God Saves and Uses Messed-Up People

—The Story of Abraham, Sarah & Abimelech

  • Andrew Fountain – Sept 29, 2024

 
 
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Goal today:

That the story of Abraham,
a man who is so flawed,
but still used by God,
would encourage us.

God Saves and Uses Messed-Up People

  1. The story in Genesis 20
  2. How the story has been repeated
  3. The story for you and me

1. The Story

  • In Genesis 20 we read a rather strange story about Abraham
  • Abraham had just had a visit (Gen 18) from two angels
    • Within a year Abraham’s promised son would be born to Sarah
  • ”Great man and woman of faith”

Genesis 20

How Abraham fits in

  • If Sarah had got pregnant from Abimelech, it would have broken God’s promise
  • This is an attack of Satan—he puts fear into Abraham
  • But the very next verses are… Genesis 21

Genesis 21

  1. The LORD visited Sarah just as he had said he would and did for Sarah what he had promised.
  2. So Sarah became pregnant and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the appointed time that God had told him.
  3. Abraham named his son—whom Sarah bore to him—Isaac.
    • God did what he said he would, and kept his promise!
  • And the moral of the story is...

God Saves and Uses Messed-Up People

  1. The story in Genesis 20
  2. How the story has been repeated
  3. The story for you and me

2. How the story has been repeated

  • God still uses really messed up people
  • Although we may relapse and fail, God is faithful
  • King David—terrible stores about murdering and adultery
  • Woman at the well —why pick her as the one to bring the gospel to Samaria
  • Peter (denied Jesus, but Jesus restored him)
  • Woman who anointed the feet of Jesus (more later)

Hymns of Cowper

  • There is a fountain filled with blood
      Drawn from Emmanuel’s veins;
    And sinners, plunged beneath that flood,
      Lose all their guilty stains.

Hymns of Cowper

  • God moves in a mysterious way,
      His wonders to perform;
    He plants his footsteps in the sea,
      And rides upon the storm.
  • You fearful saints, fresh courage take;
      The clouds you so much dread
    Are big with mercy and shall break
      In blessings on your head.

God Saves and Uses Messed-Up People

  1. The story in Genesis 20
  2. How the story has been repeated
  3. The story for you and me

Why does God do this?

  • To reveal his love and compassion
  • So that we don’t try and claim we earned it
  • We’ll love him even more

Luke 7:36–47 - A woman anoints Jesus and washes his feet

3. The story for you and me

  • God still uses really messed up people
  • Two kinds of people: those who know they are messed up, and those who don’t
  • Although we may relapse and fail, God is faithful (of course, this is not an excuse :)
  • How is Satan trying to discourage you from entering into God’s purposes right now?