Princeton Presbyterian Church (EPC) Sermon # 1678
March 23, 2025
Genesis 17.15-21; 18.1-15 Click here for audio worship.
Dr. Ed Pettus
(This is an extended outline, not a verbatim transcript.)
“Is Anything Too Hard For the Lord?”
And God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. I will bless her, and moreover, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall become nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.” Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, “Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?” And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!” God said, “No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him. As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I have blessed him and will make him fruitful and multiply him greatly. He shall father twelve princes, and I will make him into a great nation. But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this time next year.”
And the Lord appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day. He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing in front of him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earthand said, “O Lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant. Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree, while I bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on—since you have come to your servant.” So they said, “Do as you have said.” And Abraham went quickly into the tent to Sarah and said, “Quick! Three seahs of fine flour! Knead it, and make cakes.” And Abraham ran to the herd and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to a young man, who prepared it quickly. Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them. And he stood by them under the tree while they ate.
They said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said, “She is in the tent.” The Lord said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years. The way of women had ceased to be with Sarah. So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?” The Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’ 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.” But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid. He said, “No, but you did laugh.”
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The Promise
When Abraham’s journey began in Genesis 12, it was ignited by a simple command to go. Leave your country and kindred and your father’s house and go into a new land, and the big promise was that God would make a great nation and a great name from Abraham to the extend of being a blessing to all nations and all people. So Abraham obeyed God and went, holding fast to the promise of a son to make these things come to pass. Abraham was seventy-five years old when he left Haran. Time passes and there is no son by the time we get to Genesis 15. In Genesis 15 the promise is repeated and the covenant is made and secured that Abraham and Sarah will indeed give birth to a son. Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness. Today we take up another reiteration of the promise in Genesis 17. It has been nearly 25 years since Genesis 12 and still no son. But God repeats the promise of a son and with that promise comes a name change for Sarah. Name changes are often done in Scripture to indicate a new beginning or a new meaning for the future of the person whose name is changed. We see this in the gospels, for instance, when Simon is changed to Peter, meaning the rock, for his statement that Jesus is the Christ. We see it in Acts when Saul becomes Paul to demonstrate a complete change of character and mission from persecutor of the church to one of its greatest apostles. Here in Genesis 17, Sarai becomes Sarah, both mean princess, but it seems that the name Sarah lifts her significance to a higher level in that she will be the mother of Isaac and the mother of nations to fulfill God’s promise of an heir to father Abraham.
In all this, Abraham fell on his face and laughed. Now, we can view this from several perspectives. Abraham may be laughing at the absurdity of it all to think that he and Sarah can bear a son at such an old age. Abraham may be laughing also with something of a hint of joyful laughter at the promise given again and the genuine possibility that God will come through on this promise. I think of it as a combination of both joy and wonder, gladness and amazement, that God could make such a promise and also fulfill such a promise. Abraham still believes and still questions, still hopes against all hope, and yet trusts in God’s promise. Even though Abraham and Sarah worked out a plan B to God’s plan with the servant Hagar, the mother of Ishmael, God still promises to make an heir from Sarah. In fact, both Isaac and Ishmael will be blessed, but Isaac will be the true heir to the promises of the covenant between God and Abraham.
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The Covenant
The promise is made that God will establish his covenant with Isaac. Against all odds, against all normal ways of generating life, Sarah will bear a son at the time of this promise in one year. By then Abraham will be one hundred years old and Sarah ninety. That seems pretty old by our lifespans today, but remember that people lived longer then. Abraham lived to 175 (Gen 25.7) so maybe 100 was like 32 back then! That’s not at all to diminish the miracle of birth at their age. Paul uses the phrase that Abraham was “as good as dead” when Isaac was conceived (Romans 4.19).
The real point here is that the covenant promise of God was kept and realized at an amazing point and time of life for Abraham and Sarah. It will be Isaac and not Ishmael who will carry the blessing of Abraham to the nations. It will be Isaac with whom God will establish His covenant to make descendants as many as the stars and to bless the nations and to display the glory of God.
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The Hospitality
Genesis 18. God appeared to Abraham while Abraham sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day. Abraham is waiting, resting, sheltered in the shadow of his tent and the text says that the Lord appeared to him. When Abraham looked up he saw three men. People have sought to explain what this means. The Lord appeared, but Abraham sees three men. Some believe these were angels, messengers of God’s word and representative of God’s presence. Others take a more literal position that these were flesh and blood men since Abraham offered to wash their feet, give them rest and food and drink. Still others might see this as an allusion to the Trinity of Father, Son, and Spirit. All of these may be in play one way or another, but the story does not seek to explain this appearance, only to point to more important matters of God’s ability to bring into existence that which does not exist and to keep His promises that seem impossible to keep.
However we look to interpret this appearance, what we take from it also is that Abraham, who waits at the door, quickly shifts from waiting to waiter, ready to serve. Abraham shows his respect bowing before them, offering them water and cleansing, rest, food, and drink. His hospitality is on display. Hebrews 13.2 may also be a reference to this story, “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.”
Another aspect of this story is the haste of Abraham. He hurries to Sarah to make some cakes. He runs to get a calf and have the servant to “prepare it quickly”. He placed all these things before the three men and they ate. Abraham, like a good waiter, stood beside them ready to provide anything they needed. We see the gift of hospitality in Abraham and a confirmation for all who believe that hospitality is a gift God has given to his people, not only to show to other people, but also as a way to minister to God or angels or messengers of God’s Word.
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The Question
The three men ask Abraham, where is Sarah your wife? She is in the tent. They then speak to the concern of an heir of the promise. By next year Sarah will have a son. The narrator is careful to note that Sarah was beyond the age of bearing children. Sarah is quietly laughing at it all, questioning within herself how this could possibly be.
But the Lord knows her heart and her thoughts, “why did Sarah laugh and why did she question the Lord?” This laugh is different from that of Abraham earlier. It appears to be more about the impossible odds and a lack of faith in Sarah. Verse 15 really tells the truth about her laugh as she tries to deny any laughter, but the Lord sets it straight, “No, you did laugh.” We have all probably fallen short in this area trying to deny something we did and yet having it pointed out that we did say or think or do something we should have not.
Everything that has been said and done in doubt of God’s promise is challenged by the one question of the text, “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” Is anything too difficult? Is anything impossible? The Scriptures show us time and time again that nothing is impossible. Psalm 78.19 tells of the wilderness journey of Israel where there was no water and no food and the question is asked, They spoke against God, saying, “Can God spread a table in the wilderness?” The answer has already been given in Psalm 23.5, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” God can spread a table wherever God chooses. God can provide sustenance wherever God chooses. There is nothing impossible with God.
Hannah, when said to be barren like Sarah, was given a child (1 Samuel 1), “And in due time Hannah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Samuel, for she said, “I have asked for him from the Lord” (1.20). Mary, a virgin, Elizabeth too old, both promised a son, “And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her (Luke 1.36-38).
The impossible is possible with God. We often doubt what can be accomplished whether it be questioning a local issue of a faith based budget, or a world issue of peace in the Middle East, or any number of questions we might have in matters of faith and life. What is possible and what is impossible depend on the faith as small as a mustard seed (Matthew 17.20) or simple trust in a statement of promise from God. In that Matthew 17.20 verse Jesus says that faith as small as a grain of mustard seed makes nothing impossible for us! We might be like Sarah and laugh out of disbelief or like Abraham and laugh with joy at what is truly possible with God. In their case, God has the last laugh because the name Isaac means “he laughs”. It is either a reminder to Abraham and Sarah of their own laughter or a reminder that God laughs at the impossibilities that are possible with God.
Is anything too hard for the Lord? No. No because in Christ all things are possible. All things in accordance with His will and purpose and promises. All things pertaining to faith and life and salvation and grace and mercy and judgment. Jesus spoke of things impossible for man, but with God all things are possible (Matthew 19.26). That statement was in light of salvation. Our perspective is clouded by sin. Our possibilities are limited by lack of faith. Our dreams are unclear because of fear. But with God, light shines, the impossible becomes possible, the dream a reality. Many will laugh at this kind of faith, laugh at Jesus, laugh at the church and us, but we know the One who laughs last. Psalm 2.4, “He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision.” That Psalm ends with a blessing to all who take refuge in God. We take refuge and we laugh with the joy of knowing that indeed all things are possible with God, in Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit. If we doubt the possible with God, we need to read the impossibilities that were possible all throughout Scripture. If we doubt God can work a miracle in someone’s life, we need to read Paul’s story again. If we doubt that God can do miracles we need to read about turning water into wine or feeding five thousand people with five loaves and two fish. Read again the impossible birth narratives of Sarah and Hannah and Mary and Elizabeth. Is anything too hard for the Lord? No, after all, he saved me. He saved you. He saved us when He hung on that cross and rose from the dead. The impossible made possible. Life from death. Hope from despair. May the Lord bring us to a faith that sees the possible and the courage to know that nothing is impossible with God. Amen.
