our
hearts that He rose from the dead.
Romans 10:9-11
9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the
dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your
mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. 11 As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will
never be put to shame.”
Make a list of things that are impossible for God. – fill out the cards –
- I can’t promise that you’ll get what you want
-I can promise that He’s listening and loves you
Romans 8:28 – And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,
who have been called according to his purpose
Let’s grab hold of the promises of God – to trust Him, follow and obey Him
- He is everything you need – let’s not change our “Hosanna” to “Crucify Him” because He doesn’t fit
into what we think He should be and do…just trust Him
-If you have doubts, confess them right now.
1. So, Serve people willingly (Abraham jumped up and served them in the heat of the day)
2. Serve people humbly (Abraham bowed to them)
3. Serve others promptly (Abraham ran…)
4. Serve others sacrificially
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