Well, it's good to be back. We'll
get started tonight. Well, which probably nobody would
know unless Bruce called last weekend or last Sunday sometime
Scott Richardson's wife Martha passed away. our fellow sleep,
as the scriptures would say. I wrote them a little note, and
the church is going to send some money to them. So be remembering
the brethren at Fairmont, West Virginia, the church up there,
Marvin Stonker is the pastor. Be remembering all those folks,
particularly Pastor Scott at this time. Turn with me. We're still in Genesis. We'll
be here a while, I guess. Genesis chapter 18. We're going
to look at one verse. Genesis 18 in one verse. Actually, I'm going to read a
few verses before this so we can kind of get the context of
what's going on. Starting in verse 9, Abraham
is conversing with the Lord, he's conversing with some angels
and or the Lord is It's kind of interchangeable the way the
context reads in chapter 18. You see three men that are angels,
and then the next thing you know, he's talking to them. It's plural,
and then he's talking to a singular person. So it goes back and forth. But we know the Lord is speaking
here in verse 9, and they, that is those three that he was speaking
to, they said unto him, to Abraham, Where is Sarah thy wife? And
he said, Behold in the tent. And he said, I will certainly
return unto thee according to the time of life. There's one
person speaking here to Abraham and lo Sarah thy wife shall have
a son and Sarah heard it in the tent door Which was behind him
now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age and
it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women therefore
Sarah laughed within herself saying after I am waxed old shall
I have pleasure and My Lord being old also, and the Lord said unto
Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety
bear a child which am old? Here's the verse we're going
to look at. Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the time appointed,
I, God, will return unto thee according to the time of life,
and Sarah shall have a son." Now looking at this verse as
it applies contextually, we have Abram in his old age, Sarah past
childbearing age, they're being told Once again,
about the unalterable promise of God to them, that they shall
have a son who will be in direct lineage of Christ, the Messiah,
and also that Abraham will be the father of many nations. That's
what he's, he's reiterating the promise that he said, we've looked
at this for the last four chapters. Now, let's read it again, verse
14, is there, or excuse me, is anything too hard for the Lord? At the time appointed, I will
return unto thee according to the time of life, and Sarah shall
have a son. Though all physical evidences
point contrary to God's word, Yet God will not be frustrated
and He declares to His servants, Sarah and to Abraham, is anything
too hard for me? Though all physical evidences
point contrary to God's Word, they knew what the promise was.
They'd heard it. It's been rehearsed to them time
and time again. Still, God's will will not be frustrated
because nothing's too hard for Him. Now, we can apply this to
ourselves, but before I go into that, I would consider four things.
Before I do that, this shows two things in the immediate context
that we're looking at. What a rebuke this statement
is to Sarah and Abraham's unbelief. She laughed. She said, I'm not.
She heard what was said. She's hiding in the tent or behind
the door in the tent. She says, basically, there's
no way. And isn't that exactly what we
do? Time and time again, we meet here on Wednesday, Sundays. And
here's time of study or reading of the Word at home. your experience
of grace as well as my experience of grace time and time again
God's Word says I'll be with thee I'll protect thee I'll keep
thee I love thee I'll wrap you in my everlasting arms we know
these things in this book we've been through this year after
year and we read the promises and we're so ministered to by
the promises and yet something comes up and physically, emotionally, financially,
anything, it doesn't look like it's going to take place, as
God said. But, what a rebuke to our unbelieving
sinful flesh. In context, as he says, is anything
too hard for the Lord? It's a rebuke, first and foremost,
to Sarah's unbelief, and it's a rebuke to our unbelief. Every
time we struggle with something, this verse this book, the promises,
all the promises in Christ, being yea and amen, he says, is anything
too hard for the Lord? It's too hard for us. And then
we try to figure things out mentally, we try to figure things out physically,
we try to figure things out spiritually, and we come short, and then we
try to do something by the power of our flesh, the rebuke, to
you and to I and to Sarah and to Abraham, is anything too hard
for the Lord? But secondly, what a testimony
to the long-suffering and goodness of God to the likes of us. How
many times do we doubt His sure and steady Word? Is anything too hard for the
Lord? So, two things in the context of what we're looking at in Genesis
18. It's a rebuke to our unbelieving
sinful flesh, and it's a testimony to the long-suffering and goodness
of God to the likes of us. Now, I want to consider four
other things. As we pull back from Genesis 18, as we pull back
away from our brother and our sister Abraham and Sarah, and
as we apply this to ourselves in a broader sense. The question
is, in verse 14, consider this first, is anything too hard for
the Lord? In a broader sense, would the
creation of something from nothing. Would that be too hard for the
Lord? Well, we read in John 1 that in the beginning, and we read
in Genesis chapter 1, He spoke and created this world and all
that we see and all that we enjoy from nothing. That's hard. I'm just looking at the physical
aspects of it and the different things. How difficult. It would
be difficult. The creation of something from
nothing. I listened to the news the other day and they said that,
man, they created something. The Nobel Prize winner yesterday
said he created. Well, no, he took some elements,
whether they were compound elements or whether they were atomic,
whatever they were, he had something to begin with. and came up with
something else. God took nothing. He made this
what we see and what we enjoy and this earth and the flora
and the fauna. He made all this nothing. Is anything too hard for the
Lord? Consider creation. The answer is no. He created. What about the deliverance of
a whole nation that was under the Egyptian bondage? Turn to
Exodus 14. Would it be too hard for the
Lord to deliver not just one, but hundreds of thousands of
people, one nation from another nation that held them under bondage?
Is anything too hard for the Lord look at Exodus 14 and verse
30 and 31 thus the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand
of the Egyptians and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the seashore
and Israel saw that great work which the Lord did upon the Egyptians
and the people feared the Lord and believed the Lord and his
servant Moses now If you want to read chapter 15, the first
10 or 12 verses, they believe that there was nothing too hard
for the Lord, because in that song that Moses sang, One of
the stanzas in it, verse 3, the Lord is a man of war. The Lord
is his name. Pharaoh's chariots and his host
hath he cast into the sea. His chosen captains also were
drowned in the Red Seas. Verse 6, thy right hand, O Lord,
has become glorious in power. Thy right hand, O Lord, hath
dashed in pieces the enemy. Is there anything too hard for
the Lord that he could deliver a whole nation No, He did. It's not too hard. Well, what
about in the New Testament where we have blind people receiving
their sight? That's pretty hard. That would
be hard to do. Maybe difficult to do. But was that too difficult
for our Lord? No, at one point He took, He
spat on the ground and got clay and rubbed it in that man's eyes
and he that was born blind, he saw. Well, that's difficult,
but it's not too hard for the Lord to do. Fourthly, what about
a rough estimate of 5,000? 5,000 hungry individuals to be
fed from a few fishes and a few loaves of bread. That would be
hard for us to do. Nay, that would be impossible
for you and I to do. But is anything too hard for the Lord? How about
Lazarus, dead, being raised from the grave? stand back and see
the salvation of the Lord. That wasn't too hard for him.
How about God becoming a man and yet not surrendering His
deity? I know what I just said, but
I don't understand what I just said, because it's beyond me. It's above me. It's hard for
me. It's impossible for me to understand
that without God giving faith to us to believe that. But God
incarnate in the flesh. Is anything too hard for the
Lord? How about, more specifically, you and I? How about the recovery
of my or your dead, decaying soul unto newness of life? With men it's impossible, but
nothing in the way of salvation for his people is too hard for
the Lord. How about the unforgiving receiving
forgiveness, pardon, and peace? Now, I know the Catholics and
I know these cardinals, so-called, and these popes, so-called, they
think they can absolve sins and they can forgive sins, but no. In the last, they'll be found
wanting and found damned. Can't do it. But is anything
too hard for the Lord? He forgives, pardoned, and gives
peace. Our text says, is anything too
hard for the Lord? Whether temporal or eternal,
physical or spiritual, whether at the beginning of days or the
end of time, our God is able to do everything and all things
to get glory and help His elect children. That's the first thing out of Verse 14, is there is anything
too hard for the Lord? Consider secondly, at the time
appointed, I will return unto thee. At the time appointed. There is a day, a time from old
eternity that God will be gracious to his own. Turn to Galatians
chapter one. Galatians 1, at the time appointed, not before,
not after, but at the time appointed. He said I will return unto they
look at Galatians chapter 1 and starting in verse 11 But I certify
you brethren that the gospel which was preached of me is not
after man For I neither received it of man neither was I taught
it but by the revelation of Jesus Christ for ye have heard of my
conversation in time past in the Jews religion and How that
beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it,
and profited in the Jews' religion above many mine equals in mine
own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the tradition of the
fathers. But when it pleased God, there's
the appointed time, who separated me from my mother's womb, and
called me by His grace." Turn to Luke chapter 19. There is
an appointed time for God's people that God will cross their path.
He'll cross them, convict them, bring them under His workings
of grace and redeem them. He returns to His people and
causes His people to return to Him. Luke 19. And look with me at verse 9. And Jesus said unto him, this
one of whom he's talking, this day is salvation. Come to this house,
for so much as he also is a son of Abraham, this day is salvation. He said unto him, This day is
salvation, come to thine house. There is a time appointed. Turn
to 2 Corinthians chapter 6. 2 Corinthians chapter 6 and look
with me at verse 1 and 2. We then as workers together with
him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God
in vain, For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted,
and in the day of salvation have I succored thee. Behold, now
is the accepted time. Behold, now is the day of salvation. Sarah, you will have a child
at the appointed time. Turn with me to Matthew chapter
eight. Matthew chapter 8, starting in
verse 5. And when Jesus was entered into
Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him,
and saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy,
grievously tormented. And Jesus said unto him, I will
come and heal him. And the centurion answered and
said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my
roof, but speak the word only. And my servant shall be healed.
For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And
I say to this man, go. And he goes. And unto another,
come. And he comes. And to my servant, do this. And
he does it. When Jesus heard it, or heard
that, he marveled and said to them that followed, Verily I
say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. And I say unto you that many
shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with
Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the
children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness.
There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. And Jesus said unto
the centurion, Go thy way, and as thou hast believed, so be
it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in
the selfsame hour." I believe it's in Luke, it says that when
he was talking to Jesus and as he turned to walk away, the servants
came and they said that the servant was fine. And that was when I
spoke and Christ said, go, he's fine. The self, same hour. The point is, is that just like
in Genesis 18 and verse 14, at the time appointed, at the time
appointed, look back at our text. At the time appointed, here's
another key word. At the time appointed, I will.
God's I wills. There's another key phrase. I
will say I will says the ancient of days I will be merciful to
whom I'll be merciful and mercy shown I will be gracious to whom
I'll be gracious and at the time appointed grace is shown I will
and that let that leper He said I will I will be thou clean and
he was clean at that appointed hour at that appointed time He
says all I will that all the father has given me none shall
perish and none shall perish Thirdly, consider this in our
text, is anything too hard for the Lord? At the time appointed,
I will return unto thee according to the time of life. Consider
thirdly, according to the time of life, as will the appointed time Sovereign
mercies visit so will there be imputed and imparted life when
God says I will return unto you in an appointed time Then that
time is a time of imputed and imparted life You see how that's
phrased there. He says at the time appointed
and according to the time of life Christ's life for our death. Christ's grace for our failed
works. Christ's righteousness for our
filth. Christ's pardon for our guilt. This time of life goes by other
expressions in Holy Writ. Turn to Ezekiel 16. It's called here in Genesis,
the time of life, according to the time of life, but it has
other expressions in this book as well. Ezekiel 16, and verse 6, and when I, this
is the I will of God, when I pass by thee, Saw you polluted in
your own blood. I said unto thee when thou wast
in thy blood live There's the time there's a there's that appointed
time according to the time of life Yea, I said unto thee when
thou wast in thy blood live and that's when that when we live
Turn to Luke chapter 19 Luke chapter 19, another expression
of the time of life. Luke chapter 19, you remember
this, Zacchaeus verses 5 and 6. And when Jesus came to the
place, He looked up and He saw him and He said unto him, Zacchaeus,
make haste and come down. For today I must abide at thy
house.' And he made haste, and he came down and received Him
joyfully." There's life. Zechariah chapter 13 and verse 1. In that day there shall be a
fountain opened to the house of David, the elect, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem
for sin and for uncleanness." The time of life is called a
fountain opened here. In that day. You see, there's
a time appointed according to the time of life.
Mark it down. If it is your time, if it is your time appointed, then
it will be your time of life. Because the trump card, is there
anything too hard for the Lord? Now, if it's based on my intellectualism or yours,
if it's based on the economy, if it's based on oratorical ability,
savvy, we might have an appointed time
to meet. There'll be no life though. But when God crosses
a sinner's path, according at the time appointed to be a time
of life. Mark it down. If it's your time
appointed, it is your time of life because God is God. Lastly, consider this. You might be here tonight and
wondering, can I obtain salvation? I, who am such a sinner with
such great and expanding needs, is there anything too hard for
the Lord? And you who believe, you ask, I ask, will I endure
to the end? Will I remain in the bosom of
my beloved? Will I make it past this hard
trial? I can confidently tell you if
you're His, yes, you will. For there is nothing too hard
or too difficult for Him who bears all for you and carries
upon His shoulder every single lamb that has been purchased
by His precious blood. Is there anything too hard for
the Lord? At the time appointed, I will return to Thee according
to the time of life. May we bless God and thank Him
for His absolutes. is absolute.