LIFE LESSONS
SARAH
COMMUNION SUNDAY
DR. JIM DIXON
HEBREWS 11:8-16, GENESIS 16:1-6
OCTOBER 13, 2002
Sarah was the first of the Jewish matriarchs. There was Sarah, Rebekah, Leah, and Rachel. But Sarah was the first of the matriarchs. The name Sarah means “princess” or “queen.” The older form of her name, Sarai, also means “princess” or “queen.” Both of these name forms come from the Hebrew root word “sar.” This word “sar” means “prince” or “ruler.” Sar is one of the titles given to Christ in Isaiah, chapter 9, verse six. Its Greek equivalent, the Greek word “archon,” which means “ruler” or “prince,” is also a title given to Christ in the New Testament, for Christ is the ruler of all creation.
Strangely enough, this title “Sar” or “Archon” is also given to Satan, who is the ruler of this age or the ruler of this world. The word matriarch is actually related to the word “Sarah,” because “sar” or “archon” is part of the concept of matriarch. Matriarch comes from “archon” and from “mater.” It literally means “mother ruler.” And certainly Sarah was a woman who ruled. But she was not simply a mother who ruled. She was also a woman of great beauty.
We are told in Genesis, chapter 12, that Sarah was so beautiful that the Pharaoh of all Egypt desired her as his wife. Similarly, we are told in Genesis, chapter 20, that the King of the Philistines desired Sarah as his wife. But, of course, Sarah was the wife of Abraham. She was faithful to him. It was of Sarah that God said, “I will bless her. I will make her the mother of nations and kings of peoples shall come from her.” And so it was that from the line of Sarah came David and Solomon and ultimately from the line of Sarah came our Lord Jesus Christ, King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
This morning we look at Sarah’s life, and it was a life of belief and unbelief. I have two teachings from her life. The first teaching is this: Unbelief leads to disaster. When we do not believe God, when we don’t have faith in God, it leads to disaster.
Abraham was told that his descendants would be as many as the stars of the heavens and the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore. God made this promise to Abraham. God made this promise, as recorded in Genesis, chapter 12; Genesis, chapter 13; and Genesis, chapter 15. But we come to Genesis, chapter 16, and we see that Sarah, while she believed God that Abraham would have so many descendants, did not believe, could not believe, that it could happen through her. Even though she was Abraham’s wife, she did not believe that all of these offspring, all of these descendants, could come through her because she was barren and because she was past the age of childbearing. She took steps to circumvent the plan of God. She kind of decided to do things her way, and this action of unbelief is what caused what really is a disaster that continues to this day.
In Sarah’s culture and time, it was acceptable for a wife who was barren, who could not conceive, to take her maid and offer her to her husband for the purpose of procreation and childbearing. That was culturally acceptable but, you see, in the sight of God, Sarah’s actions were unacceptable because God had revealed His plan. God had already revealed His plan that through Sarah and Abraham He would produce descendants as many as the stars of the heavens. She just could not, in the midst of her barrenness, believe this and so she decided to just take action on her own. She acted independently from God, and her action out of unbelief has produced a mess that continues to this day.
Sarah, in accordance with the plan of God, ultimately conceived. Sarah and Abraham bore a son, and his name was Isaac. Hagar, by Sarah’s plan, together with Abraham, produced a son whose name was Ishmael. Abraham had two sons, Ishmael and Isaac, one through Hagar, the maid, and one through Sarah, his wife. And so, these two boys, Ishmael and Isaac, were half-brothers and they lived a life of conflict. And that conflict continues to this day.
God, in His love for Abraham and in His mercy and grace, promised, as recorded in Genesis, to bless the descendants of Ishmael and to bless the descendants of Isaac. God promised that the descendants of Ishmael would become a great nation, a great people, and the descendants of Isaac would become a great nation and a great people. Today we can look, and we can see that God had indeed blessed the descendants of Ishmael and the descendants of Isaac.
Jews and Arabs do not agree on many things today, but they do agree on this: The Arabs are descended from Ishmael, and the Jews are descended from Isaac. This is taught in both Islamic literature and in Jewish literature. The Arabs as a people group are descended from Ishmael, Abraham’s union with Hagar, and the Jews as a people group are descended from Isaac, Abraham’s union with Sarah. God has blessed both peoples. We can look today at 21 Arab nations in the Arab League—twenty-one Arab nations containing more than two hundred million Arab people with millions of additional Arabs living in other nations scattered around the world. God has blessed them. The Arab League of Nations owns 5 million square miles of the earth’s surface. Most of the land is in the Middle East or in Northern Africa. Some of the land is desert and parched land. Some of it is fertile and green. Much of the land is rich in oil deposits. God has indeed blessed the descendants of Ishmael.
God has also blessed the descendants of Isaac. The blessing is not as obvious physically. There are only thirteen million Jews in the entire world. Of course, throughout their history, oftentimes the Jews have been persecuted and they have suffered greatly. Almost half of the Jews in the world today live in our country. The United States of America has a little more than six million Jews. There are 4.5 million Jewish people who live in the reborn nation of Israel, reborn by the will and providence of God and in fulfillment of biblical prophecy, but only a total of thirteen million Jewish people in the world. The Jewish people do not have a League of Nations. They do not have twenty-one nations. They only have one nation, and that one nation is called Israel, established in 1948, restored from ancient times. The nation of Israel only has 8,000 square miles of real estate, only 8,000 square miles of land—not 5 million, just 8,000. It is precious to them and also to the Arabs.
The descendants of Ishmael and the descendants of Isaac oftentimes hate each other today. There are some Arab people who would like to take away from the Jews the 8,000 square miles of land that they do have. Amongst the Palestinians, there are radical groups such as the Hamas and the Hezbollah. They have publicly stated that their goal is not simply the possession of the West Bank or the Gaza Strip or the Golan Heights. Their goal is not simply the establishment of a Palestinian State, but their goal, publicly stated, is the eradication of the Jewish nation of Israel and the annihilation of the Jews as a people. It is a fact of history that Yasser Arafat is the nephew of the High Mufti of the land of Palestine and Grand Mufti of the city of Jerusalem who, in the 1930s, met with Adolph Hitler to discuss with him how to exterminate the Jewish people as a race. And so, the tensions are hot. The Bible tells us that one day it will lead to Armageddon, and, in a sense, it all began with Sarah’s unbelief.
But this tension between the descendants of Ishmael and the descendants of Isaac is not simply a tension that relates to a battle for life and land. It is a spiritual tension, because although God promised in Genesis to bless the descendants of Ishmael and to bless the descendants of Isaac. God established His covenant only with the descendants of Isaac. God makes it very clear in Genesis, chapter 17, “I will not establish My covenant with Ishmael and with his descendants. I will only establish My covenant with Isaac and with his descendants.” God loves both groups of people, and God has blessed both groups of people, but the covenant was only to be established with Isaac and his descendants.
Through the Jews came the revealed truth of God. Through the Jewish people, through the descendants of Isaac came Moses and the law. Then ultimately through the Jews and through the descendants of Isaac came Jesus Christ Himself and the gospel and the cross. Because God had established His covenant with Isaac and with his descendants. And so, we see the Old Covenant and the New Covenant both coming through the line of Isaac. Of course, these covenants were not designed simply to bless the Jewish people but to bless all people. The covenant of the cross, the covenant through Jesus Christ, the gospel, is given to all nations, to every tribe, tongue, people and nation, to all peoples red, yellow, black and white. This covenant is given in order that it might bless Jew and Arab alike. But it is an historical fact that many of the descendants of Ishmael have been resentful that the covenant was established with Isaac and his descendants.
The Arabs were very jealous of the religion that had come through the descendants of Isaac. And so, the Arabs, in the course of time, developed their own religion. It was in the 7th century A.D. when the Arabs established the religion of Islam. It was established in Arabia by an Arab man whose name was Muhammad. While it is true that today most Muslims are not Arabs, it is also true that most Arabs are Muslims. Ninety percent of the Arabs in the world today are Muslims and practitioners of Islam, a religion established by the Arab people.
The Koran was written as their sacred book in the 7th century after Christ. The Koran was written, and the hadith later established. The Koran was written 2,600 hundred years after Abraham, 1,800 years after Moses, and more than six hundred years after Christ. You might think that it might occur to the followers of Islam that a book written 2,600 years after Abraham, 1,800 years after Moses, and 600 years after Christ would not be the most reliable source of information about Abraham, Moses, and Christ. But that is exactly what the Koran claims to be, the most reliable source of information about all those events and people that happened so long before.
I know it is not politically correct to say this, but I tell you truly, the Koran is a book of revisionist history and the history in the Koran is bogus. The information in the Koran about Abraham and about Moses and about Christ is not to be trusted. The Koran is filled with theological error. You see, it is not politically correct to say this, but Islam is a false religion. It is a false religion, and it really is the result of the unbelief of Sarah. The whole mess has been created by her.
All you have to do is look at Muhammad and Christ and you see the incredible difference. Muhammad told his people to take up the sword. There is no denying that. It is very clear. Muhammad told his followers to take up the sword. In the last three years of Muhammad’s life, he led his people in thirty wars and battles. After his death, in accordance with his commandments, the followers of Islam went forth and they conquered a geographical land space larger than the ancient Roman Empire. They did this in accordance with the teachings of Muhammad. Jesus told His followers to put down their swords. That is what Jesus said. “Put down your sword.” Jesus said, “love your enemies.” Jesus said, “Pray for those who abuse you.” Jesus said, “If anyone slaps you on the cheek, offer him the other as well.” Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers.”
Muhammad taught that the kingdom of God is to be established on earth through the Islamic State and through the establishment of Sharia Law. Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world.” Jesus said, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s. Render to God the things that are God’s.” He did not call for a Christian State. Muhammad gave Sharia Law, and he told his followers, “Obey this and you will find the blessings of Allah. Obey this and you may earn salvation.” But Jesus Christ said, “No! You cannot earn your salvation. Before a Holy God, all of our righteousness is like filthy rags.”
If we are to be saved, it’s going to take grace and it’s going to take mercy. Jesus came for that, and He came to the cross, to Golgotha, to Calvary, and there He laid down His life for you and for me. He died for me and for you. He paid the penalty for all of my sins. He paid the penalty for all of your sins, dying in substitutionary atonement. He offers through the Gospel the grace and mercy of salvation if you would come to Him and believe and receive Him as Savior. He is awesome, and He is the hope of the world. He comes as a result of the covenant of God established with Isaac but meant to bless all people.
I was talking to a friend this past week who had recently studied Islam and then re-read the Gospels. He said he marveled at the beauty of Christ. When he compared Christ with Muhammad, he said, “the beauty, the majesty, the wonder of Christ and the cross.” The beauty, the majesty, the wonder of the cross. Do you understand? It is all a result of God’s covenant established through Isaac.
The mess that is in the world today is the result of unbelief. God wants you to understand, He wants us to understand, that in our own lives when we do not believe God, when we get ahead of God, when we act independently of God, when we try to do it our way and we ignore His promises and His plans, it causes a mess every time. Ultimately, if we do not believe His promise of salvation through His Son, it will result in eternal ruin.
There is a second teaching this morning, and it concerns faith, belief rather than unbelief. Certainly, we see faith in Sarah. We do not simply see unbelief in her. We see belief. It says in Hebrews 11, “By faith, Sarah received power to conceive even when she was well past the age since she considered Him faithful who had promised.” Clearly, she ultimately came to belief. At the angelic announcement that she would bear a son, she laughed. The angel said to her, “Why do you laugh? With God, all things are possible.” It is only when we have faith that we begin to see that. It is only when we believe that we begin to see how all things are possible with God.
I do not know what you are going through in your life. Some of you are really going through hard times. Some of you are struggling with illness and disease and some of it is serious. Some of you are struggling with relationships and broken marriages. Some of you are struggling with children. Some of you have economic struggles. Christ is calling you to faith, and He’s saying, “All things are possible.” He is calling you to believe in Him.
I love the story of Charles McCoy, and with this we will close the message this morning. Dr. Charles McCoy, I’m sure, is unknown to most of you. My guess is there is no one in this sanctuary who’s ever heard of Dr. Charles McCoy because he lived and died a long time ago, and he was little known in our country. Dr. Charles McCoy was a tall man. He stood 6’4” and he had silver gray hair and looked very distinguished. He was a very intelligent man and highly educated. He had seven different college degrees, two earned doctorates, Ph.D.’s, from the University of Columbia and from Dartmouth. This man was a brilliant man. Dr. Charles McCoy had a friend, and somehow through this friend God spoke to Dr. Charles McCoy at age 72. God called him to a new life. God called Dr. Charles McCoy to be a missionary at age 72.
It made no sense. Dr. Charles McCoy said, “I can’t be a missionary. I have never led anyone to Christ. How can I go on the mission field?” But he knew he heard God’s still small voice in his spirit, and he knew through a variety of circumstances that God was calling him to India. He did something radical. He believed and he obeyed. He sold everything (and he had very little). He put his belongings into a truck. He bought a one-way ticket to Bombay, India, which today, since 1996, is called Mumbai.
Of course, Bombay was a huge city even then. When he arrived, somehow, they lost his trunk with all of his possessions. There he was in India. He did not know a soul. He did not know anybody there. He had made no connections because no mission agency would employ him because he was too old. He went unilaterally. He went independently, but in accordance with the will of God and in faith. He lost everything when his trunk was lost and then somebody stole his wallet and his passport. He had no money. He had cards that identified him, and he had read in a magazine about a missionary in India he had never met. He found that missionary’s address and went to his door. He shows up at the door of this missionary and introduces himself and shows him his card. The missionary looks at this card and sees all these degrees and thinks, “What’s this all about?”
He said, “You’re welcome to spend the night here.” He thought, “Man, this guy’s too old to be a missionary, too old to work.” Dr. McCoy began to, that night, discuss with the missionary what was going on in India, and the missionary explained that hardly anybody was coming to Christ and that the local government was resistant. Dr. Charles McCoy said, “We need to meet with the mayor of Bombay.” The missionary said, “He won’t meet with us. He does not want to have anything to do with westerners. He doesn’t want to have anything to do with Christians.” Dr. Charles McCoy said, “I’m going to go meet with him tomorrow morning,” and so he did.
He got to the office of the mayor of Bombay, and he met with the secretary. She took a look at him, and as he came in standing at 6’4” with this silver-gray hair, he looked very distinguished. He handed her his card. She saw all the degrees, and she thought, “Wow!” She went in to see the mayor of Bombay and she said, “There’s a distinguished looking man out here. He’s from the United States and this is his card.” The mayor of Bombay saw all these degrees and the doctorates. He said, “This guy might be a friend of the president of the United States. He might be somebody really important,” so he set up an appointment at 3:00 that afternoon. Dr. Charles McCoy came back, met with the mayor of Bombay, and that was the beginning of incredible things because, “With God, all things are possible.”
The Mayor of Bombay liked Dr. Charles McCoy and was impressed and established a relationship with him and set him up to speak in colleges and universities all over India. Then the Spirit of God came and anointed Dr. Charles McCoy. Education was not enough. He needed the anointing of God. The anointing of God came upon Him, and he began to share the Gospel with power. All over India people began to come to Christ. He served for 16 years as a missionary in India, in China, and in Egypt, establishing churches in all three of those nations. When he was 88 years old, after speaking at a luncheon in Calcutta, India, he said he was tired and wanted to go up to his room for a little bit of tea and a nap. He got on the elevator and never came back down. He died in the solitude of his room. At age 88, after 16 years as a missionary, he did not die alone because Jesus was with him—Jesus who had called him, Jesus who had anointed him, Jesus who had proven “all things are possible for those who believe.”
Again, I do not know what you are going through, and I don’t know how old you are, but I do know this. All things are possible with Christ. It is not too late for you. If you would but believe and trust, God is ready to do amazing things through each of us here in this room if we would offer our lives at the altar of His kingdom and in the service of His reign. Let us look to the Lord with a word of prayer.