Sylvania Wesleyan Church 1
Sunday Morning 6/21
  • Have you ever decided to go with Plan B because Plan A wasn’t going fast enough or wasn’t working how you expected?
    Need a good story here
    Sarah decided that she would take matters into her own hands. Plan B if you will. Maybe she thought it was Plan A but its really Plan B.
    Genesis 16:1–3 NIV
    1 Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian slave named Hagar; 2 so she said to Abram, “The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her.” Abram agreed to what Sarai said. 3 So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai his wife took her Egyptian slave Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife.

    We need to be Honest

    Listen, I know we all think that we are the main character in the story of humanity.
    We know better than anyone what we need to do.
    We are talking about God’s plan not our own. GOD’s Plan!
    How often do we suffer from this very problem in our lives?
    Sorry God I know you promised this or that or you said to do this or that but I am just going to go with Plan B
    The problem is that Plan B can have consequences.
    Genesis 21:8–13 NIV
    8 The child grew and was weaned, and on the day Isaac was weaned Abraham held a great feast. 9 But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking, 10 and she said to Abraham, “Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac.” 11 The matter distressed Abraham greatly because it concerned his son. 12 But God said to him, “Do not be so distressed about the boy and your slave woman. Listen to whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned. 13 I will make the son of the slave into a nation also, because he is your offspring.”

    The Problem with Plan B

    Plan B works sometimes when we are talking about Plan B in human plans. Sometimes we have to pivot.
    The challenge is when Plan A is God’s Plan that we have a problem because Plan B is usually our plans
    We can’t see all things like God can
    I always remembered planning big things at Academy
    This story reminds us that when God puts things into motion we need to trust and have patience.
    How different would it have been for Abraham and Sarah if they would have trusted God.
    This wasn’t an easy thing after all
    Genesis 21:11 NIV
    11 The matter distressed Abraham greatly because it concerned his son.
    This isn’t the only example of when we don’t follow God’s commands and the pain that it can cause.
    Abraham and Sarah the people whom God called and they followed are dealing with the fall out of the choices that were made.
    Let’s look at the pain

    Isaac and Sarah’s Hardship

    Isaac was being mocked by his older half brother
    Isaac was also at risk of losing his inheritance.
    Sarah was seeing this as a mother

    Abraham’s Hardship

    Abraham loved both his sons but he knew that God had chosen Isaac to fulfill his covenant.
    Abraham did not want to but also recognizing the challenges of keeping his other son around. This could not be an easy choice. Broken relationships never are

    Hagar and Ishmael’s Hardship

    This one is a little more clear for us

    Following God’s Plan

    Following God’s plan can be difficult at times because we don’t always fully understand it.
    WE need to learn to trust in his guidance and plan.

      • Genesis 16:1–3NIV2011

      • Genesis 21:8–13NIV2011

      • Genesis 21:11NIV2011

Sylvania Wesleyan Church 1
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