Sara // Sarah

But today we are in part five of our series called Legends. And the key verse that we've been using throughout this series is found in the book of Hebrews. And it says the following. Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. We have the image of a race that we are running. And we're surrounded by a great multitude in a stadium. And you have people in the stadium that have already finished the race of their lives. And they are legends of faith that are encouraging you. And you can hear the multitude, but you can't hear just one single voice. If we could hear just one voice, what would we hear? How could that person encourage us? We've been talking about Jonah, Samson, about Esther and Joseph, but today I want to look at the life of Sarah. Abraham and Sarah received a promise. So let's look in Genesis. After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision. Notice here that his name is Abram. And it is later on changed to Abraham. In fact, Sarah's name was not Sarah. It was Sarai. Why did God change their names? When they allowed God to work in their lives, when they allowed God to do what he wanted,

they were less like themselves and more like God. It's as if God were to say, I'm going to put more of my spirit in their lives and I'm going to change them. And every time that we receive a promise, there is a process. Look at what it continues to say. Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward. But Abram said, O sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless? And the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus. And Abram said, you have given me no children, so a servant in my household will be my heir. Then the word of the Lord came to him, this man will not be your heir. But a son coming from your own body will be your heir. So a promise is approaching. And this was going on 25 years before it came to pass. Abram, Abraham and Sarah did not have the ability to have children, but God does a miracle. So God tries to help Abraham so he can understand what he's wanting to do. And look at what it continues to say. He took him outside and said, look up at the heavens and count the stars. How many of you have done this? You can't do it, right? If indeed you can count them, he said, so shall your offspring be. So show your offspring be it's gonna see a senior

Estuviera diciendo. It's as if the Lord was saying about I just like it. Oh, no entiendes, Abraham I know that you don't understand me, but if you are born genealogical severacy album dia But your genealogical tree will look like this one day and does this the mensajes para todos nosotros? So this message is for all of us Cuando tu te si cuando tu piensas de que no puedas entender a Dios when you think that you can't understand God Y nosotros ponemos impacientes and we get impatient Mira lo que Sara nos dijera. Look at what Sarah would say to us. Mira. Yo me puse impaciente Listen, I got impatient Y comencé a navegar esto por mi propia cuenta and I started to navigate this on my own Y cometí un error and I made a mistake Y me imagino yo a Sara en medio de la multitud gritando and I can imagine Sara in the midst of the multitude shouting Cuando nosotros nos sentimos impacientes When we feel impatient Cuando sentimos el impulso de querer hacer algo que creemos que está correcto When we feel the urge to do something that we think is right Creo que ella diría esto I believe she would say this And you can write this down Un momento de paciencia puede ahorrarte toda una vida de lamento A moment of patience can save you a lifetime of regret Me pregunto ¿Cuántos de ustedes tuvieron a alguien en la escuela secundaria I asked myself How many of you had someone in high school Con quien realmente se querían casar That you really wanted to marry Ah, verdad que todos se recordaron Everyone remembers someone, right Porque cuando tenías 15 años

Esa era la persona de tu vida That person was the one for your life Pero ahora vas a Facebook a buscarla But now you go to Facebook and you look them up Y dices Ay, gracias señor que no me casé con esa persona And you say Lord, thank you that I didn't marry that person Porque a los 15 años se miraban muy bien Pero ahora no se ve nada de bien creo Because at the age of 15 They looked good And now, not so much Y sinceramente And honestly There are so many things like this Cuando miramos hacia atrás Miramos 5, 10 o 25 años atrás When we look back 5, 10, 25 years Muchos años atrás Many years back And we say Ay señor, gracias que no contestaste esa oración Lord, thank you that you didn't answer that prayer Pero cuando tenías 15 años Estaba bien enojado con Dios But when you were 15 you were so mad at God Porque no le contestó esa oración Because he didn't answer that prayer Y lo que quiero decir con esto

And what I want to tell you with this Es que tenemos que aprender Que esta cosa de la impaciencia That this thing about impatience Puede amenazar tu vida y aun puede abrumarte Can threaten your life And it can overwhelm you Y Sara tal vez nos diría And Sara may have said to us Por favor no lo haga, yo lo hice Please don't do it, I did it No hagas lo que yo hice Don't do what I did Ella lo diría de esta manera, mire She would say it this way No complique la promesa de Dios con tu solución Don't complicate God's promise With your solution Sara basicamente toma el asunto en sus propias manos Sara basically takes the matter Into her own hands Y ella dice, yo no confiaba en Dios And she says, I didn't trust in God Y yo sé que usted no lo entiende ahora And I know you don't understand it now Pero ella lo diría de esta manera, mire But she would say it this way Confía en Dios aunque se lleve mucho tiempo Trust in God even if it takes a long time Porque probablemente así será

Because this is probably how it will be Y a nadie de nosotros nos gusta esa parte de Dios And none of us like that part of God Porque a veces Dios hace las cosas instantáneamente Pero a veces toma su tiempo Because sometimes God does things instantly But other times he takes his time De hecho hubo un hombre que le hizo esta pregunta a Dios In fact there was a man that asked God this question Y le dijo, Dios And he said, God ¿Cuánto es un millón de años para ti? How long is a million years to you? Y Dios le contestó And God answered him Oh, es como un segundo Oh, it's just like one second Ah, Dios, entonces ¿Cuánto es un millón de dólares para ti? Then he said, well, God, how much is a million dollars to you? Oh, es como un centavo And he said, well, it's like one cent Y entonces dijo Ay, Dios mío, ¿me puedes dar un centavo de esos? And then he said, well, God Can you give me one cent? Claro, pero espera un segundo And God said, of course But just wait one second ¿Verdad que es bastante gracioso?

It's funny But let's continue with the story Let's look in Genesis Sarai Ella todavía no ha sido cambiada No ha sido transformada Now Sarai, she still has not been changed She has not been transformed La esposa de Abraham no le había dado hijos Abram's wife had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar, so she said to Abram, The Lord has kept me from having children. She is starting off with a bad theology. She is saying, God did this to me. God has kept me from having children. And all these crazy thoughts will start when you're feeling impatient. Look at what she said. Listen to what her solution was. Go sleep with my maidservant. Perhaps God couldn't do it, but I can. I can build a family through her, Abram agreed to what Sarai said. In fact, if you know the story, Abram had a son with Hagar. And his name is Ishmael, who became the father of all of the Arab nations. And since then there has been a conflict between these two groups of people. Sometimes an impulsive decision can create a chaos in our lives. And here's the next thing that Sarai would say to us. When you feel tempted to take the matters into your own hands, trust in God, even if it seems ridiculous. Because for Sarah, the promise was ridiculous. Look at what Genesis 18 says. Then the Lord said, I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah, your wife will have a son. Now we need to remember that Abraham is 100 years old.

How many here are 100? And Sarah was 90 years old. Explain this pregnancy. God is sometimes strange, right? But look at what he continues to say. Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent which was behind him. Sarah was listening to the conversation. And look at what he continues to say. Abraham and Sarah were already old, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. So Sarah laughed. But that laughter wasn't a laughter with joy. It was a laughter where she was mocking God. She was mocking God, saying, God, you're crazy. Sometimes that's the laughter that the world has towards you. Sarah was mocking God. Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, after I am worn out and my master is old, will I now have this pleasure? Then the Lord said to Abraham, why did Sarah laugh and say, will I really have a child now that I am old? Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son. Sarah will have a son. So Sarah thinks, it's going to take too much time. It may not make sense now. It makes sense now, and look at what she would say to us. Trust in God even if those around you don't. Trust in God even if there is unbelief because I didn't believe. The devil will be sure to put negative people in your lives when you have dreams and when you have hopes. But you should be very careful because one of my concerns about this generation is the overabundance of voices. And the digital age is something wonderful.

Glory to God for technology. But technology is receiving so many voices through social media, and you need to be careful. And I believe Sarah would say to us, be careful because I was surrounded by so many voices that would say to me, you can't have a child at the age of 90. At this age, you should already be a great-grandmother. But look at what Genesis continues to say. Sarah said, God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me. Now that everyone sees what God did, one thing that I want for our church to do is never react to something that someone says negatively because people will say negative things, especially when they don't get something here from church. But that doesn't matter. Let's continue to be consistent. Let's continue to serve Jesus. Let's continue to serve people. Let's continue to change the world one person at a time. Let's continue to love people. Let's continue to heal the marriages. Let's continue to help teenagers to get off drugs. Let's continue to do what we're already doing. Let's not be distracted by the negative voices. And look at what it continues to say. And she added, who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have born him a son in his old age. Sarah saw that her solution was a bad substitute for God's promise. She spent the majority of her time doubting God. She was doubting God. And even then, she ended up in the hall of faith. Look at what Hebrews tells us. And by faith, even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because

she considered him faithful who had made the promise. She considered him faithful. At the end, she realized that everyone would come to the conclusion that every time that we get involved in our own solution, it won't turn out right. But you know what? God continues to be faithful. He will still give you the promise. He will still forgive you even if you have chosen your own path. Even if you have all the doubts in the world, he will still receive you. Because God is a wonderful God. God is a wonderful God. And look at what Sarah would say to us. Write this down. No intentes adelantartele a Dios cuando Él no se está moviendo lo suficientemente rápido para ti. Don't try to get ahead of God when He isn't moving fast enough for you. A veces nosotros podemos ser impacientes y enojarnos. Sometimes we can be impatient and get mad. Porque queremos que las cosas se hagan ahora mismo. Because we want for things to get done now. Queremos que Dios nos conteste las oraciones ahora mismo. We want for God to answer our prayers now. We want answers now. We want everything now. I don't know why we're this way. We want everything now. And we need to be careful with this. That our impatience, that we don't make decisions, que después podemos nosotros lamentarnos, that we will later on regret, nos podamos arrepentir

that we may regret these decisions. Tenemos que tener mucho cuidado. We need to be very careful with this. And look at what 2 Peter says. El Señor no tarda en cumplir su promesa según entienden algunos la tardanza. Él es paciente. The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient. So what do I do as I wait? Here's the secret and you can write this down. The secret of patience is doing something else in the meantime. And there are instructions in the Scriptures for this. And I'd like to share one of my favorite verses with you. And some of you need to do this now. Look at what it says. Be patient, be still in the presence of the Lord and wait patiently for Him to act. ¿Qué pasaría si tomáramos 10 minutos para estar quietos en la presencia de Dios? What would happen if we were to take just 10 minutes to be still in the presence of God? In the beginning of the day is good, at the end of the day is good. Just take 10 minutes. Stop everything. Go to a quiet place. Listen, I'm not telling you read the Bible, pray, no. Just simply put on some worship music. Listen and meditate on God. And you will feel the presence of God. And you will be able to say,

God, you know all things. I agree with the journey that you have me on. And the second part of this verse is another advice for the time to do and what to do while we wait. Don't worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes. Don't worry about what people say. Silence the voices. Some of you need to get off social media because that's destroying your emotions. And some of you need to stop watching the news. And if you're watching the Hispanic news, they're even more dramatic. For a few days or a few weeks. Because they're destroying your emotions. Take the time to worship. And silence those voices. And you will find that you will have a better ability to be patient. The second thing Sarah would say to us, and you can write this down. While you wait, focus on what's happening in you, not what's happening to you. In other words, when something is happening to you, you can be sure that God wants to do something in you. And many times we come to God and we say, Lord, help me. Help me, remove this from my life. Take this out of my life. And God says, yes, I will help you. But not the way that you think. I will help you grow inside. I will make you grow. And what you need to know is this, that God is more interested in your character than in your comfort.

When my children were little, all they wanted was comfort. They never wanted to go to school, especially Nito. He was always acting like he was sick, all the time. And I believe that he acted like he was sick for so many times that he would end up sick. But we would pressure them to go to school. Why would we do this? Because immaturity will always choose comfort and not growth. Because growth is painful. And many times we think that pain is telling us that something is wrong. But when we give birth, there is pain. But that doesn't indicate that there's something wrong. But that what is happening is something good. And in fact, it is the only time in life where pain is good. And for all of the mothers here, remember that you had to overcome this. You had to overcome the pain because there was something good on the other side. Can I tell you that this is what happens in life as well? We need to overcome the pain because there is something good on the other side. There is always something good ahead. Always.

Look at what the Word of God tells us in Romans. This is the message version. That is why waiting does not diminish us any more than waiting diminishes a pregnant mother. We are enlarged in waiting. We, of course, don't see what is enlarging us. But the longer we wait, the larger we become and the more joyful our expectancy. In other words, the longer we wait, then the closer we are to giving birth and the more pain at the same time. And this is why in the midst of this, we should be able to have the ability to ignore the pain and be able to say, God, there is a purpose in the pain. I know that you are trying to do something inside of me and something good is about to come out of all of this. Allow me to say it this way. Patience isn't the ability to wait, but how you act while you're waiting. God is shaping something in me. Allow God to do something in you. And right before the voice of Sarah vanishes into the multitude, I can imagine Sarah saying one more thing. And you can write this down, number three. God has a much better plan for your life than you have for yourself. If you are willing to wait. Who would have thought that through Sarah Isaac would come, and then Jacob, and through this lineage Jesus would come?

In fact, Jesus is the better and true Sarah. Because Sarah doubted the promise, but Jesus is the promise. Sarah laughed when she heard the impossible because she didn't believe. But Jesus laughs when someone thinks that there is something impossible for God. While God promised Sarah that she would give birth to a nation, and that nation would be a blessing to the rest of the nations. Jesus is the Son of God, and He is the blessing for every nation and every generation. He is the blessing for your generation, so you can be patient because God is with you. I know that it's hard, but God is working in you so that you can get the best that He has for you. I'd like for you to close your eyes and bow your heads, please. Some of you needed to hear this message today because you're in the middle of this. You're in the middle of a difficult season. Some of you are believing for the salvation of your children. Some of you are believing for the restoration of your marriages. Some of you are believing that your finances will be fixed. So many of these things is what you're believing. But God has something reserved for you, that it will be better than what you have planned for yourself. Allow me to pray for everyone. Father, I ask for patience and resilience, Lord. Lord, we allow you to work profoundly in our lives. We know that you love us and that you have so many things reserved for us. Today we stop trying to devise our own solutions, even if we don't understand it. We will trust in you that you are working in our lives. But if someone feels far from God, you can change that now in this moment. And maybe you say, yes, I believe in God. But if you're being honest, He is not your priority. Maybe He was at some point. But life was so hard that you distanced yourself from Him.

But you can change that today. If you simply say, I want to follow Jesus. I want to surrender my life to God. I won't tell you to stand to your feet or come up front. Simply there where you are, you're going to lift up your hand and put it right back down. At the count of three. One, two, three. Lift up your hand. Amen. Amen. Amen. Let's pray. And you can repeat this prayer with me. God, I surrender completely to you. Change me, Lord. Give me the power to live for you. Give me the power to live for you. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

I surrender completely to you. With all of my heart, I surrender. Thank you so much for watching the message. We'll see you next time. God bless you. God bless you. Amen. Amen. Amen. Muchas gracias por ver el mensaje. Subscribe to this channel so you won't miss a video and share it with a friend. Suscríbete a este canal para que no te pierdas un video y compártelo con un amigo. Also, we want to encourage you to partner with us through your giving. También queremos animarte a que te unas con nosotros a través de tu dar. We can take this message further and faster and make a difference in the lives of so many people. Podemos llevar este mensaje más lejos y más rápido y hacer la diferencia en la vida de muchas personas. You can give using the link below or by visiting our website at myvisionchurch.org. Puedes dar usando el link abajo o visitándonos en nuestro sitio de web at myvisionchurch.org. We love you so much and we're looking forward to seeing you back here next time.

Los amamos mucho y esperamos verlos nuevamente la próxima vez.