The David Alliance

The David Alliance 

TDAgiantSlayer@gmail.com

Garth Heckman

Urge

 

INTRO: Its a strange memory at best: A young man at church - my sister Renee’s friend. HS stud athlete, great looking, always jumping in and out of bed with whomever he could. Now in his early 30’s he came to church and Renee said one night after church… he better hurry up and figure out life - his hair is getting thinner and his glasses are getting thicker. 

Funny, sad, but telling of his life falling apart. He lived his life by his emotions… his “URGES” if you will. 

 

the phrase "a piece of work" originated as a high compliment before evolving over centuries into a sarcastic insult.

The Literary Origin

Its earliest famous usage comes from William Shakespeare’s Hamlet (around 1601). In Act II, Scene 2, Prince Hamlet marvels at the creation of humanity:

"What a piece of work is a man! How noble in reason, how infinite in faculty..."

 

 

 

He’s a piece of work

ISRAELS FIRST KING! 

King Saul had it all but lost his call as a know it all only to fall. 

 

 

Saul’s ultimate downfall was not a lack of talent or opportunity; it was a fundamental flaw in his internal compass. Saul lived a life governed by feelings rather than character.

 

 

Have you ever met someone who lives by their emotions/feelings/the wind?

 

 

I used to say to my boys… “dad is in a bad mood today, so don’t push it”. WHAT I WAS REALLY SAYING WAS DAD IS IN THE FLESH… LIVING BY HIS URGES! 

 

 

 

Romans 8:5 Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. 6 So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. 7 For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. 8 That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.

9 But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.)

 

 

 

 

King Saul highlights critical decisions based on fear, jealousy, and impulsivity rather than steadfast character and obedience.

 

 

1 Samuel 13:8-12 (Impatience and Panic): When the prophet Samuel delayed his arrival and the Israelite army began to scatter out of fear, Saul panicked. Instead of trusting God and waiting, his anxiety drove him to unlawfully offer the burnt offering himself.

Emotions make God's Word feel optional rather than authoritative. When feelings become the filter for truth, scripture gets reduced to "does this resonate with me" instead of "is this what God said." Jeremiah 17:9 warns that the heart is deceitful above all things — not evil in a cartoonish sense, but genuinely unreliable as a final authority. A Christian who only obeys when it feels right isn't actually submitted to Christ's lordship; they're submitted to their own emotional state, with God's Word as an occasional consultant rather than the authority.

 

Abortion, adultery, fornication, bitterness, gossip… emotions muddy up the water.

 

Anterior Midcingulate Cortex it behaves like a muscle, shrinking when underused and expanding physically when you engage in effortful, resistance-heavy activities.

 

Anatomy of the aMCC

• The Friction Requirement: The aMCC only grows when you face friction or internal resistance. Pushing through a workout you love doesn't trigger the same growth as forcing yourself to do a workout—or a task—that you genuinely do not want to do

 

 

The Battle of Sarx (The Flesh): Paul describes the "flesh" not merely as the physical body, but as the path of least resistance—primal drives, comfort-seeking, and self-preservation. 

 

The body only wants to eat, sleep be tickled and have sex! 

 

 

In Galatians 5:17, he notes: "For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other." The subjective internal friction you feel when forcing yourself to do a hard task is the exact experiential battleground Paul describes.

Mortification (Nekroo): In Colossians 3:5 and Romans 8:13, the New Testament commands believers to "put to death" or "mortify" lower impulses. This is not a passive event; it is an active, effortful override of natural inclination—the exact stimulus that drives aMCC hypertrophy.

 

 

How do you put to death the desires of the flesh?

Lets put this misconception to bed for good!

You do the opposite of the flesh according to scripture.

 

 

 

1 Samuel 14:24, 43-44 (Rashness and Impulsivity): Driven by the heat of battle, Saul made a foolish, impulsive oath binding his army to fast until evening. This emotional decision left his men exhausted and nearly resulted in the execution of his own son, Jonathan, who had unknowingly eaten honey.

 

Emotional highs get mistaken for spiritual maturity. Feeling moved during worship, feeling peace after a decision, feeling conviction in the moment — these can be real and God-given, but they can also be manufactured by music, social pressure, or just brain chemistry. The danger is building a faith that needs a constant emotional high to feel "real," which sets people up to crash hard when the feelings fade — and many walk away from faith entirely when the emotional experience stops delivering, mistaking the absence of feeling for the absence of God.

 

**When emotions supersede logic or common sense, they will typically supersede Gods best as well.

 

 

MANY/MOST times God will ask you to do something that goes against your emotions! 

 

1 Samuel 15:24 (Fear of Man over Integrity): After failing to completely destroy the Amalekites as God commanded, Saul shifted the blame. He finally confessed to Samuel that his lack of character stemmed from insecurity, stating: "I was afraid of the men and so I gave in to them.”

Remember… He’s the King! And he is afraid of the men?

It makes obedience conditional instead of covenantal. 

Abraham didn't feel like sacrificing Isaac. 

Jesus, didn't feel like going to the cross — 

 

Obeying when you feel like it is not obedience its convenience! 

 

men: leading a family, staying faithful in a hard marriage, disciplining kids, showing up to serve when you're exhausted — none of that runs on feelings. It runs on covenant commitment that outlasts emotion.

 

*If I win the lottery I will definitely tithe and even give more than 10%. 

NOPE! If you can’t give $10 out of $100 you won’t give 1 Million out of 100 Million. 

 

 

1 Samuel 18:10-11 (Uncontrolled Rage): Saul’s jealousy quickly escalated into murderous anger. While David was playing the lyre to soothe him, Saul was overcome by an evil spirit and his own rage, throwing his spear at David twice in an attempt to pin him to the wall.

 

Emotional volatility becomes a discipleship excuse instead of a growth area. 

"I just felt led" or 

"I couldn't help how I reacted" 

“We are in Love”. 

“She started it”.

“It was Tuesday” 

 

The flesh wether in a high or a low is meant to be cultivated by the fruits of the Spirit! 

 

I love what Socrates said “any virtue in and of itself is a danger, it must be balanced with another virtue.

i.e. if you are generous but do not balance that with wisdom, you will give all your money away and your family will starve. This is what the fruits of the Spirit do for us when in the midst of great emotion.

The David Alliance

TDAgiantSlayer@Gmail.com 

Garth Heckman

 

INTRO: Its a strange memory at best: A young man at church - my sister Renee’s friend. HS stud athlete, great looking, always jumping in and out of bed with whomever he could. Now in his early 30’s he came to church and Renee said one night after church… he better hurry up and figure out life - his hair is getting thinner and his glasses are getting thicker. 

Funny, sad, but telling of his life falling apart. He lived his life by his emotions… his “URGES” if you will. 

 

the phrase "a piece of work" originated as a high compliment before evolving over centuries into a sarcastic insult.

The Literary Origin

Its earliest famous usage comes from William Shakespeare’s Hamlet (around 1601). In Act II, Scene 2, Prince Hamlet marvels at the creation of humanity:

"What a piece of work is a man! How noble in reason, how infinite in faculty..."

 

 

 

He’s a piece of work

ISRAELS FIRST KING! 

King Saul had it all but lost his call as a know it all only to fall. 

 

 

Saul’s ultimate downfall was not a lack of talent or opportunity; it was a fundamental flaw in his internal compass. Saul lived a life governed by feelings rather than character.

 

 

Have you ever met someone who lives by their emotions/feelings/the wind?

 

 

I used to say to my boys… “dad is in a bad mood today, so don’t push it”. WHAT I WAS REALLY SAYING WAS DAD IS IN THE FLESH… LIVING BY HIS URGES! 

 

 

 

Romans 8:5 Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. 6 So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. 7 For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. 8 That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.

9 But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.)

 

 

 

 

King Saul highlights critical decisions based on fear, jealousy, and impulsivity rather than steadfast character and obedience.

 

 

1 Samuel 13:8-12 (Impatience and Panic): When the prophet Samuel delayed his arrival and the Israelite army began to scatter out of fear, Saul panicked. Instead of trusting God and waiting, his anxiety drove him to unlawfully offer the burnt offering himself.

Emotions make God's Word feel optional rather than authoritative. When feelings become the filter for truth, scripture gets reduced to "does this resonate with me" instead of "is this what God said." Jeremiah 17:9 warns that the heart is deceitful above all things — not evil in a cartoonish sense, but genuinely unreliable as a final authority. A Christian who only obeys when it feels right isn't actually submitted to Christ's lordship; they're submitted to their own emotional state, with God's Word as an occasional consultant rather than the authority.

 

Abortion, adultery, fornication, bitterness, gossip… emotions muddy up the water.

 

Anterior Midcingulate Cortex it behaves like a muscle, shrinking when underused and expanding physically when you engage in effortful, resistance-heavy activities.

 

Anatomy of the aMCC

• The Friction Requirement: The aMCC only grows when you face friction or internal resistance. Pushing through a workout you love doesn't trigger the same growth as forcing yourself to do a workout—or a task—that you genuinely do not want to do

 

 

The Battle of Sarx (The Flesh): Paul describes the "flesh" not merely as the physical body, but as the path of least resistance—primal drives, comfort-seeking, and self-preservation. 

 

The body only wants to eat, sleep be tickled and have sex! 

 

 

In Galatians 5:17, he notes: "For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other." The subjective internal friction you feel when forcing yourself to do a hard task is the exact experiential battleground Paul describes.

Mortification (Nekroo): In Colossians 3:5 and Romans 8:13, the New Testament commands believers to "put to death" or "mortify" lower impulses. This is not a passive event; it is an active, effortful override of natural inclination—the exact stimulus that drives aMCC hypertrophy.

 

 

How do you put to death the desires of the flesh?

Lets put this misconception to bed for good!

You do the opposite of the flesh according to scripture.

 

 

 

1 Samuel 14:24, 43-44 (Rashness and Impulsivity): Driven by the heat of battle, Saul made a foolish, impulsive oath binding his army to fast until evening. This emotional decision left his men exhausted and nearly resulted in the execution of his own son, Jonathan, who had unknowingly eaten honey.

 

Emotional highs get mistaken for spiritual maturity. Feeling moved during worship, feeling peace after a decision, feeling conviction in the moment — these can be real and God-given, but they can also be manufactured by music, social pressure, or just brain chemistry. The danger is building a faith that needs a constant emotional high to feel "real," which sets people up to crash hard when the feelings fade — and many walk away from faith entirely when the emotional experience stops delivering, mistaking the absence of feeling for the absence of God.

 

**When emotions supersede logic or common sense, they will typically supersede Gods best as well.

 

 

MANY/MOST times God will ask you to do something that goes against your emotions! 

The David Alliance

TDAgiantSlayer@Gmail.com 

Garth Heckman

 

King Saul highlights critical decisions based on fear, jealousy, and impulsivity rather than steadfast character and obedience.

 

1 Samuel 13:8-12 (Impatience and Panic): When the prophet Samuel delayed his arrival and the Israelite army began to scatter out of fear, Saul panicked. Instead of trusting God and waiting, his anxiety drove him to unlawfully offer the burnt offering himself.

Emotions make God's Word feel optional rather than authoritative. When feelings become the filter for truth, scripture gets reduced to "does this resonate with me" instead of "is this what God said." Jeremiah 17:9 warns that the heart is deceitful above all things — not evil in a cartoonish sense, but genuinely unreliable as a final authority. A Christian who only obeys when it feels right isn't actually submitted to Christ's lordship; they're submitted to their own emotional state, with God's Word as an occasional consultant rather than the authority.

 

Abortion, adultery, fornication, bitterness, gossip… emotions muddy up the water.

 

Anterior Midcingulate Cortex it behaves like a muscle, shrinking when underused and expanding physically when you engage in effortful, resistance-heavy activities.

 

Anatomy of the aMCC

• The Friction Requirement: The aMCC only grows when you face friction or internal resistance. Pushing through a workout you love doesn't trigger the same growth as forcing yourself to do a workout—or a task—that you genuinely do not want to do

 

 

The Battle of Sarx (The Flesh): Paul describes the "flesh" not merely as the physical body, but as the path of least resistance—primal drives, comfort-seeking, and self-preservation. 

 

The body only wants to eat, sleep be tickled and have sex! 

 

 

In Galatians 5:17, he notes: "For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other." The subjective internal friction you feel when forcing yourself to do a hard task is the exact experiential battleground Paul describes.

Mortification (Nekroo): In Colossians 3:5 and Romans 8:13, the New Testament commands believers to "put to death" or "mortify" lower impulses. This is not a passive event; it is an active, effortful override of natural inclination—the exact stimulus that drives aMCC hypertrophy.

 

 

How do you put to death the desires of the flesh?

Lets put this misconception to bed for good!

You do the opposite of the flesh according to scripture.

The David Alliance

TDAgiantSlayer@Gmail.com

Garth Heckman

INTRO: Its a strange memory at best: A young man at church - my sister Renee’s friend. HS stud athlete, great looking, always jumping in and out of bed with whomever he could. Now in his early 30’s he came to church and Renee said one night after church… he better hurry up and figure out life - his hair is getting thinner and his glasses are getting thicker. 

Funny, sad, but telling of his life falling apart. He lived his life by his emotions… his “URGES” if you will. 

 

the phrase "a piece of work" originated as a high compliment before evolving over centuries into a sarcastic insult.

The Literary Origin

Its earliest famous usage comes from William Shakespeare’s Hamlet (around 1601). In Act II, Scene 2, Prince Hamlet marvels at the creation of humanity:

"What a piece of work is a man! How noble in reason, how infinite in faculty..."

 

 

 

He’s a piece of work

ISRAELS FIRST KING! 

King Saul had it all but lost his call as a know it all only to fall. 

 

 

Saul’s ultimate downfall was not a lack of talent or opportunity; it was a fundamental flaw in his internal compass. Saul lived a life governed by feelings rather than character.

 

 

Have you ever met someone who lives by their emotions/feelings/the wind?

 

 

I used to say to my boys… “dad is in a bad mood today, so don’t push it”. WHAT I WAS REALLY SAYING WAS DAD IS IN THE FLESH… LIVING BY HIS URGES! 

 

 

 

Romans 8:5 Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. 6 So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. 7 For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. 8 That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.

9 But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.)

 

 

 

 

King Saul highlights critical decisions based on fear, jealousy, and impulsivity rather than steadfast character and obedience.

 

 

1 Samuel 13:8-12 (Impatience and Panic): When the prophet Samuel delayed his arrival and the Israelite army began to scatter out of fear, Saul panicked. Instead of trusting God and waiting, his anxiety drove him to unlawfully offer the burnt offering himself.

Emotions make God's Word feel optional rather than authoritative. When feelings become the filter for truth, scripture gets reduced to "does this resonate with me" instead of "is this what God said." Jeremiah 17:9 warns that the heart is deceitful above all things — not evil in a cartoonish sense, but genuinely unreliable as a final authority. A Christian who only obeys when it feels right isn't actually submitted to Christ's lordship; they're submitted to their own emotional state, with God's Word as an occasional consultant rather than the authority.

 

Abortion, adultery, fornication, bitterness, gossip… emotions muddy up the water.

The David Alliance

TDAgiantSlayer@Gmail.com

Garth Heckman

Spud Webb 5’7

In Junior high he went to try out and his coach told him to sit in the stands…. You are too short. 

Cut from his Junior year of BB and had to talk his coach into keeping him. He scored 20 points his first game. 

No Div. 1 college would even look at him. So he had to play at Midland College- lead them to a national JR league Championship, then got a scholarship to NC state. 

Every NBA scout scoffed. They said maybe he could play overseas or if he was lucky he could play with the Harlem Globetrotters.

Every NBA team passed on him multiple times…

He fell to the fifth round and was drafted by the Detroit pistons… and cut before the season ever started. 

He was “lucky” enough to be signed as an undrafted free agent by the Atlanta Hawks… At that time his star teammate Dominique Williams was the Slam dunk Champion… spud entered the contest and Dominique said he thought it was a joke and he would do layups… Spud won with numerous 360 slams, dunks off the backboard and Reverse slam dunks….

People laughed at him!

He credits his belief in knowing God gave him that talent for a reason, and that dream for a purpose. 

 

My question today is: How will you respond when people laugh at your dream?

 

 

 

Gen 18:1  And the LORD appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day.

2  He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing in front of him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth

3  and said, “O Lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant.4  Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree,5  while I bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on—since you have come to your servant.” So they said, “Do as you have said.”6  And Abraham went quickly into the tent to Sarah and said, “Quick! Three seahs of fine flour! Knead it, and make cakes.7  And Abraham ran to the herd and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to a young man, who prepared it quickly.8  Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them. And he stood by them under the tree while they ate.9  They said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said, “She is in the tent.”10  The LORD said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door behind him.11  Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years. The way of women had ceased to be with Sarah.12  So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?”13  The LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’14  Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.”15  But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid. He said, “No, but you did laugh.”

 

 

 

 

Rather than just "inappropriate" or "disrespectful," biblical scholars and linguists often look at Sarah’s reaction in Genesis 18:12 through a few distinct lenses:

 

1. Incredulous

Incredulity captures a mix of disbelief, shock, and impossibility. Sarah was roughly 90 years old, well past childbearing age, and had dealt with a lifetime of infertility. Hearing a stranger tell Abraham she would have a baby by the following year sounded biologically absurd.

 

Abraham lives in a Spiritual and Theological worldview…

Sarah lives in a physical biological world view…

 

 

2. Sarcastic (or Cynical)

In Hebrew, Sarah’s inner monologue reads as a self-deprecating scoff: "After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?" Describing her reaction as sarcastic or cynical highlights the defense mechanism of a woman who had likely given up hope decades prior and saw the statement as a cruel taunt or bad joke.

 

3. Human

Her reaction was deeply human. It wasn't necessarily a malicious rebellion against God; it was an involuntary emotional slip—a defense mechanism triggered by years of grief, trauma, and disappointment over her barrenness.

 

• The Nuance: Her laugh isn't scoffing insolence; it's a reflex against emotional re-traumatization. When a deep, long-buried desire is suddenly brought up by a stranger, cynicism acts as armor to protect the heart from being broken one more time.
• The Insight: Faith doesn't require instantaneous emotional compliance. God engages directly with her reaction rather than striking her down, recognizing the pain behind her defense.

 

4. Prophetic

In the broader arc of Genesis, her laughter is viewed as prophetic or foreshadowing. The Hebrew root for laugh (tzachaq) is the exact root used for the name of the child God promises: Isaac (Yitzchak), which literally means "he laughs" or "laughter". What began as the laugh of doubt in Genesis 18 transforms into the laugh of joy and wonder when Isaac is born in Genesis 21: "God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me".

 

Key takeaway: While her response is often labeled as "disbelief," calling it incredulous or sarcastic better captures her emotional reality, while calling it prophetic reveals the literary wordplay embedded in the text.

 

 

MAYBE OUR REACTION SHOULD MATCH *TO SOME DEGREE …SARAHS…

WHY?

WHY WOULD GOD USE ABRAHAM A MAN OF MANY FAULTS? 

 

 

Failure 1: Deception in Egypt

Age ~75 (Gen 12:10–20)

The Misstep: When a severe famine strikes Canaan, Abram migrates to Egypt without seeking divine direction. Fearing the Egyptians will kill him for his beautiful wife, he asks Sarai to lie and say she is his sister.

 

The Fallout: Pharaoh takes Sarai into his royal palace as a concubine while enriching Abram. God strikes Pharaoh’s household with severe plagues. Upon discovering the truth, Pharaoh rebukes Abram for his deceit and expels his family from Egypt.

 

 

 

Separation from Lot & Rescue

Age ~75–80 (Gen 13–14)

As their livestock herds grow too large for the land to support both of them, quarreling breaks out between Abram's and Lot's herdsmen. Abram generously gives Lot first pick WITHOUT SEEKING GOD - Lot gets captured. 

 

 

The Unconditional Covenant

Age ~85 (Gen 15)

Abram voices concern that he remains childless and his servant Eliezer will inherit his house. God reassures Abram that a biological son will be his heir and cuts a formal covenant with him, promising descendants as numerous as the stars.

 

 

 

Failure 2: Scheming with Hagar

Age 85–86 (Gen 16)

The Misstep: After living in Canaan for ten years without a child, Sarai proposes that Abram take her Egyptian servant, Hagar, as a surrogate mother. Abram agrees without seeking God's guidance, taking matters into his own hands to force the fulfillment of the promise.

 

The Fallout: Once Hagar becomes pregnant, domestic conflict erupts. Hagar despises Sarai, Sarai mistreats Hagar, and Abram washes his hands of the dispute. Hagar flees into the wilderness before an angel instructs her to return. She gives birth to Ishmael when Abram is 86.

 

 

 

The Covenant of Circumcision & Abraham's Internal Doubt

Age 99 (Gen 17)

The Moment of Disbelief: After 13 years of silence, God appears, renames Abram to Abraham ("Father of a Multitude") and Sarai to Sarah ("Princess"), and institutes circumcision as the covenant sign. When God explicitly states that Sarah herself will bear a son within a year, Abraham falls face down and laughs to himself, asking mentally: "Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at ninety?" (Gen 17:17).

 

 

The Three Visitors at Mamre & Sarah's Laugh

Age 99 (Gen 18:1–15)

Three divine visitors visit Abraham under the oaks of Mamre. The Lord repeats the divine pledge: "I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son."

 

Overhearing this from inside the tent entrance, Sarah laughs to herself, thinking about her advanced age and physical state. When the Lord asks why she laughed and whether anything is too hard for God, Sarah denies it out of fear, but the Lord responds: "No, you did laugh."

 

 

MAYBE SARAH IS LAUGHING KNOWING WHO HER HUSBAND REALLY IS?

 

 

 

BECAUSE EVEN AFTER THIS VISITATION FROM GOD….

 

King Abimelech (Genesis 20:1–18)

• The Outcome: Abimelech takes Sarah into his harem. However, God appears to Abimelech in a dream, warning him that Sarah is married and that he will die if he touches her. Abimelech protests that he acted in good faith, returns Sarah untouched, gives Abraham restitution, and asks why Abraham did this.

 

 

Pattern in Abraham's Failures

Across these 24 years, Abraham's missteps shared a common theme: self-preservation and impatience.

 

 

BUT LETS ASK OURSELVES A QUESTION:

Regardless of how Sarah saw her husband Abraham - regardless of how we see him… How did God see him? 

 

 

Names and Titles Given to Abraham

 

• Abraham ("Father of a Multitude"): Originally named Abram ("Exalted Father"), God personally renamed him in Genesis 17:5 to reflect his ultimate destiny: "No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations."
• "My Friend": God personally refers to Abraham as His friend in Isaiah 41:8 ("Abraham My friend"), a title affirmed throughout Scripture (2 Chronicles 20:7, James 2:23).
• Prophet: In Genesis 20:7, God speaks to King Abimelech regarding Abraham, stating, "Restore the man’s wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you shall live."
• "My Servant": God repeatedly refers to Abraham with honor as His servant (Genesis 26:24, Psalm 105:6), marking him as a trusted agent of the Divine will.

The Promises and Blessings Spoken Over Him

• Divine Shield and Great Reward:
• Infinite Descendants:
• Royal Lineage and Multiplied Nations:
• Universal Blessing for All Humanity:
• Divine Protection:
• An Everlasting Land Covenant:

 

 

SARAH MAY HAVE LAUGHED AT FIRST IN DISBELIEF - BUT

 

3. Sarah's later reversal is the untold "second half" of the story. But Genesis 21:6 gives Sarah's own commentary once Isaac is born: "God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me." She takes the very word she used in doubt and reclaims it in worship. Isaac's name literally means "he laughs." This is a remarkable narrative arc — cynical laughter transformed into worshipful laughter — 

 

 

 

 

FINAL THOUGHT:

WHY DID GOD CHOOSE ABRAHAM? 

IN SPITE OF ALL HIS FLAWS HE PRACTICED GODS HEART AND DESIGN FOR PRAYER.

 

What do I mean?

Gen. 18 later in the chapter God tells Abraham I am going to destroy Sodom and Gomorra and Abraham does something very familiar according to Luke 11.  

 

 

Luke 11 tells us how to pray - AFTER SHARING THE LORDS PRAYER JESUS SAYS SOMETHING AWKWARD ABOUT PRAYER - A parable. 

A man goes to his friends house - he needs 3 loaves of bread… he will not give up asking. 

 

If you ask seek knock - out of sheer perseverance I will answer!

 

Abraham here in Gen. 18 does just that for Sodom and Gomorra - showing Gods heart for the lost.

50

45

40

30

20

10!

 

I believe one of the greatest clues is given in these two stories in scripture about who God uses!

 

The one that will not give up asking God to fulfill his purpose!

 

 

WHAT IF WE UNDERSTOOD THE STORY OF ABRAHAM LIKE THIS:

Yes he was a heap of missteps, failures, a massive example of weak humanity…. 

 

But in all his mistakes and failures he never quit asking God for that son! 

FOR THAT ANSWERED PRAYER. 

 

 

WILL YOU BE THE ONE WHO P.U.S.H.es into God.

P - pray

U - until

S - something

H - happens?

The David Alliance

TDAgiantSlayer@Gmail.com

Garth Heckman

 

Gen 18:1  And the LORD appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day.

2  He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing in front of him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth

3  and said, “O Lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant.4  Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree,5  while I bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on—since you have come to your servant.” So they said, “Do as you have said.”6  And Abraham went quickly into the tent to Sarah and said, “Quick! Three seahs of fine flour! Knead it, and make cakes.7  And Abraham ran to the herd and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to a young man, who prepared it quickly.8  Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them. And he stood by them under the tree while they ate.9  They said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said, “She is in the tent.”10  The LORD said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door behind him.11  Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years. The way of women had ceased to be with Sarah.12  So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?”13  The LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’14  Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.”15  But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid. He said, “No, but you did laugh.”

 

 

 

 

Rather than just "inappropriate" or "disrespectful," biblical scholars and linguists often look at Sarah’s reaction in Genesis 18:12 through a few distinct lenses:

 

1. Incredulous

Incredulity captures a mix of disbelief, shock, and impossibility. Sarah was roughly 90 years old, well past childbearing age, and had dealt with a lifetime of infertility. Hearing a stranger tell Abraham she would have a baby by the following year sounded biologically absurd.

 

Abraham lives in a Spiritual and Theological worldview…

Sarah lives in a physical biological world view…

 

 

2. Sarcastic (or Cynical)

In Hebrew, Sarah’s inner monologue reads as a self-deprecating scoff: "After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?" Describing her reaction as sarcastic or cynical highlights the defense mechanism of a woman who had likely given up hope decades prior and saw the statement as a cruel taunt or bad joke.

 

3. Human

Her reaction was deeply human. It wasn't necessarily a malicious rebellion against God; it was an involuntary emotional slip—a defense mechanism triggered by years of grief, trauma, and disappointment over her barrenness.

 

• The Nuance: Her laugh isn't scoffing insolence; it's a reflex against emotional re-traumatization. When a deep, long-buried desire is suddenly brought up by a stranger, cynicism acts as armor to protect the heart from being broken one more time.
• The Insight: Faith doesn't require instantaneous emotional compliance. God engages directly with her reaction rather than striking her down, recognizing the pain behind her defense.

 

4. Prophetic

In the broader arc of Genesis, her laughter is viewed as prophetic or foreshadowing. The Hebrew root for laugh (tzachaq) is the exact root used for the name of the child God promises: Isaac (Yitzchak), which literally means "he laughs" or "laughter". What began as the laugh of doubt in Genesis 18 transforms into the laugh of joy and wonder when Isaac is born in Genesis 21: "God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me".

 

Key takeaway: While her response is often labeled as "disbelief," calling it incredulous or sarcastic better captures her emotional reality, while calling it prophetic reveals the literary wordplay embedded in the text.

 

 

MAYBE OUR REACTION SHOULD MATCH *TO SOME DEGREE …SARAHS…

WHY?

WHY WOULD GOD USE ABRAHAM A MAN OF MANY FAULTS? 

 

 

Failure 1: Deception in Egypt

Age ~75 (Gen 12:10–20)

The Misstep: When a severe famine strikes Canaan, Abram migrates to Egypt without seeking divine direction. Fearing the Egyptians will kill him for his beautiful wife, he asks Sarai to lie and say she is his sister.

 

The Fallout: Pharaoh takes Sarai into his royal palace as a concubine while enriching Abram. God strikes Pharaoh’s household with severe plagues. Upon discovering the truth, Pharaoh rebukes Abram for his deceit and expels his family from Egypt.

 

 

 

Separation from Lot & Rescue

Age ~75–80 (Gen 13–14)

As their livestock herds grow too large for the land to support both of them, quarreling breaks out between Abram's and Lot's herdsmen. Abram generously gives Lot first pick WITHOUT SEEKING GOD - Lot gets captured. 

 

 

The Unconditional Covenant

Age ~85 (Gen 15)

Abram voices concern that he remains childless and his servant Eliezer will inherit his house. God reassures Abram that a biological son will be his heir and cuts a formal covenant with him, promising descendants as numerous as the stars.

 

 

 

Failure 2: Scheming with Hagar

Age 85–86 (Gen 16)

The Misstep: After living in Canaan for ten years without a child, Sarai proposes that Abram take her Egyptian servant, Hagar, as a surrogate mother. Abram agrees without seeking God's guidance, taking matters into his own hands to force the fulfillment of the promise.

 

The Fallout: Once Hagar becomes pregnant, domestic conflict erupts. Hagar despises Sarai, Sarai mistreats Hagar, and Abram washes his hands of the dispute. Hagar flees into the wilderness before an angel instructs her to return. She gives birth to Ishmael when Abram is 86.

 

 

 

The Covenant of Circumcision & Abraham's Internal Doubt

Age 99 (Gen 17)

The Moment of Disbelief: After 13 years of silence, God appears, renames Abram to Abraham ("Father of a Multitude") and Sarai to Sarah ("Princess"), and institutes circumcision as the covenant sign. When God explicitly states that Sarah herself will bear a son within a year, Abraham falls face down and laughs to himself, asking mentally: "Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at ninety?" (Gen 17:17).

 

 

The Three Visitors at Mamre & Sarah's Laugh

Age 99 (Gen 18:1–15)

Three divine visitors visit Abraham under the oaks of Mamre. The Lord repeats the divine pledge: "I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son."

 

Overhearing this from inside the tent entrance, Sarah laughs to herself, thinking about her advanced age and physical state. When the Lord asks why she laughed and whether anything is too hard for God, Sarah denies it out of fear, but the Lord responds: "No, you did laugh."

 

 

MAYBE SARAH IS LAUGHING KNOWING WHO HER HUSBAND REALLY IS?

 

 

 

BECAUSE EVEN AFTER THIS VISITATION FROM GOD….

 

King Abimelech (Genesis 20:1–18)

• The Outcome: Abimelech takes Sarah into his harem. However, God appears to Abimelech in a dream, warning him that Sarah is married and that he will die if he touches her. Abimelech protests that he acted in good faith, returns Sarah untouched, gives Abraham restitution, and asks why Abraham did this.

 

 

Pattern in Abraham's Failures

Across these 24 years, Abraham's missteps shared a common theme: self-preservation and impatience.

 

 

BUT LETS ASK OURSELVES A QUESTION:

Regardless of how Sarah saw her husband Abraham - regardless of how we see him… How did God see him? 

The David Alliance 

TDAgiantSlayer@Gmail.com

Garth Heckman

Gen 18:1  And the LORD appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day.

2  He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing in front of him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth

3  and said, “O Lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant.4  Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree,5  while I bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on—since you have come to your servant.” So they said, “Do as you have said.”6  And Abraham went quickly into the tent to Sarah and said, “Quick! Three seahs of fine flour! Knead it, and make cakes.7  And Abraham ran to the herd and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to a young man, who prepared it quickly.8  Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them. And he stood by them under the tree while they ate.9  They said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said, “She is in the tent.”10  The LORD said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door behind him.11  Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years. The way of women had ceased to be with Sarah.12  So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?”13  The LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’14  Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.”15  But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid. He said, “No, but you did laugh.”

 

 

 

 

Rather than just "inappropriate" or "disrespectful," biblical scholars and linguists often look at Sarah’s reaction in Genesis 18:12 through a few distinct lenses:

 

1. Incredulous

Incredulity captures a mix of disbelief, shock, and impossibility. Sarah was roughly 90 years old, well past childbearing age, and had dealt with a lifetime of infertility. Hearing a stranger tell Abraham she would have a baby by the following year sounded biologically absurd.

 

Abraham lives in a Spiritual and Theological worldview…

Sarah lives in a physical biological world view…

 

 

2. Sarcastic (or Cynical)

In Hebrew, Sarah’s inner monologue reads as a self-deprecating scoff: "After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?" Describing her reaction as sarcastic or cynical highlights the defense mechanism of a woman who had likely given up hope decades prior and saw the statement as a cruel taunt or bad joke.

 

3. Human

Her reaction was deeply human. It wasn't necessarily a malicious rebellion against God; it was an involuntary emotional slip—a defense mechanism triggered by years of grief, trauma, and disappointment over her barrenness.

 

• The Nuance: Her laugh isn't scoffing insolence; it's a reflex against emotional re-traumatization. When a deep, long-buried desire is suddenly brought up by a stranger, cynicism acts as armor to protect the heart from being broken one more time.
• The Insight: Faith doesn't require instantaneous emotional compliance. God engages directly with her reaction rather than striking her down, recognizing the pain behind her defense.

 

4. Prophetic

In the broader arc of Genesis, her laughter is viewed as prophetic or foreshadowing. The Hebrew root for laugh (tzachaq) is the exact root used for the name of the child God promises: Isaac (Yitzchak), which literally means "he laughs" or "laughter". What began as the laugh of doubt in Genesis 18 transforms into the laugh of joy and wonder when Isaac is born in Genesis 21: "God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me".

 

Key takeaway: While her response is often labeled as "disbelief," calling it incredulous or sarcastic better captures her emotional reality, while calling it prophetic reveals the literary wordplay embedded in the text.

The David Alliance

TDAgiantSlayer@Gmail.com 

Garth Heckman

Spud Webb 5’7

In Junior high he went to try out and his coach told him to sit in the stands…. You are too short. 

Cut from his Junior year of BB and had to talk his coach into keeping him. He scored 20 points his first game. 

No Div. 1 college would even look at him. So he had to play at Midland College- lead them to a national JR league Championship, then got a scholarship to NC state. 

Every NBA scout scoffed. They said maybe he could play overseas or if he was lucky he could play with the Harlem Globetrotters.

Every NBA team passed on him multiple times…

He fell to the fifth round and was drafted by the Detroit pistons… and cut before the season ever started. 

He was “lucky” enough to be signed as an undrafted free agent by the Atlanta Hawks… At that time his star teammate Dominique Williams was the Slam dunk Champion… spud entered the contest and Dominique said he thought it was a joke and he would do layups… Spud won with numerous 360 slams, dunks off the backboard and Reverse slam dunks….

People laughed at him!

He credits his belief in knowing God gave him that talent for a reason, and that dream for a purpose. 

 

My question today is: How will you respond when people laugh at your dream?

 

 

 

Gen 18:1  And the LORD appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day.

2  He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing in front of him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth

3  and said, “O Lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant.4  Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree,5  while I bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on—since you have come to your servant.” So they said, “Do as you have said.”6  And Abraham went quickly into the tent to Sarah and said, “Quick! Three seahs of fine flour! Knead it, and make cakes.7  And Abraham ran to the herd and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to a young man, who prepared it quickly.8  Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them. And he stood by them under the tree while they ate.9  They said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said, “She is in the tent.”10  The LORD said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door behind him.11  Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years. The way of women had ceased to be with Sarah.12  So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?”13  The LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’14  Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.”15  But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid. He said, “No, but you did laugh.”

 

 

The David Alliance

TDAgiantSlayer@Gmail.com 

Garth Heckman

 

Joy is best served with friends. Go to an amusement park with no one??? Why? 

 

Isolation kills joy

 

 

Your joy affects others

 

Are you the one who people love to see walk into a room?

 

The joy experienced by Paul and Silas freed the other prisoners. 

 

 

Joy preceded their deliverance

 

They did not rejoice because they were free - they rejoiced and that is what freed them! 

 

 

James 1:2 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

 

Consider" — ἡγέομαι (hēgeomai) think, regard, or deliberately account something as true through a mental, reasoned process — it's actually the root behind Judgement 

 

he's calling for a conscious, deliberate act of the mind:

“BOY I WONDER HOW THIS WILL TURN OUT” said with joy! 

 

 

PURE "Pure" / "All" — πᾶσαν (pasan) This word (from pas, "all") is often translated "pure" but more literally means all, entire, or complete

Experienced as joy in every area of your life. 

 

 

Trial - peirasmos ("trials") not random or meaningless suffering, but hardship with a purpose and a goal built into it.

 

 

The verb "consider" (hēgēsasthe) is in the aorist imperative — a decisive, one-time-decision kind of command in Greek grammar, - “it will always turn out for the good” 

 

 

 

Why This Matters for Your Whole Joy Series

This gives you a clean, important corrective point for the sermon: James is not commanding an emotion — he's commanding a decision about how to interpret what's happening.

 

 

Joy

Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition, when infinite joy is offered to us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in the slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.

C.S. Lewis.

  -  Might I add to this: We spend our time foolishly running after happiness… when Joy is right in front of us. 

 

 

 

Nehemiah 8:10 — "the joy of the Lord is your strength." This is a foundational verse for teaching on this topic because it reverses the usual order people expect: joy isn't the result of strength or good circumstances — it's the source of strength to face hard circumstances.

 

 

1 Peter 1:6-8 — Peter writes to believers facing real suffering and trials, describing a joy that is "inexpressible and filled with glory" specifically in the middle of grief, not after it resolves. The Greek word here for "inexpressible" (aneklalētos) means literally beyond the capacity of words — joy so deep it can't be articulated.

 

 

The Theological Throughline Worth Preaching

 

Every one of these passages makes the same structural claim: biblical joy is not the absence of pain — its the understanding that God will use it for your good. 

The David Alliance

TDAgiantSlayer@Gmail.com 

Garth Heckman

Joy Unshakeable 

 

Acts 16 Paul and Silas

 

Read story and highlight:

Military city, 

MOB RULES:did not want to hear what they had to say… the crowd was blind with rage… they should not have been beaten until trial as Roman citizens. 

 

*Joy starts with focus not feelings.

 

Happiness depends on what happens… so you have to do the work to make good things happen. *YOU BECOME A SLAVE TO PERFORMING, AND CIRCUMSTANCES. 

 

 

Falsely accused (Emotionally abused),

Beaten (Physically abused in public to humiliate) 

Locked away from everyone in the deepest part of the dungeon… Most likely where the raw sewage flowed. (Socially abused)

Chained (Mentally abused and in stocks)

Archaeological evidence from sites like the gladiator barracks at Pompeii - torture racks. 

**AND AT MIDNIGHT:

Why Midnight Singing Is Even More Remarkable Than It First Appears

 

Put the whole picture together: Paul and Silas had been publicly stripped, beaten with rods by state lictors, thrown into the inner prison (the most secure, likely darkest and most miserable section), and their legs forced into a device specifically designed to maximize ongoing physical suffering. And at midnight — the point of deepest exhaustion and vulnerability — "they were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them" (v. 25).

 

THESE WERE NOT QUIET MURMURINGS - The Greek word for "singing hymns" here is hymneō — the same root behind our English "hymn" — meaning they weren't just murmuring quiet comfort to themselves; they were audibly, deliberately worshiping, loud enough that the entire prison population was listening.

 

 

**Look at all that is HAPPENING to them. Happiness is based on what Happens. It is called “happenstance”. 

 

 But Spiritually they still knew where they stood. They still experienced joy. 

 

*Joy starts with focus not feelings.

 

Happiness depends on what happens… so you have to do the work to make good things happen. *YOU BECOME A SLAVE TO PERFORMING, AND CIRCUMSTANCES. 

 

Vs. joy which focuses on the outcome not the current circumstances.

 

 

Joy is best served with friends. Go to an amusement park with no one??? Why? 

 

Isolation kills joy

 

 

Your joy affects others

 

Are you the one who people love to see walk into a room?

 

The joy experienced by Paul and Silas freed the other prisoners. 

 

 

Joy preceded their deliverance

 

They did not rejoice because they were free - they rejoiced and that is what freed them!