From the
pages of
www.biblesermonsandstudies.org
THE BARREN SHALL
BEAR FRUIT
( A sermon by
brother Tarran Dookie)
SARAH
Gen.18:9-15 And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he
said, Behold, in the tent. And he said, I will certainly return unto thee
according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And
Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah
were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the
manner of women. Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am
waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also? And the LORD said unto
Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child,
which am old? Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will
return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.
Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay;
but thou didst laugh.
The Bible tells
us that Sarah was ninety years old when the promise was made to Abraham that
she would bear him a son (Gen.17:17). When Sarah heard the promise from inside
the tent she laughed. It was not the laughter of rejoicing but of doubt. The
Lord's word was 'Is anything too hard for the Lord?' Let us not have unbelief
but let us have faith in the word of the Lord that He will make us to bear
fruit.
Sarah doubted
because of her age. You may be a believer for a number of years and you may
long for a blessing in your life. You want to be used, to bear fruit. Is
anything too hard for the Lord? Notice that after God's promise to Sarah even
though she was 90 years old she was made beautiful as a princess so that
Abimelech wanted her as a wife (see Gen. ch.20). When the barren bear fruit they
shall be made young again. God is able to restore the years that the cankerworm
has eaten if you would yield to Him and trust Him.
REBEKAH
Gen.25:20-21 And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah to
wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padan-aram, the sister to Laban the
Syrian. And Isaac entreated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren: and
the LORD was entreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived.
It was not
Rebekah's prayer but Isaac's prayer that caused Rebekah to bear fruit. He
entreated the Lord on her behalf and she conceived. There are situations where
the barren will not bear fruit without an intercessor. As we look around us we
shall see many who are not bearing fruit. Let us entreat the Lord on their
behalf. God is looking for those who will stand in the gap and make
intercession, so that more and more of God's children will come to maturity and
bring forth abundant fruit.
HANNAH
1 Sam.1:9-11,27-28 So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in
1 Sam.2:1-5 And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the
LORD, mine horn is exalted in the LORD: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies;
because I rejoice in thy salvation. There is none holy as the LORD: for there
is none beside thee: neither is there is any rock like our God. Talk no more so
exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the LORD is a
God of knowledge and by him actions are weighed. The bows of the mighty men are
broken, and they that stumbled are girded with strength. They that were full
have hired out themselves for bread; and they that were hungry ceased: so that
the barren hath borne seven; and she that hath many children is waxed feeble.
I Sam.1:5-6 tell
us that it was the Lord who had shut up Hannah's womb. The barrenness was
ordered by the Lord for His own purpose. There are times when we cannot
understand why such and such is the situation. The Lord is in control. Hannah's
condition made her cast herself upon the Lord. Her adversary also provoked her
sore. She cried out to the Lord for a manchild and she promised that if He
would grant her this manchild she would give him unto the Lord all the days of
his life. This is exactly what the Lord wanted. Samuel, the son of Hannah,
became a mighty prophet of God.
God may give us
barrenness so that we will come to the end of ourselves and recognise that it
is God who gives the increase. He wants us to cast ourselves upon Him and make
a vow unto Him. Let us vow that the fruit shall be for the Lord's use and His
glory. We too shall rejoice even as Hannah rejoiced for 'the barren hath borne
seven'. Hannah later had three sons and two daughters. May the Lord cause us to
bear much fruit and cause the mocking of the adversary to cease.
ELISABETH
Lk.1:13-17, 24-25,36 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias:
for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou
shalt call his name John. And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall
rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall
drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy
Ghost, even from his mother's womb. And many of the children of
We learn from the
Bible that it was a reproach for a woman not to have a child. Elisabeth was old
and yet had no child and therefore her reproach was all the more difficult to
bear. Are you a barren Christian? Does it disturb you? To be a barren Christian
is a reproach to the name of Jesus and there is a need for the reproach to be
taken away. Let us cry out to the Lord for He is faithful and shall cause us to
bear fruit.
Lk.1:6 tells us
'And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and
ordinances of the Lord blameless'. And yet Elisabeth had this reproach. But the
timing of the Lord is perfect and He is faithful to His own. Jesus was about to
be born into the world and God wanted a prophet to go before the face of the
Lord to prepare His ways. Elisabeth's son, John the Baptist, was to be that
prophet. Let not the barren lose heart for God will hear and answer in His
chosen time.
Is.54:1-5 Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into
singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are
the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the
LORD. Enlarge the places of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains
of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes;
For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall
inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited. Fear not;
for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not
be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not
remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more. For thy Maker is thine
husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of
Gal.4:26-27 But
Today the Lord
Jesus is building
Those who have kept His word and not compromised are not the many but the few. But these few shall rejoice and bear much fruit. They shall do exploits in the name of the Lord. Therefore, let the weak say I am strong (Joel 3:10) and the barren be glad.
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