06/12/2026
Pastor Douglas invites you to hear his message this Sunday, June 14, entitled, "Nothing Is Impossible Before the Lord." It is based on
Genesis 18:1-18 - New International Version
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 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.
“Well,” they answered, “do as you say.”
6 So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah. “Quick,” he said, “get three seams[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.”
Abraham Pleads for S***m
16 When the men got up to leave, they looked down toward S***m, and Abraham walked along with them to see them on their way. 17 Then the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? 18 Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him
Introduction
The longer you live, the more apparent it becomes that life doesn’t always turn out the way we think it’s going to turn out or the way we want it to turn out. We often begin our adult lives with at least a basic idea of what we want our future to look like. We have dreams, desires, and goals. We might have educational goals, for example, such as attending a specific college or earning a specific degree. We might have career-related goals that involve working in a certain field, doing something we enjoy, and earning a generous salary. We might have family-related goals of finding that special someone, getting married, and having kids. There are all kinds of goals and desires people often have for their future. Yet, life doesn’t always turn out the way we think it will. It’s not that uncommon at all for us to encounter significant disappointments in our lives. And, sometimes, these disappointments are so severe and so painful that it feels like we’re just wandering around in a desert wasteland and struggling to understand why God’s allowed our lives to turn out this way. We might even be tempted to become bitter against God.
-And that seems to be where Abraham’s wife Sarah is here in Genesis 18. For decades, Sarah had desperately wanted a child and had even been promised a child by God. But now, here she is as a 90-year-old without any children.
Yet, as we will see, Abraham and Sarah receive some very important visitors in this passage who come with a very important message. Look with me at verse 1, and the beginning of verse 2: 1 And the Lord appeared to [Abraham] by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day. 2 He lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing in front of him.
Now, as we will see, these three “men” are not actually men at all. Two of them are angels, and one of them is the Lord, Yahweh, himself. Now, that might be surprising to you—that Yahweh would appear in the form of a human in the Old Testament—but that’s what the text clearly says. And, in fact, there are several other examples in the Old Testament of this happening as well. The theological word for it is a “theophany,” a compound word which comes from a combination of the Greek words for “God” and “appearing” or “manifestation.” So, a theophany is a physical manifestation of God in the Old Testament.
Abraham recognizes that these three “men” are very important. We can see that in the lengths to which Abraham goes to honor them and be hospitable to them. Verses 2-8: 2 He lifted 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 earth 3 and said, “O Lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant. 4 Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree, 5 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.” 6 And Abraham went quickly into the tent to Sarah and said, “Quick! Three seahs of the finest flour! Knead it and make cakes.” 7 And Abraham ran to the herd and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to a young man, who prepared it quickly. 8 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.
So, in that culture, it was very unusual to see an older man running in that way, especially one of the social standings of Abraham. Running would have usually been considered beneath the dignity of a man like Abraham. Yet, without any hesitation, Abraham runs out to these men, bows down in front of them, and proceeds to act toward them as a servant would act toward his master. Not only does Abraham set an elaborate feast before the men, he also doesn’t even count himself worthy of eating it with them, but instead, as we see in verse 8, he simply stands by them as they enjoy the food.
The three men then get down to business with Abraham in “They said to him, 'Where is Sarah, your wife?” And he said, “She is in the tent.” 10 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. 11 Now Abraham and Sarah are old, advanced in years. The way of women had ceased to be with Sarah. 12 So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?”
Understandably, she would feel that way. First, she’s been infertile her entire life. On top of that, even in her younger years, she was infertile, and she’s now ninety years old and has gone through menopause.
We then read in verses 13-15: 13 The Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’ 14 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.” 15 But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid. He said, “No, but you did laugh.” So, the Lord sort of calls Sarah out a little bit to laugh at herself about this promise. If God ever manifests himself to you in the form of a theophany and calls you out for something, I don’t recommend denying that you did whatever he says you did. He’s God, and he knows what you did, so you should probably just own up to it. Otherwise, it’s just awkward. I mean, can you feel the awkwardness in verse 15? Sarah denies it and says, “I didn’t laugh,” so then God has to come back and say, “Yeah, you kind of did.” Then, I imagine an awkward silence probably ensued until Abraham was like, “Alright, then, can I get anyone another drink?”
-Yet, the climactic statement of this passage is what God says in verse 14 after Sarah laughs. He asks, “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” And that brings us to the main idea of this entire passage, which is that God delayed Isaac’s birth to show that nothing is too hard for him to accomplish. Again, God delayed Isaac’s birth to show that nothing is too hard for him to accomplish.
What God can do no man can do
-You see, we might be limited, but God is not. He can do anything he wants, any time he wants, any way he wants, and nothing can stand in his way. For those of you who are Avengers fans, it’s like God has all six infinity stones all the time, and he doesn’t even have to snap his fingers to use them. His power is truly limitless.
-That’s essentially what Sarah was doing. She was projecting her human limitations onto God. Just…think about how ridiculous that is. I mean, we’re talking about a God who spoke this universe into existence. How hard can it be for a God like that with that kind of power to enable a woman to conceive and have a child? Not very hard at all.
And that’s a good thing for us to remember as well. You know, maybe the next time you’re tempted to doubt something about God or that God’s able to do something, just go outside and look around. Go up to an overlook somewhere and look out over the vast landscape. Or go outside at night and look up at the stars.
Surely the God who spoke all of that into existence can accomplish his will in your life and keep his promises to you and look after your welfare.
And let’s get specific here. In what specific areas of your life have you perhaps been tempted to think or act as though something’s too hard for the Lord?
The first situation that comes to my mind in which those of us who are Christians might be tempted to think that way is concerning the people we know whom we long to see put their trust in Jesus, but who haven’t done so yet. If you’re anything like me, there are certain people you’ve been praying for years or even decades to be saved, and yet they still show almost no interest in the gospel. That can be tough, and, if we’re not careful, we can gradually begin to give up hope that they’ll ever be saved. Even though we’d never say it out loud, we can sometimes begin to imagine that certain people are, in a sense, beyond saving. So maybe you need to let God’s gentle rebuke to Sarah here in Genesis 18 sink into your heart as well: “Is anything too hard for the Lord?”
So, “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” And if God can save people the way he’s doing in around right now, don’t you think he can save that loved one or that friend or that neighbor or that coworker you’ve been asking him to save? So, whatever you do, don’t stop praying for them and actively seeking to lead them to Christ. God’s put you in their lives for a reason and has called you and empowered you, by his Spirit, to be a faithful witness. Don’t let anything discourage you from that mission because, as God’s words here in Genesis 18 remind us, nothing is too hard for the Lord. God might take a long time to save the people you’ve been praying for—just as he took a long time to give Sarah a child—but that doesn’t in any way mean that he’s not going to do it.
And, of course, there are many other areas of life as well in which we’re often tempted to think or act as though something’s too hard for the Lord. So, whatever your situation, be reminded that God can do anything. His power has no limit. He can break the bonds of any addiction in your life no matter how strong that addiction is. He can provide for you financially, no matter how challenging your financial situation currently seems to be. He can bring about reconciliation and restoration of any relationship in your life, no matter how estranged you and that other person currently are. God can provide a spouse for you even if you’ve been searching for one for years. He can provide comfort and strength for you after the loss of a loved one, even if your grief, at times, feels overwhelming. There’s absolutely nothing that God can’t do. And, not only that, but he also hasn’t forgotten about you. Just as God hadn’t forgotten Sarah but visited her in Genesis 18 and reminded her of his promise, he hasn’t forgotten about you, either.
And, as we think about Sarah and the way she’d soon miraculously conceive and give birth to a child named Isaac, we’re reminded of another woman who’d miraculously conceive and give birth and thereby show that nothing’s too hard for the Lord. In Luke Chapter 1, we read about a woman named Mary. And Mary was a virgin. Yet an angel appeared to her one day and told her that, even though she was a virgin, she’d nevertheless conceive and give birth to a child and was to call him Jesus. And get this: as the angel made this announcement to Mary, he reminded her that “nothing will be impossible with God.” That’s his exact words as they’re recorded in Luke 1:37: “For nothing will be impossible with God.” You know, if I didn’t know any better, I might just start to think there are echoes in the angel’s statement to Mary of what God told Sarah back in Genesis 18:14.
And, sure enough, Mary conceived and gave birth not just to any child but to one who would show in a climactic way that nothing’s too hard for the Lord. You see, the Bible teaches us that Jesus was no ordinary person. Not only was he miraculously conceived, but he was also actually God in human flesh. God became a man in the person of Jesus. And the reason he did that was to rescue us from our sin. After Jesus lived a life of perfect obedience to God the Father, he voluntarily allowed himself to be crucified on a cross to pay for our sins. Our sins deserved God’s judgment, but Jesus suffered that judgment in our place.
Yet, that’s not all. Looking back once again at how the story unfolds in Genesis 18 and the surrounding chapters, notice how God deliberately delays Isaac’s birth so that he can show in an even more dramatic way that nothing’s too hard for him to accomplish. You know, so much of studying the Bible well basically comes back to asking the right questions of the text. And as we think about what’s happening in Genesis, we should ask ourselves, “Why does God delay Isaac’s birth for so long?” I mean, God promised Abraham way back in Genesis 12 that Abraham would have offspring and could have fulfilled that promise that very year. So, why did God make Abraham and Sarah wait 25 years and endure such heartache and emotional turmoil before finally fulfilling that promise?
And there’s no other answer except that God was accomplishing his purposes in Abraham and Sarah’s lives. First, he was teaching them what it means to live by faith and using this trial to draw them closer to himself. And that’s what he does in our lives as well. God uses trials to break us of our prideful self-sufficiency and bring us to a place where we’re able to experience his goodness and grace on a level that wouldn’t otherwise be possible.
Hymns:
iWorship – He Leadeth Me
O Worship the King #73 (all verses)
Hymn of Promise #707 (all verses)
The special music for Sunday is a piano solo by Nancy Wheeler: "As the Deer"
