Tabor Baptist Church

Introduction

• We all respond in different ways
• One emotion like laughter can be seen in different ways
• Laughter of fear
• Laughter when something is very funny
• Laughter of disbelief
• We have three different types of laughter in Gen 17, 18 and 21
• Gen 17 - laughter of astonishment
• Gen 18:12-13 - laugh of cynicism
• Gen 21:16 - laughter of great joy, a laughter that God gave
• There is much laughter in a place of unity and love
• There is a time for weeping and being joyful within the church
• Responses to God
• When God says Yes
• When God says No
• Personal Example
• Example of Ishmael

How do you respond when God says Yes or No?

• Ishmael was now 13 years of age (Gen 17:18)
• God said No
• The covenant will be in Isaac
• God still had purposes and blessing for Ishmael
• When God says No:
• We can respond with bitterness
• We can kick against it
• We can respond in the wrong way
• God is not obliged to answer our prayers
• We are to pray according to God's will, not our will
• Example of the Christian lady submitting herself to God's will
• If God says no, He always has something much better for us
• Issac was to come
• Abraham and Issac together
• May it be that we wait upon God when He says no
• A no to Ishmael and a yes to Issac
• cf Rom 9
• Jacob He loved, but Easu He hated
• Paul is zealous and sorrowful for his fellow Jews (Rom 9:1-4)
• He longed for their salvation
• He also accepted the Sovereignty of God
• God has not failed (Rom 9:6)
• It is not anyone who is born in the bloodline of Abraham/Isaac but only those who had the same faith as Abraham (Rom 9:8)
• God chose Jacob over Esau (Rom 9:10-13)
• Is God unfair?
• God has mercy on those whom He will (Rom 9:14-15)
• All will be saved that desire it
• No-one has a right to be called a child of God
• God chose one and overlooked the other
• Why should it be that God chose us?
• Why should it be that we have responded?
• It is because of God's grace, mercy and compassion to us
• There is the free gospel to all
• How do you respond to the yes and no's from God (Rom 9:20)
• May we submit to God
• May we not quarrel with God
• May we accept the sovereignty of God
• Gen 17:24, 25, 27 - All were circumcised
• Abraham was faithful and obeyed the word of God
• We too should follow all the word of God

How do you respond when God comes to your Home?

• God does not literally come to our home, but...
• He does come to our heart
• He does come to our family
• He does desire intimacy
• Abraham did not know who the three people were
• We know
• He bowed down before one of them
• He asks for milk, honey and the calf - their is a banquet and water for their feet
• One of the three strangers was the living God
• God appeared to Abraham as Almighty God
• God was continually appearing to Abraham
• What is our life about?
• Is our life about us and God?
• Is our life about God leading us?
• One of the three people was the Angel of the Covenant, the Lord Jehovah (Gen 18:13 and cf 18:16ff)
• God repeats the promise of a child to Abraham
• Mary doesn't understand when the angel speaks to her
• Rom 4 - Abraham believed against hope
• Abraham in two places is called the friend of God
• He walked with God
• He knew God speaking to him
• He knew great intimacy
• We are no longer enemies but friends of God
• Christ is knocking at the door of our lives
• What a wonderful experience
• Are we experiencing intimacy with God?

How do you respond to God (the three forms of laughter)?

• Abraham had initially responded with laughter (Gen 17:17)
• Not the laughter of cynicism as God did not rebuke him
• Not the laughter of disbelief
• It is the laughter of amazement and astonishment
• Think of the early disciples
• Think of those who were fearful of Saul/Paul
• May it be at these times that we believe God
• Sarah responded with a different laughter (Gen 18:12)
• God knew her name
• God knew her response, her thoughts and her heart
• God questions Abraham - is anything to hard for the Lord
• Sarah denies it - it is a cynical laugh
• Maybe she has become embittered and hard of heart
• At times we need to be reminded, is anything to hard for the Lord?
• In this age - what is our response?
• Is it the laughter of joy or of cynicism
• Sarah is restored (Gen 21:6)
• There is much holy laughter
• May we learn to laugh in the Lord with joy unspeakable and full of glory