Turn with me back to the book
of Genesis chapter 21, if you will. I've entitled this message tonight,
Who Would Have Said? Who Would Have Said? And I got
that out of what Sarah said in the seventh verse, and she said,
Who would have said unto Abraham that Sarah should have given
children suck? For I have borne him a son in
his old age. The Lord delivered Abraham and
Sarah from a very sad situation whenever Sarah, I mean Abraham,
told the king that Sarah was his sister. It was a prearranged
agreement and Abraham, because of her beauty
at 90 years old, was afraid that he would be taken and killed
for her. And the Lord delivered him. And now in this chapter 21 we
want to consider the account, something that happened after
Abraham was delivered by God and blessed of the Lord to receive
recompense and And now the Lord has been pleased to bring forth
the promise that he had given to Abraham and Sarah concerning
a son. It says in verse 1, And the Lord
visited Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did unto Sarah as
he had spoken. Now, we've got this blessed assurance
concerning the accomplishment of God's will and God's work. And that accomplishment is set
forth in two parts, two phrases in this particular verse right
here. It says, number one, and the Lord visited Sarah, now listen
to this, as he had said. And then it says, and the Lord
did unto Sarah as he had spoken. Now here's the fulfillment of the promise and the blessing
of waiting upon the Lord. How many times in scripture do
we hear that? Wait on the Lord. weighed on the Lord. God does
as God says. The Lord brings about His will. And Isaac was conceived absolutely
according to God's promise. Now this is the foundation of
our hope. When the Lord says, I will, You
shall. I shall. You will. Do you know
what that means? It means He will and we shall. Luke 21-33 says heaven and earth
shall pass away. Now what do you think the possibility
of heaven and earth passing away is? 100%. Heaven and earth shall
pass away. Where's the promise of his coming?
Scoffers say up to this day right here, everything is just like
it has been. But my words shall not pass away. None that wait upon the Lord
ever wait in vain. The answer or the timing of his
answer may not be according to our thoughts, may not be according
to our carnal desires, but his answer is always established
on the stable, firm, sure reality of his word, his power. And this is comforting to the
sheep. Here's what we know. When he says, I will never leave
you, I will never forsake you, Oh, that God would teach me that,
Mitch. That I can remember. Romans 8, 28. And we know. Here's a sure foundation. And we know that all things. OK, now what happened today?
Whatever happened, whatever you went through, whatever I went
through. And we know. that all things work together
for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according
to His purpose. Well, I don't really see how
this could work for my good. That's OK. God's Word stands
sure. The Lord is our resting place,
He's our portion in the midst of this fleeting world and we
have an anchor of our soul. Here's what it is, the Word of
God. Back up everything you believe
with this Word right here. If you can't find it in this
Word, don't believe it. But if God Almighty has spoken
it, it is our comfort. And the Lord visited Sarah as
he had said. And the Lord did unto Sarah as
he had spoken. And what was that? Well, look
at verse 2. For Sarah conceived and Abraham
a son in his old age. Now listen to this. At the time set of which God
had spoken to him. Now, not only does the Lord surely
bring about the accomplishment of his purpose, promise, not
only does he do it, but he does it in his own timing. This is where I fail so badly. Things that I think should be. The way that, or the timing that
I... It says, Sarah conceived and
bare Abraham a son in his old age at the time set of which
God had spoken to him. This is what I know. God is punctual. He's punctual. Right on time. Paul said, when he pleased the
Lord to reveal His Son in me. At the
time set, the Lord works all things in this world according
to the counsel of His own will and all things are gloriously
being orchestrated. Here's something that will comfort
us. If you ask me, what do you think
about the situation in the world? Well, it's a mess. Really? Well, according to the Word of
God, God's working all these things after the counsel of His
own will. So who am I, save for one that
doesn't believe God's Word, saying this is a mess? It's a mess according
to what I see. But it's working together for
good to them that love God. You mean with prices being as
they are and you can't get anything? Yeah. God is bringing about all
that he's purposed and he's doing it in his own timing. The scripture reveals concerning
Sarah's conception. The scripture says in Hebrews
11, 11, through faith also Sarah herself received strength to
conceive seed and was delivered of a child when she was past
age because she judged him faithful who had promised. Whenever the
Lord was pleased to give Sarah, visit Sarah, come to Sarah, cause
her to conceive, the Lord gave her faith to believe Him. And
she believed Him, she believed Him. And when the time came,
according to the Lord's will, God gave the faith that He was
pleased to give, and Sarah believed God. Verse 3 says, And Abraham
called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah
bare to him, called him Isaac. Now, turn back to Genesis 17,
19. Genesis 17, 19. And God said, Sarah thy wife, shall bear thee a son indeed,
and thou shalt call his name Isaac. And I will establish my
covenant with him for an everlasting covenant with his seed after
him." Now, the Lord had told Abraham not only that he was
going to have a son, when he was past age, Sarah was
past age of the way of women, having children. Not only that
he was going to have a son, but he said this is what his name
is going to be. Thou, your wife, shall bear thee
a son, and thou shalt call his name Isaac. and I will establish
my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant with his seed." And
when Sarah bore Abraham's son, Abraham was obedient. Obedient
to the word of the Lord, and this is what he named him, Isaac. His name is Isaac. Named him
according to God's instruction, the very name that God gave him.
The Lord said in John 10.27, My sheep, they hear My voice. I know them and they follow Me. They obey. They come after Me. Oh, the intimacy of the Lord
toward His people. Listen to this, John 10.3, The
sheep hear His voice And he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth
them out. Now just stop for a second and
think. You that know him, you that claim
the name of Christ, the Lord Jesus Christ knows your name. I know my sheep. I call them
by name. personableness, the intimacy. He knows me. He knows me. I call him by name. The names
of his people, names that were made known to their parents in
time. They have a wife, she's conceived
and they're going to have a child. And they don't want to know before,
they'll pick a male name and a female name and they'll, well
if it's a boy we're going to name him this and if it's a girl
we're going to name her that. So they come to consider names
in time. But this is one of the Lord's
own, one that is everlastingly known in Christ, chosen for the
foundation of the world If that be one of his elect, that name
was written in the Lamb's Book of Life from before the foundation
of the world. God knew him. Always knew him. In verse 4, And Abraham circumcised
his son Isaac, being eight days old, as God had commanded him. Now, not only had the Lord promised
Abraham back in Genesis 17, a son. But he promised that his son
would be the blessed one according to Abraham's sons. He had Ishmael
by a handmaid. This is the son of promise here.
And this is going to be the son, the son that I give you. This
is going to be the son in the bloodline of the Messiah. He
said, just turn back to 1719 again. Let's read that where
we get it. I mean, 1719. And God said, Sarah
thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed, and thou shalt call his
name Isaac, and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting
covenant and with his seed after him. Isaac, the son of Abraham,
being born the one of God's choice, God chose him, born according
to covenant mercy and grace, he would be the one through whom
the Messiah would come. He's going to come through Isaac. coming through the bloodline
of Isaac, here's what happened. We just read it. It says, verse
4, And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac, being eight days old,
as God had commanded him. Now, here's the significance
that he circumcised him exactly the way the Lord had giving him
instruction. Turn to Genesis 17, 10, 11. Let's
look at this again. I want you to look at it. Genesis
17, chapter 17, verses 10 and 11. I'll read 9, 10, 11. And God said
unto Abraham, thou shalt keep my covenant, therefore thou and
thy seed after thee in their generations. This is my covenant,
which you shall keep between me and you and thy seed after
thee, every man child among you shall be circumcised. And you
shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, it shall be a
token of the covenant betwixt me and you. So this circumcision, this was
a token, this was an outward show of God's promise of covenant
mercy. I'll have mercy on whom I'll
have mercy, compassion on whom I'll have compassion. And whenever
the child of promise, this is going to be the son I'm going
to give you. This is going to be the son of the covenant. And so when he was born, he circumcised
him just like God told him to do. According to the promise
of covenant mercy. This is the establishment. This
is our hope. This is our peace right now.
What is the comfort that we have? God has made a covenant. This
is what David said. This is all my salvation. He hath made with me an everlasting
covenant, ordered in all things insure. Circumcised him. Because God told him. He said,
this is the son of the covenant right here. So he circumcised
him. Then in verse 5, Abraham was a hundred years old when
his son Isaac was born unto him. Now you know, I thought about
that. He was a hundred years old. What mercy that the Lord
would tell us how old Abraham was when Isaac was born. No flesh
is going to glory in the Lord's sight. Abraham believed God. Romans 4.19 says, And being not
weak in faith, he considered not his own body, now dead, when
he was about a hundred years old, neither yet the deadness
of Sarah's womb. God promised Abraham that he
was going to have a son. Abraham believed God. And it
was counted unto him for righteousness. And so here the Spirit of God
tells us, he was a hundred years old. when his son Isaac was born. Eliminating all questions, all
doubts. Some of them might say, well,
I don't know how old he really was. Scripture doesn't say it.
100 years old. What power, what mercy
did the Lord exhibit bringing forth a child from a man 100
years old and a woman 90? And what mercy and grace that
the Lord would choose both of them as vessels of His marvelous
work. How merciful is the Lord to show
us that our strength is none and His power, life, is all. Could Abraham, 100 years old,
and Sarah, 90 years old, humanly speaking, how could they have
children? They couldn't. She was past the
age. His body was now dead. But God, God. Verse 6, and Sarah
said, God has made me to laugh so that all that hear will laugh
with me. This was just said. This was
past. contrary to the natural laws
of childbearing. And the promise had seemed to
be so long ago when the Lord first told him, you're going
to have a son, but now here's the fruit. Here's the evidence
of God's promise and the utter amazement and enjoyment that
was found in Sarah to laugh Now you remember when she laughed
before. The Lord had come with two of his angels before they
went into Sodom, and the Lord said, I'm going to visit, I'm
going to visit. And Sarah's going to bear a son. And it's next year, time appointed. And Sarah laughed, but she laughed
a laugh of doubt, unbelief. But here, Sarah laughs with jubilee,
happiness, joy, thankfulness. Not with doubt, not with distrust. But now she says, God's made
me to laugh so that all that hear me will laugh with me. And
here in the last verse, here's where I got the title. And she
said, who would have said? unto Abraham, that Sarah should
have given children suck. For I have born him a son in
his old age. Who would have said? Who would have thought this?
Who would have thought? Who in all of the world, who
would have considered to utter such a thing as this. Who would
have said that Sarah would give children
suck? Who would have ever thought that?
Who would have thought that a woman 90 and a husband 100 years old
would have a son born beyond the realm of human possibility? Who would have said or thought
anything concerning that? But in closing, let me ask us
a few questions concerning the mercy and grace and compassion
of Almighty God unto unworthy sinners such as we are. Who would have said, who would
have thought or considered anything that has been revealed in this
book concerning the grace and the mercy and the compassion
of Almighty God. Who would have said that poor,
helpless sinners would find grace in the eyes of the Lord? Who
would have thought that of all the the population of the world
in the days of Noah, that God looked and saw that every imagination,
every imagination of the thoughts of man was wicked and evil. Continually, he never, he never
thought no one, no one on earth, including Noah, no one on earth,
Ever thought anything but a wicked thought? None, none, none. But Noah found grace, one man,
in the eyes of the Lord. And through that man finding
grace in the eyes of the Lord, his family benefited from that.
Who would have thought, who would have said that? Who would have
said that of all the population of the world, how many, I don't
know, I don't know how many, I don't know. But of all the
population of the earth, who would have said God's going to
show mercy and look upon one man, and that one man is going
to find grace in God's eyes? Who would have said that? Who
would have said that Almighty God would be so particular to
look upon one man, and by His good pleasure, He would save
the population of the world that would come from him. Who would have said that by the
good pleasure of God, I was looking at something today and this article that I was looking at,
it said this, why do so many Christians refute
the doctrines of grace. Why do so many Christians refute
the gospel of God's free and sovereign grace? You know what
I thought? I don't know any Christians that
refute that. None of them. Almighty God, the scripture reveals,
that God Almighty, because as He told Moses, show me your glory. He said, here's my glory. Here
it is. I will have mercy on whom I'll
have mercy. And I will have compassion on
whom I'll have compassion. I told you before, so many times
the Spirit of God moved upon the Apostle Paul in Romans chapter
9 to quote that scripture. And then Paul added under God's
direction, so then it's not of him that willeth, him that runneth. but God that showeth mercy. Now
let me ask you this. Who would have said? Who would
have said that God was pleased to choose a remnant out of every
nation, people, tribe, and tongue? Who would have said that? That
God before the foundation of the world chose a people and
put them in His Son. Put them in Christ. Who would have said that the
Lord Jesus Christ came into this world for the sake of His elect, call
His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins?
Who would have said that when He went to Calvary that He laid
down His life for the sheep? Now I know, I know what the world
says. I know what they say. He died
for everybody's sin. There's a little pamphlet out
in the vestibule, and I'm sure I won't get it right, but it
said either when the Lord died, either he died for all of the
sins of all the people, which he said he didn't, or he died
for some of the sins of all the people, which means that all
men are still answerable, or he died for all of the sins of
some of the people, which is what Scripture says. I laid down
my life for the sheep. He hath made Him sin, who knew
no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of Christ in
Him. Who would have said that? Who would have come up with that? Who would have said that Almighty
God concerning His people loved them with an everlasting love? and he would not let them perish.
And he came into this world as their representative and lived
before God, before God's law, establishing as a man, the man
Christ Jesus. He lived before God Almighty
and humbling himself and making himself of no reputation, the
man Christ Jesus. earned, established the righteousness
of God. Righteousness that is imputed,
charged to, put to the account of all that believe on Him. Who would have said that? Who
would have said that He would come into this world and bear
the guilt in His own body and answer by His shed blood every
demand of the law for justice and put their sins away, and
then cast their sins as far as the east is from the west. And
that right now, there is therefore now no condemnation to them which
be in Christ Jesus. Justify before the law of God,
no record. And you've heard me say that
before. When you say justified, remember, no record, no record,
no record. Who said that? Who would have said, in closing,
that He would make men and women, vessels of His mercy, to be the
recipients of His Spirit, that we would receive the earnest
of our salvation? Who would have said that He would
create a new man, His people, joined in precious union with
the Lord Jesus Christ? Christ in you, the hope of glory. Who would have said that? Who
would have come to that conclusion? And who would have said that
His people are heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ? I hear
that, I know it, I believe it. I'm thinking, joint heirs with
Him. Who would have said that? Who
would have said that? And who would have said, according
to his promise, that he's coming back to receive his own unto
himself, that where he is, there they may be also. Father, I will
that those that you've given me be with me where I am, that
they may behold my glory. Who would have said that? Only
God could say that. And I pray that the Lord might
give us faith to believe it. Lord, we believe. Help our unbelief. Amen. All right.