Is Anything too Difficult for the Lord?

Genesis 18 is for you this morning. In Genesis 18, we understand that there's nothing too difficult for God, nothing whatsoever. Let's read it and then let's talk about it. Genesis chapter 18, Now the Lord appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, while he was sitting at the tent door in the heat of the day. And when he lifted up his eyes and looked, behold, three men were standing opposite him. And when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the earth, and said, My Lord, if now I have found favor in your sight, please do not pass your servant by.

Please let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourself under the tree. And I will bring a piece of bread, and that you may refresh yourselves, after that you may go on, since you have visited your servant. And they said, So do as you have said. So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah, and said, Quickly, prepare three measures of fine flour, knead it, and make bread cakes. Abraham also ran to the herd, and took a tender and choice calf, and gave it to the servant, and he hurried to prepare it.

And he took curds, and milk, and the calf which he had prepared, and placed it before them, and he was standing by them under the tree as they ate. Then they said to him, Where is Sarah your wife? And he said, Behold in the tent. And he said, I will surely return to you at this time next year. And behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son. And Sarah was listening at the tent door which was behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age. Sarah was past childbearing. And Sarah laughed to herself, saying, After I have become old, shall I have pleasure, my Lord, being old also?

And the Lord said to Abraham, Why did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I indeed bear a child when I am so old? Is anything too difficult for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you at this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son. Sarah denied it, however, saying, I did not laugh, for she was afraid. And he said, No, but you did laugh. Is anything too difficult for the Lord? Is there anything God can't do? Answered, No, God can do anything He chooses to do. The question is, do you believe that?

This story will tell whether or not you really, truly believe that. Let's look at it together. Two things we're gonna cover this morning. Number one, the service performed by Abraham.

Number two, the son promised to Sarah. Those two things help us to understand whether or not we truly believe if anything is too difficult for the Lord or not. First of all, the service performed by Abraham.

And there are two things I want you to see in the main point number one. Number one is this, the men he served, and number two, the manner of his service.

The men he served will tell us whether or not you believe if there's anything too difficult for God, and the manner in which he served the men will determine whether or not you believe God can really do anything He desires. Let's look at it together.

First of all, the men that he served. Two things I want you to see, their identification and their invitation. Now many people have problems with this passage. Our Jewish friends, specifically our rabbi friends, have very difficult time understanding who these three men were. But the Bible tells us very specifically who they were and what they did. So let's look at their identification.

Three things I want you to see. Number one is this, Abraham did not recognize who they were. Abraham did not recognize who they were. Now the text says the Lord did appear to Abraham. But remember, in the previous times the Lord appeared to Abraham, specifically when he first came to Abraham when he was in Ur of the Chaldeans, the glory of the Lord trumpeted forth.

This doesn't happen this time. You see, the reason the Jewish people have a hard time with this is because they can't admit that God became man. Because if He became man in Genesis 18, He probably became man in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. And they're not ready to accept that, you see. But you see, if you can believe that God can do anything, then you can believe that God became man. And is that not what the Gospel is all about? Of course it is. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld His glory.

The glory is of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. The second thing I want you to notice about their identification is that two of them were angels, one was not.

Two of them were angels, one was not. One is Jehovah God. Now how do we know it's Jehovah God? Well, it says in verse number 1 of chapter 18, then Jehovah appeared to him. Over in verse number 13, and Jehovah said to Abraham. Verse number 17, and Jehovah. Verse number 20, and Jehovah said. Verse number 22, Abraham was still standing before Jehovah. Verse number 26, so Jehovah. Verse number 23, or excuse me, 24 of chapter 19, then Jehovah reigned on Sodom and Gomorrah, brimstone and fire from Jehovah out of heaven.

And now you have two Jehovahs. What does that mean? Well, you've got to come in a couple of weeks and I'll explain that to you. But the bottom line is that one of them is Jehovah God who became man. Two of them are angels who became men. Do you believe that God can do anything? I do. Is there anything too hard for God? No, not at all. God can do anything he wants. Look at their invitation.

Abraham invites them in verse number 5 to what? Refresh themselves. The invitation that Abraham extends to these three men, one being Jehovah God, two of them being angels, but have taken on the appearance of a man is very significant. Hebrews 13 verse number 1, that love of the brethren continue, that's a good verse, of course they're all good. Verse number 2, do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it. And the Bible says that we are to be hospitable to one another, that is we are to be lovers of strangers.

Let me ask you a question. Are you a lover of strangers this morning? Do you love strangers? When a visitor comes to the door, do you love that stranger? Do you go after that stranger not knowing whether or not that stranger is really an angel unawares? You ever think about that? You say, Pastor, I've seen some of the strangers come through our door, they're anything but angels. Really? How do you know that? How do you know that? Every time somebody comes to visit our church and I meet them and they never come back, I wonder whether or not they were an angel or not.

I wonder. But the bottom line is that we are to be lovers of strangers, so much so that Peter says in 1 Peter 4 and 9 that we are to show hospitality to one another without grumbling. You ever grumble when you have to show love to a stranger? Folks, let me tell you something.

You need to be aggressively pursuing strangers because, you know what, that stranger just might be an angel. Just might be. You don't know that and I don't know that. But it comes back. Do you believe that God can do anything? Is anything too difficult for the Lord? No. And therefore, we must be men and women of faith who look at opportunities that God gives us as opportunities to minister to him.

The second thing I want you to notice is the manner of Abraham's service. The manner of his service. And there are five things I want you to see because they are very, very important. The first thing I want you to see is that his service was essential.

He gets up and he serves. Why? Because he understands that his service is an essential service. And I wonder if we understand that this morning. It is our essential duty to serve our brother. Now, Abraham's 99 years old. He's no young pup being able to get up and, you know, arouse himself rather quickly because he was a young whippersnapper. No, he was an older man. He's 99 years of age. He's got to get up and do some service to these three strangers. The Bible says in Colossians chapter 3, verses 23 and 24, whatever you do, do it heartily as to the Lord and not to men, for you serve the Lord Christ.

Whatever you do, you do it heartily as unto the Lord, not unto men. Why? Because you are serving the Lord. Abraham, not recognizing, number one, this was God.

Number two, this was two angels. He sees three men. He immediately gets up, begins to serve them because the essential duty of the believer is to serve and to love strangers. Think about that. It should revolutionize the way we minister to people who come through our door or the people who come to our home and visit or people we meet in the marketplace who are strangers. Not only do we see the fact of a service being essential, we see it exponential. We see that it is an exponential service. The text says he ran.

You see, the mark of true service is measured by its swiftness. He immediately began to serve. And then I want you to notice, not only was it essential, exponential, it was reverential.

He bowed in submission to these people. He says in verse number three, thy servant. Verse number five, your servant. He saw himself as a server of people. Remember, Abraham, Abraham was a head sheik. He was a big time land owner. He had hundreds of servants that served him, yet on this day he saw himself as one who would serve his fellow man and saw himself as a servant and thus would minister to the men, the strangers who came his way. Not only was it essential, exponential, and reverential, it also was beneficial.

Our service should always benefit the other one. A lot of times we serve, listen very carefully, we serve because we want to be benefited. We serve for our benefit, not for the benefit of someone else. How do you know you serve for your benefit? You serve for your benefit when someone gets upset or doesn't like the way you serve them and then you get angry with them. That's how you know that you served for your benefit and not for their benefit. When you serve for their benefit, you're doing it for the Lord.

Remember, do your work heartily as unto the Lord, not unto men, for your service is to him. And so you're doing your best for the Lord. They might not like your best, that's okay. You're not there to please them. Who are you there to please? God. God is who you're there to please. But their service was beneficial. They got something to eat. They got something to drink. They were able to rest. Their feet were washed. Your service should benefit people physically, mentally, emotionally, as well as spiritually.

And lastly, I want you to notice that not only was their, his service essential, exponential, reverential, and beneficial, but it also was sacrificial.

Sacrificial, for the text says that he received and went to take the tender and choice calf. Verse number seven, he went to get the best for the strangers. He didn't get the leftover. He didn't get the scraps. He would go and receive and give the best to the strangers. It would be a sacrifice for Abraham. So many times our service is stingy, isn't it? Not very sacrificial. Is anything too difficult for the Lord? No, God can do anything. Main point number two, the son promised to Sarah.

Several things I want you to see here. We must hurry. Time is fleeting. The first thing I want you to see is the inquiry.

Then they said to him, who's they? That's the three men. Where is Sarah your wife? Did they say it in unison? I don't know. Did one say it? Hey, where's your wife? The other one said, hey, yeah, where's your wife? The other guy said, hey, yeah, where's your wife? How'd they say that? I don't know. It just says, they said. Very important to the text. Follow. And he said, that's Abraham, behold in the tents. Let me ask you a question.

How did they know he had a wife? How did he know the name of his wife? And why, if they knew her previously, did they not call her Sarai instead of Sarai, but called her Sarah? How did they know she had a name change in private? When God did that last week or last chapter in Genesis 17, changed her name from Sarai, which is my little princess, to Sarah, princess. How did they know that? Simple, Jehovah God knows everything. So, where's your wife? Abraham. And then look, number two, at the instructions.

And he said, I will surely return to you at this time next year, and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son. And Sarah was listening at the tent door, which was behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age. Sarah was past childbearing. Notice the switch.

From they said to he said. Now who's he? He is God. Look at Genesis 21. Genesis 21 verses 1 and 2. Then the Lord took note of Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as he had promised. So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age at the appointed time of which God had spoken to who? To him. And when had God spoken to him who was Abraham? Genesis chapter 17 verse number 21. But my covenant I will establish with Isaac whom Sarah will bear to you at this season next year. Can't get around it.

One of the men is Jehovah God who knows everything about what happened because he initiated it all. And he gives the instructions to Abraham once again. Sarah your wife shall have a son. God is going to do that which man sees as impossible. But see God is able to do what we see as being unable to accomplish because our God does the impossible. It was all about his glory. This is why he waited so long. They had to be beyond childbearing years. Her womb had to be dead physically speaking so God would receive all the glory.

You see God can do anything he wants to do but sometimes God waits so that everything to you seems so impossible that without God doing it, it would never be accomplished. So God waits to make sure it's at the right time to show how the God of the impossible makes it possible. We move from the inquiry, from the instruction to the insult. Look what it says, verse number 12. And Sarah laughed to herself saying, after I have become old, shall I have pleasure, my Lord, being old also? Huh, you've got to be kidding me.

You've got to be kidding me. Now Sarah is not in the room. She is behind the tent. She is listening to what's going on. The text says she laughed within herself. You've got to be kidding me. I'm 89 years old. You think I'm going to have pleasure with that man who is 99 years old? You've got to be kidding me. This is not going to happen here. That was an insult to God. You know why that was an insult to God? It's because she wanted to limit his capabilities. She wanted to limit his capabilities. She viewed her circumstances, she viewed her situation as being so big that God could not handle it.

You ever been there? You ever view your situation so big you go to church and the pastor preaches, you know, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, pray, watch God do a mighty work and you go out of there laughing to yourself. He didn't know my situation. He didn't know where I'm at. God can't handle my situation. That's where Sarah was. She laughed within herself. She insulted God and she attacked his character. She inevitably called God a liar. Now look with me at the indictment. That's verses 13 and 14.

And the Lord said to who? Abraham, not Sarah. And the Lord Jehovah God said to Abraham, Why did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I indeed bear a child when I am so old? Now remember the text says Sarah laughed within herself. She made no outward noise. It was all on the inside. It was a scoffing gesture on the inside. And God says to Abraham, Why does Sarah your wife laugh?

That tells me about the omniscience of God, doesn't it? He knows everything. He knows whether or not you believe he can do everything, anything or not. He knows. We can't fool God. You might be able to fool your pastor, fool your elders, fool your Bible study leader, fool your wife, fool your husband. You can't fool God. He knows. He knows exactly what you believe. So, in this indictment, when God goes to Abraham, Why did Sarah, your wife, laugh? Why'd she do that, Abraham? And then it says in verse number 14, Is anything too difficult for the Lord?

Is anything too difficult for the Lord? He demonstrates to us once again his power, his ability to accomplish the impossible, the power of El Shaddai. When Gabriel came to Mary, what did he say? For with God, nothing will be impossible. But it gets really good right here. It says, At the appointed time, I will return to you at this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son. That indictment tells you about God's grace. You see, if I was God, I'd say, Sarah, it's over for you. You don't laugh at me and get away with it.

You don't laugh at me and expect me to bless you. But see, that's the grace of God, isn't it? Even though she scoffed at God, even though she mocked God, even so she called God a liar by saying that he's unable to do the impossible. God, you can't do that. You can't accomplish what you said. You can't do what you said in your Word. God's grace comes back and says, This time next year, she'll have a son. We go from the indictment to the iniquity. Verse number 15, Sarah denied it, however saying, I did not laugh.

Unbelief always leads to lies. I didn't laugh. Who, me? I didn't do that. God says, No, but you did. Oh, boy. Right to the quick. You did, Sarah. You did laugh. And I wonder how many people today, in their hearts, would say, You can't do that, God. You can't mend what has been broken for so long. You can't heal the disease of my child. The doctor said it's impossible. You can't manage my financial situation. I am too far in debt. It's over. It's over. You can't change my bitter spirit. I'll always remain cold.

I'll always remain this way. I will never forgive. God can't change that part of me. And I wonder how many people today are laughing at God. They're laughing inwardly. We mock the character of God. We insult him. And God says, Wait a minute.

Is there anything too difficult for me? Now, amidst Sarah's defensiveness, amidst her sin, And something changed in Sarah, for the Bible says in Hebrews 11, verse number 11, by faith, even Sarah herself received ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life, since she considered him faithful, who had promised, isn't that good, isn't that good?

Sarah believed, Sarah believed, it took some time, it took some work, but she believed, and now she's in the hall of faith, in spite of the fact that she mocked the sovereign God of the universe, in spite of the fact that she would even sit there and lie to his face, no, I didn't do that, and God in his graciousness, his love, his compassion, would reach out to her, and the impossible would be accomplished, and Sarah would believe. How about you, can God do anything? Is anything too difficult for the Lord?

Listen, please listen as I say this, the record of Genesis 18 is not about the God of the past, it's about the God of the present, for Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. There's nothing impossible for God. Let's pray.