Sermon Central
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Abraham And Sarah Series
Contributed by William D. Brown on Jul 3, 2014 (message contributor)
Summary: Sarah thought that she was now to old to have a son so she told Abraham to have a son by her Egyptian hand maid Hagar which was a bad mistake, eventually God fulfilled His promise to Abraham and he did have a son by Sarah, his name was Isaac.
# 8~ Abraham & Sarah HEB. 11: Study 6-21-14
Today we'll continue in our study of Hebrews 11: -- the hall of faith chapter, we'll be going to several scriptures in Genesis that is relevant to both Abraham and Sarah. ~~ listen as I read our text verses.
Hebrews 11: 9 -12 By faith he (Abraham) sojourned in the land of promise, (moved about as a stranger) as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles (tents) with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:
(Isaac and Jacob with him, means they were in Abrahams loins)
10For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
~The city which hath foundations is clearly a reference to the pearly white city, the future home of the Bride.
Rev. 21:14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
11Through faith also Sara 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.
12Therefore sprang there even of one, (Abraham) and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable. -- can not be numbered.
Sarah's faith in the birth of Isaac may seem out of place here. When she first heard the announcement she laughed in unbelief, as we'll see in Gen.18:
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Listen; in Genesis 15: 2 -6 And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus? 3And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.
Listen, 4And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; (Eliezer of Damascus) but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.
~ Lets be sure and notice that, Sarah is not mentioned as yet.
5And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. 6And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
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Genesis 17:15 -22 And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. 16And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her.
17Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear? -- at this point Sarah still don't know what God had said to Abraham about her baring a son.
~ As we can see, Abraham was not flawless; He found the promise difficult to believe at first. --- This is seen by what he said in his heart and by his request to God that the promises might center in Ishmael.
18And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee!
Ishmael was Abraham's son by Sarah's Egyptian hand maid Hagar, which was at Sarah's suggestion; Ishmael was 12 years old at this time.
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Genesis 16:1-2 Now Sarai Abram's wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. 2And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.
Any children that Hagar might have would be considered as Sarah's.
Hagar was given to Abraham by the pharaoh.
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Abraham had told Sarah to pretend that she was his sister, he thought that he might be killed if they knew she was his wife, she was very beautiful. -
Actually Sarah was Abraham's half sister; they had the same father and a different mother.
>Genesis 20: 12 And yet indeed she is my sister; she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.
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ľ ~ Pharaoh gave Abraham many gifts because of Sarah, thinking she was his sister.
Genesis 12: 14 - 20 And it came to pass, that, when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair. 15The princes also of Pharaoh saw her, and commended her before Pharaoh: and the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house.
