Genesis 16:1-6
Morality is in trouble! I see a lot of Christian’s whose behavior is no different than those who don't know God. They make the same poor choices and mess up their lives and the lives of those around them. (vs 1a) Abraham shows us 4 stupid things he does to mess up his life.
- We do the same things:
1. They Let Fleshly Desire Overrule Good Sense.v. 1-2
A. What Sarai proposed was that Abram take a second wife. -Hagar.
B. The things Abram and Sarai were plotting here would not surprise anyone in their part of the world. -Yet Abram and Sarai were abandoning their faith in God's promise, which had only recently been reaffirmed to Abram in chapter 15 by a covenant. They were resorting to the flesh rather than faith. Any time we give up on a promise of God and resort to our own means, we are doing exactly what they did, letting fleshly desire overrule good sense.
C. When people think they are desperate, it's amazing what they are willing to do. Wives have affairs b/c they think the husband doesn’t love them. Men grow tired searching for a believing mate, give in and marry a non-Christian or a woman with dubious "faith" that really isn't faith at all. Christian teenagers, upset by the inconsistencies in his parents, rebels and starts taking drugs and sleeping around.
D. It sounds so true, so convincing, when you feel desperate. Those people down at the church, trying to remind you of your commitment to Christ, seem so backward, so out-of-touch.
2. They Listen to Those Who Are Unfamiliar with the Word of God.vs. 2-4
"And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai." "So what's so wrong with a man listening to his wife?" - Nothing, unless his wife doesn’t' understand the will of God.
God had appeared to Abram, not Sarai, when they left Ur. He had appeared to Abram again, and not Sarai, when they left Haran. - When we need help in making decisions, we need to seek out mature believers who know God's word. People are stepping outside of God's will, to seek advice from either weak believers or those who don't know God's word at all. We’d rather get counsel from non Christians if we’re out of God’s will. Psa 1:1, "Blessed is the man who walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly."
3. They Blame Others For Things They Bring Upon Themselves.
Surely when the troubles started on account of these things, Abram and Sarai recognized their fault and owned up to all this, right? Wrong! v. 4b
A. This wasn’t supposed to happen this way.
B. So Sarai was humbled by her attempt to make things happen and she went to Abram and apologized for her bad suggestion, right? Wrong. The third stupid thing that believers do to mess up their lives is a very common occurrence. The perpetrator will not accept responsibility.
C. What does it mean when people refuse to accept responsibility for their own mistakes? - It means they are destined to repeat them.
4. They Shirk Responsibility For The Sake Of Keeping the Peace.
It was about time for Abram to take charge.Morality is in trouble! I see a lot of Christian’s whose behavior is no different than those who don't know God. They make the same poor choices and mess up their lives and the lives of those around them. (vs 1a) Abraham shows us 4 stupid things he does to mess up his life.
- We do the same things:
1. They Let Fleshly Desire Overrule Good Sense.v. 1-2
A. What Sarai proposed was that Abram take a second wife. -Hagar.
B. The things Abram and Sarai were plotting here would not surprise anyone in their part of the world. -Yet Abram and Sarai were abandoning their faith in God's promise, which had only recently been reaffirmed to Abram in chapter 15 by a covenant. They were resorting to the flesh rather than faith. Any time we give up on a promise of God and resort to our own means, we are doing exactly what they did, letting fleshly desire overrule good sense.
C. When people think they are desperate, it's amazing what they are willing to do. Wives have affairs b/c they think the husband doesn’t love them. Men grow tired searching for a believing mate, give in and marry a non-Christian or a woman with dubious "faith" that really isn't faith at all. Christian teenagers, upset by the inconsistencies in his parents, rebels and starts taking drugs and sleeping around.
D. It sounds so true, so convincing, when you feel desperate. Those people down at the church, trying to remind you of your commitment to Christ, seem so backward, so out-of-touch.
2. They Listen to Those Who Are Unfamiliar with the Word of God.vs. 2-4
"And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai." "So what's so wrong with a man listening to his wife?" - Nothing, unless his wife doesn’t' understand the will of God.
God had appeared to Abram, not Sarai, when they left Ur. He had appeared to Abram again, and not Sarai, when they left Haran. - When we need help in making decisions, we need to seek out mature believers who know God's word. People are stepping outside of God's will, to seek advice from either weak believers or those who don't know God's word at all. We’d rather get counsel from non Christians if we’re out of God’s will. Psa 1:1, "Blessed is the man who walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly."
3. They Blame Others For Things They Bring Upon Themselves.
Surely when the troubles started on account of these things, Abram and Sarai recognized their fault and owned up to all this, right? Wrong! v. 4b
A. This wasn’t supposed to happen this way.
B. So Sarai was humbled by her attempt to make things happen and she went to Abram and apologized for her bad suggestion, right? Wrong. The third stupid thing that believers do to mess up their lives is a very common occurrence. The perpetrator will not accept responsibility.
C. What does it mean when people refuse to accept responsibility for their own mistakes? - It means they are destined to repeat them.
4. They Shirk Responsibility For The Sake Of Keeping the Peace.
A. Here’s what he should have said:
B. He said, "Do whatever you think is right, dear." He didn’t want to rock the boat!
C. Husbands are supposed to be the heads of their homes.
The unrest that we are seeing in the Middle East today is the fruit of what went on in the tent of Abram and Sarai so many years ago when they decided to resort to the flesh rather than trust God's promises
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