The Three Visitors
Text: Genesis 18:1-15
Core Idea: Our God is mighty to do the impossible – and yet He stoops down to meet us in our weakness, restore what is broken, and amaze us with His wonders. Then, may we, like Sarah, move from the laughter of unbelief to the laughter of joy, knowing that nothing is too wonderful for the Lord.
INTRODUCTION
Well, we’ve been walking through the Book of Genesis – tracing how God’s plan of salvation began. And last week, we saw God sealing His covenant with Abram – laying out the details and confirming exactly when the promise will be fulfilled: “By this time next year, Sarah will bear a son.” This must have brought great relief to Abram because remember – God had been silent for 13 years. Ever since he took matters into his own hands with Hagar, he may have wondered if his sin and failure to trust God had disqualified him from the covenant. Can you imagine how painful it would’ve been for him to live with regret and uncertainty for 13 years? But into that silence, God appeared and said, “I am God Almighty.” It’s as if God was saying, “I am the One who can do the impossible – the One who overcomes every barrier. Abram, I haven’t forgotten you. I haven’t abandoned you. I was simply waiting for you to come to the end of yourself – so you would know that apart from Me, you can do nothing.” The waiting wasn’t a disruption to the covenant – it was an essential part of it. God used the waiting to sanctify Abraham – which is why He didn’t just say, “Sit tight and wait.” Instead, He said, “Walk before Me, and be blameless.” Now, to anchor them in hope, God gave Abram and Sarai new names to remind them who He was making them to be, not who they were in that moment. So, for example, Abram, which meant “exalted father” became Abraham, “father of nations.” And Sarai, who had been barren all her life, became Sarah, “the princess – mother of kings.” All that to say, God gave them new identities that aligned with His new purposes for their lives. And if that wasn’t enough, God also commanded Abraham to be circumcised so that it would serve as a visible sign of the invisible reality of God’s unbreakable covenant love for him. Now, naturally, you would expect the very next scene to be the birth of Isaac – a moment of joy and celebration, praising God for His faithfulness. But that’s not what happens. The passage we’re about to read tells us that God appeared to Abraham again. And we can’t help but ask: “Why? Why does God come again before the promise is fulfilled?” Well, that’s what we’re going to find out today. So, with that in mind, please turn in your Bibles to Genesis 18:1-15 – and let me read this passage for us.
1 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, do not pass your servant by. 4 Let a little water be brought, and then you may all 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.” “Very well,” they answered, “do as you say.” 6 So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah. “Quick,” he said, “get three seahs 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.”
Amen. This is the Word of God for you today.
Let me share three things that God was doing when He appeared again:
· HE DREW NEAR IN THEIR DOUBT
· HE HEALED THEIR BROKENNESS
· HE AWAKENED THEIR WONDER
1) HE DREW NEAR IN THEIR DOUBT
Verse 1 begins by telling us that the Lord appeared to Abraham while he was sitting at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day. It was an ordinary day – and it’s possible that Abraham was dozing off because when he lifted his eyes, he, all of a sudden, saw three men standing nearby. Now, nothing in the text suggests Abraham knew immediately that this was the Lord in human form – we know it because the author tells us. But considering it was customary for the people in that culture to show hospitality to sojourners, it’s not surprising to see Abraham going out of his way to welcome them in. I point this out because some have argued that Abraham did this because he knew it was the Lord – but I think there’s not enough evidence to support that claim. Actually, what the author really wanted us to see from this is the fact that Abraham went far beyond what was expected in the way he served them. Verse 2 says, “When he saw them, he hurried [it literally says he ran – and just in case you forgot, he was 99 years old at this time] from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground.” You can see how humble and respectful Abraham was. Then, he said to them in verse 4, “Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet and rest under this tree. Let me get you something to eat, so you can be refreshed and then go on your way.” Note that he said, “A little water and just something to eat.” But he told Sarah to bake bread with three seahs of the finest flour – which, by the way, was equivalent to 65 pounds of flour. I don’t know much about baking, but I read that you can make 60-70 loaves of bread with that much flour. And if that wasn’t enough, he prepared a whole calf and served it with some yogurt and milk. All that to say, it was a feast. This wasn’t ordinary hospitality – this was overwhelming generosity, the kind of “open-handed” lifestyle Abraham had shown before. Do you remember when he let Lot choose the better land first, or when he gave back all the spoils of war to the Lord? Abraham’s life displayed a pattern of trusting God’s provision, which freed him to give lavishly. And that’s exactly what he was doing in our text today – he just didn’t know that he was serving God Himself. Hebrews 13:2 says, “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.” And this is what we should do as well. Now, I could talk about the importance of hospitality here as many have done – but I’m going to move on because, as much as that is important, the point of this passage is not hospitality. It’s not about what Abraham does for God – but what God does for Abraham and Sarah.
As I mentioned, it’s likely that Abraham did not know this was God in human form. But he began to pick up on it. How? Look at verse 9 – they asked him, “Where is your wife Sarah?” This seems like a simple question, but it definitely would’ve startled Abraham because God had only recently changed the name from Sarai to Sarah. Then, how did these strangers know her name – let alone her new name? It must have caught Abraham off guard – but he still answered, “Oh, she’s in the tent.” Then, one of them said in verse 10, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.” By now, Abraham must have realized that this was the Lord Himself because this was what God had communicated to him in private. And yet not only did they know Sarah’s name, but they also knew God’s covenant promise and its exact timeline. Now, why did God do this? Why did He come and repeat the same information again? Did Abraham forget? Was Abraham doubting again? What’s going on here? Well, we find out why in verse 10 – after God confirms the promise, it says: “Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him.” In other words, this wasn’t for Abraham – it was for Sarah. God appeared again because He wanted her to personally hear from Him that the promise still stood, not secondhand through Abraham. Last week, we talked about how 13 years have passed since the incident with Hagar – and how Abraham would’ve struggled with guilt and regret during that time. Now, Sarah would’ve been in the same place. In fact, she may have felt even greater guilt – knowing that she initiated the plan. Knowing that she could’ve disqualified them from the covenant, her guilt could’ve been eating her up. At the same time, she probably continued to feel intense shame since she lived in a culture where a woman’s value was tied to her ability to bear children. Now, I’m sure Abraham told her all that he heard from God in Chapter 17 – about the name change, circumcision as the sign of the covenant, and the exact time of the promise fulfilled. But her heart must have already grown hard, for she could not accept God’s Word for what it was. Verse 11, “Abraham and Sarah were already very old, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, ‘After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?’” Her response was raw and honest. She was basically saying that her menstrual cycle had stopped – and that she was on the other side of menopause, which, by the way, probably happened years ago. There was sarcasm, cynicism, and unbelief as she responded in laughter of hopelessness. “Look at me. I’m old. I’m used up. I’m a waste. There’s nothing left in me. There’s nothing left in him. I’ve been praying for this all my life – but You didn’t answer. And now You say that I’ll have a child? When all hope is gone? Whatever You say.” Now, here’s another evidence that must have helped Sarah realize this was the Lord Himself – in verse 13, the visitor shared what Sarah was only thinking to herself: “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’” In fact, He asked a question that challenged her thinking – and it should do the same for us as well. Verse 14, “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” He was basically saying, “Don’t you know who I am? Don’t you know that I created everything you see in this world and more? I created the mountains and the ocean, the wind and the waves, the sun and the moon, the animals and the birds in their intricacy – I created you. In fact, I created all these things out of nothing – just with My words. And I’m the One who sustains all these things. I am powerful beyond your understanding. And yet you’re concerned about your age? Do you really think your body and your circumstances are too much for Me? I am God Almighty. Is anything too hard for Me? Think about it. Is anything too hard for Me?” And that’s something we should all ask ourselves as well. Think about your own circumstances – and ask yourself: Is anything too hard for the Lord? What circumstances in your life feel impossible? Can you imagine a situation that is beyond God’s power? If your answer is no, if you confess that nothing is too hard for Him, then the harder question is: Do you really believe that? Brothers and sisters, I firmly believe it’s no coincidence that we’re going through the Book of Genesis right now and that you’re here to hear this message today. Just as God appeared to challenge Sarah’s doubt and unbelief with this question, He’s confronting you with this truth. He’s asking you: “Do you truly believe that there’s nothing hard for Me? If so, don’t let your heart be hardened. Don’t be cynical. Believe in Me. Believe that I am powerful, that I am in control, and that I will never leave you nor forsake you.” That’s exactly what Sarah had to face – God was personally confronting her.
Now, verse 15 tells us that Sarah was afraid – “so she lied and said, ‘I did not laugh.’ But he said, ‘Yes, you did laugh.’” It’s not hard to see why she felt this way. How can she not be afraid, knowing that God Himself was standing before her – and that He could read her mind? But God confronted her again and exposed her lie – not as a way to embarrass her but as a way to invite her in. “Sarah, you did lie. But that’s okay. I understand. Stop trying to hide yourself. Stop running from Me. I’m not here to condemn you for your sins. I’m here to comfort you, encourage you, and lift you up.” God didn’t have to appear again. He could’ve just said to Abraham, “Don’t neglect your duty to lead your wife. Share with her everything I said to you – and encourage her.” But He Himself drew near because He wanted to personally announce this promise to Sarah. He did this because He loved her and cared for her. Friends, this is our God. He’s not just powerful – but He’s also close to us. Then, open your hearts and wrestle with His Word. Start thinking about your circumstances in light of who He is – not the other way around. If you think about who God is in light of your circumstances, you may question His goodness and His love for you – “How can He let this and that happen if He loves me?” But if you think of your circumstances in light of who He is, your perspective will shift – “There must be a reason why God is allowing this to happen. I’m scared. I’m in pain. But I know I am safe because I am in His hands.” May the truth of God challenge your thinking and wash away your cynicism and unbelief today.
2) HE HEALED THEIR BROKENNESS
Look again at Sarah’s words back in verse 12, “After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?” Now, some people have taken this to mean that Sarah was talking about the joy of finally having a child – “Will I really get to be a mother after all?” But the word “pleasure” here in Hebrew is actually used in the context of sexual intimacy – which means Sarah was basically saying, “Will I now know the pleasure of being intimate with my husband again?” This is interesting and worth thinking through because she may be hinting at something deeper than her age or physical condition. She could be alluding to a tension in the marriage. Considering how painful the ordeal was with Hagar, considering how disappointed Abraham was, considering how hurt Sarah was, considering they both blamed each other, we can only imagine how it must have taken a toll on their relationship. Then, their lack of intimacy may not have been just about biology – it may have been about broken trust and unhealed wounds. Their past pain and sin may have kept them from each other. Now, God could’ve given Sarah a child without Abraham’s involvement – He did it with Mary. But He didn’t do that here. Why? Because before the promise could be fulfilled, their marriage had to be healed. Before Isaac could be born, Abraham and Sarah needed to be reconciled, restored, and made one again because the promise wasn’t just about what God would give them, but about who they would become together. How could Abraham and Sarah model God’s love to Isaac if they weren’t showing love to one another? So, God, in His grace, was healing their brokenness as part of fulfilling His promise – so that they can be intimate again.
Last week, we saw how God transformed their identity before He changed their circumstances – Abram to Abraham and Sarai to Sarah. Now, here, we see that God prepares people before He fulfills His promises. Pastor John Piper writes, “God loves to prepare us for His gifts. He doesn’t simply hand us blessings; He makes us into the kind of people who can rejoice in them and not ruin them.” For Abraham and Sarah, that meant a restored marriage – but for us, it may look different. For example, parents may be praying for their teenager’s future (their grades, career, or faith) – but God may first lead them to repent of anger, harshness, or neglect, so that the closeness of the family is healed. A young person may long for marriage – but God may first teach patience, self-control, and generosity in their singleness so that they become the kind of person their future spouse needs them to be. Someone may be praying for a new job or career breakthrough – but God may first teach them to work hard and center their hearts on the Lord so that when temptations come to either idolize work or become idle at work, they can continue to fix their eyes on the Lord and work in a way that honors Him. Someone may long for deeper friendships or a stronger community – but God may first lead them to forgive an old friend or learn how to love others so that they know how to do life with others. A church may pray for growth or outreach opportunities – but God may first bring them to practice unity, heal old wounds, and reconcile with one another so that when growth comes, they are ready to bear it well. I could go on and on with different examples, but the pattern is the same: before the blessing comes, God shapes us to be the kind of people who can carry the blessing. Then, the waiting is never a waste – it’s preparation. Then, let me ask you: Could it be that the very thing you’re asking God for right now isn’t being delayed at all – but that God is preparing you first so that when His promise comes, you’ll be ready to enjoy it? Then, is there a relationship He wants you to restore, a habit He wants you to surrender, or a discipline He wants you to grow in before the blessing comes? How is God preparing you right now? Brothers and sisters, I pray that you won’t resist His hand in the waiting. It may not be comfortable – surely it couldn’t have been easy for Abraham and Sarah to face the pain of reconciliation. But we know they did it because a year later, Isaac was born. God healed their marriage before He gave them the child. And in the same way, we can trust that every hard thing God is doing in our lives today is part of shaping us into the people He wants us to be.
3) HE AWAKENED THEIR WONDER
Let’s go back to verse 13 – this is right after Sarah laughs. “Then the LORD said to Abraham, ‘Why did Sarah laugh and say, “Will I really have a child, now that I am old?” Is anything too hard for the LORD? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.’” An interesting thing that I didn’t mention before is the fact that the word “hard” in Hebrew literally means “wonder” or “wonderful” – which means the question could be read: “Is anything too wonderful for the Lord?” or “Is there any wonder that the Lord cannot bring about?” This is important to point out because it implies that sometimes we struggle to believe God, not because His promises are absurd, illogical, or hard, but because they’re too wonderful for us to accept. It’s not that they don’t make sense to us – it’s that they seem too good to be true. So, like Sarah, we laugh – not out of mockery, but out of disbelief that such good news could possibly be real. Think with me. The Bible tells us that the God who created galaxies knows us by name. That the Sovereign King of history listens when we pray. That the holy God, whose eyes are too pure to look on sin, gives us, sinners, new mercies every morning. The Bible tells us that the perfectly just Judge declares sinners like us righteous simply because we trust in Jesus – in fact, He even calls us His children. The Bible tells us that broken marriages can be healed, prodigals can return, addicts can be set free, the lost can be found, the discouraged can be lifted up, and the guilty can be forgiven. That despair can be turned into hope, sorrow into joy, death into resurrection – all because the sinless Son of God lived the life we could not live, died the death we deserved, and rose to conquer the grave we could never overcome on our own. Friends, these are not logical absurdities. They are wonders – wonders too marvelous for us to grasp. Pastor Charles Spurgeon said, “The gospel is a thing so wonderful that, if it had not come from God, none of us could have imagined it. Wonder is the only fit posture for a sinner who has been made a child of God.” Not too long ago, Julian asked me to tell him a story. So, I told him the story of the tortoise and the hare. Now, I didn’t even tell it in a dramatic way, but his eyes were wide with wonder. He was locked in – waiting to hear what would happen next. And when I finished, he smiled and said, “Tell me again.” That is the kind of childlike wonder God longs to awaken in us – not a cynical laugh of disbelief, but a joyful awe at His marvelous works. Pastor Sinclair Ferguson said, “The gospel never ceases to amaze. If we have lost our wonder at it, it is not because the gospel has grown ordinary but because our hearts have grown cold.” Brothers and sisters, I pray that we would recover this kind of wonder for the Lord and the gospel, for this is the only way to soften our hardened hearts and breathe new life and passion into our apathy.
But here’s the problem: we live in a world that insists everything must be explained. If it can’t be measured, analyzed, or proven useful, the world says it isn’t real. No wonder many deny Christianity. But the truth we must remember is that our finite minds will never comprehend the infinite mystery of God. Now, when we hit that wall, we have two choices: we can walk away in disbelief because we can’t understand it – or we can bow in wonder because we can’t understand it. I pray that all of us would choose the latter. Our problem isn’t that we take God too seriously – it’s that we take Him too lightly. Many of us have lost the awe, the reverence, and the amazement because we have come to take these wonders for granted. But here, God is inviting us back into wonder. Then, how do we recover this? Here are some practical things you can do. First, slow down in Scripture. When you read words like “child of God” or “forgiven,” pause and let them shock you again. Second, pray with astonishment. Begin your prayers not just with requests but with awe by saying something like this: “Lord, I can’t believe You love me like this. I can’t believe that the gospel is really true. I can’t believe that my future is secure.” Third, sing with passion. Now, I get that the style of music we sing here may not be to your preference – but still sing with joy, knowing that it’s not about your pleasure but God’s glory. Fourth, share your stories of faith. Before you say, “Here he goes again,” know that hearing how God redeems the broken lives of others will restore wonder in the church. What God is doing in your life can greatly impact someone in this congregation. So, don’t be shy. Share your story with us to encourage your brothers and sisters here. Lastly, approach the Lord’s Supper with awe. One of the things I say every week is that the Lord’s Supper is the visible representation of this beautiful gospel we love so much. It reminds us that Jesus’ body was broken and His blood shed for you and me. Then, let that sink in today. And consume the elements with awe and wonder as you ask yourself, “How can this be possible?” All that to say, may we recover that childlike awe, marvel at His promises, and worship Him who does all things well.
CONCLUSION
Lighthouse family, our God is mighty to do the impossible – and yet He stoops down to meet us in our weakness, restore what is broken, and amaze us with His wonders. Then, may we, like Sarah, move from the laughter of unbelief to the laughter of joy, knowing that nothing is too wonderful for the Lord.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1) Sarah laughed in doubt, yet God gently confronted her. How has God met you in moments of unbelief or cynicism?
2) What circumstances in your life feel “too hard for the Lord”? How does this passage challenge that perspective?
3) Sarah’s words hint at tension in her marriage after the ordeal with Hagar. Why do you think God chose to heal Abraham and Sarah’s marriage before fulfilling the promise of Isaac? Can you think of a time when God was preparing you before He answered a prayer?
4) The word “hard” in verse 14 also means “wonderful.” How does this reshape the way we read God’s question: “Is anything too wonderful for the Lord?” What gospel truth still leaves you in awe when you slow down and let it sink in?