Welcome to all of you today. I want to talk to you about beginnings, because Compassion Sunday is really about beginnings. Beginning a new relationship, a new friendship, and really charting a new course for life. And so, if you haven’t had a chance to check out the Compassion table in the back, make sure you stop by after worship today, because sponsoring children through Compassion is something that we really believe in. We’ve seen the difference Compassion makes in children’s lives, not just meeting their basic needs, or making sure they’re able to go to school, but that they are introduced to Jesus Christ.

Now, I know that many of you have already sponsored children, but that doesn’t exclude you from sponsoring more; you can have a whole family. In fact, Dana and I began sponsoring children through Compassion International over 20 years ago. The first child we sponsored was Eyob from Ethiopia. He is now 32 years old, and we are able to communicate on Facebook. Our second child, Mary Ann, was born in the Philippines, was fluent in English, wrote beautifully without translation, served on the worship team in her church, but went on ahead of us because of a heart condition at the age of 18. Our third child was from India, but unfortunately, we lost contact with Bishnu when she was 16, because Muslim rebels shut down Compassion’s ministry in her community.

However, we didn’t give up, we had another child, and our fourth child was Kwajo; he is 18 years old now and lives in Ghana. And then, our fifth child is Orphelia, and she is 10 years old and lives in Togo. Both Kwajo and Ophelia live in highly populated coastal communities in West Africa and it’s always such a joy to receive their letters. We are able to learn about their communities, their studies, their dreams, and most importantly their faith in Jesus Christ. And that’s so important to me, because I don’t like to do anything just for the sake of doing something, I want to do what counts, or what makes a difference for eternity.

Sponsoring children is a wonderful opportunity to see their lives changed right before your very eyes, and there are just so many children struggling for basic needs in the world. There are also opportunities for short-term commitment, if you don’t want to commit to 15 or 20 years, you can sponsor an older child for just a couple of years. Because it doesn’t matter how old your child is, your sponsorship really makes a difference right now, it lets them know that they matter, that they cried out, and God heard them.

When I think about sponsoring children through Compassion International, I’m always reminded of the words of Jesus in Matthew chapter 25. He said,

“I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40).

And so, I ask you to prayerfully consider opening your heart to one of those children on the Compassion table following the service. Sponsoring children is not just blessing those children, it’s blessing Jesus, because he said, “you did it for me.”

As we turn to the Scriptures, we’re going to go to the book of Genesis, the book of beginnings, and so if you’d like to follow along in your Bible, turn with me to chapter 21. I know that we’re a diverse group, we come to the Scriptures on different levels, and I don’t want to leave anyone behind by skimming over the text. So, we’re going to read verse one through twenty and I know that’s a lot of Scripture to get through, but we’re going to read the entirety of the story, because I don’t want to assume that everyone knows the text.

And so, turning to Genesis, chapter 21, at verse one. “Now the Lord was gracious to Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did for Sarah what he had promised. Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised him. Abraham gave the name Isaac to the son Sarah bore him. When his son Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him, as God commanded him. Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him” (Genesis 21:1-5).

“Sarah said, "God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me." And she added, "Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age" (Genesis 21:6-7).

“The child grew and was weaned, and on the day Isaac was weaned, Abraham held a great feast. But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking" (Genesis 21:8-9).

I want to stop right there for a moment to fill in the context, because this is such a good lesson up to walking by faith and waiting for God to fulfill his promises in his way and in his timing. You see, Abraham had been walking with the Lord for many years and even though God had promised that he would have a child he didn’t tell him when it would be. And so, after Abram had been living in Canaan for ten years, Sarah knowing that she was incapable of having children decided to become the matchmaker. The Bible tells us in chapter 16,

“Sarai his wife took her Egyptian maidservant Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife. He slept with Hagar, and she conceived” (Genesis 16:3-4).

Now, this was normal and perfectly legal according to the pagan culture of that day. Certainly, we understand that not everything that is normal or acceptable in our culture is approved by God. In fact, the Bible says,

“Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil” (James 3:15).

And so, Abraham and Sarah had a son, but God rejected Sarah’s scheme to have a family, because he had something far better in mind for them.

In other words, God had a plan from the beginning, but they were unwilling to wait for it. And so, they rushed ahead with their own plans, but they were only acting to please themselves, and not obeying the word of the Lord. What they did certainly did not bring peace into their home, and when Sarah saw Hagar’s son mocking Isaac at the party she was infuriated. She said to Abraham,

“Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that slave woman's son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac" (Genesis 21:10).

And so, whatever had transpired at that party, whatever was said, caused Sarah to be so offended that she insisted Abraham send Hagar and Ishmael away.

I want you to feel this, because like any blended family, Abraham loved both of his sons and probably cared greatly for Hagar as well. And so, obviously, “The matter distressed Abraham greatly because it concerned his son” and you could just imagine getting yourself into a situation where you have to say goodbye to your firstborn eldest son when he was about 16 or 17 years old (Genesis 21:11). But the Bible says, God consoled Abraham saying to him, "Do not be so distressed about the boy and your maidservant. Listen to whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned” (Genesis 21:12).

In other words, God reassured Abraham that the promise of many nations still remained, because it would come through Isaac. But then he also assures him that he had not abandoned Hagar or Ishmael, “I will make the son of the maidservant into a nation also, because he is your offspring" (Genesis 21:13).

Now, this wasn’t the first time, nor would it be the last time that God would tell Abraham to do something he didn’t understand. And the sending away of Ishmael, like telling him to leave his country, his people, and his father’s household, was merely preparation for an even greater test when God would command him to put Isaac on an altar as a sacrifice. And so, Abraham obeyed even though he was greatly distressed by the matter and verse 14 says,

“Early the next morning Abraham took some food and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. He set them on her shoulders and then sent her off with the boy. She went on her way and wandered in the desert of Beersheba” (Genesis 21:14).

Abraham sends them out into the wilderness and the narrative suddenly takes a detour, leaving the history of Israel to follow those who are outside of God’s covenant promises. Verse 15 tells us,

“When the water in the skin was gone, she put the boy under one of the bushes. Then she went off and sat down nearby, about a bowshot away, for she thought, "I cannot watch the boy die." And as she sat there nearby, she began to sob” (Genesis 21:15-16).

I want you to notice that the God who chose the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, now demonstrates his care and mercy as the God of all tribes, nations, and peoples of the world. The same God who would hear the cries of the Hebrew slaves in Egypt, sees this Gentile boy and his mother in the desert. And verse 17 says,

“God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, "What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation" (Genesis 21:17-18).

“Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. So, she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink. God was with the boy as he grew up. He lived in the desert and became an archer” (Genesis 21:19-20).

What I hope you’ll understand is that from the beginning, the word of God is not just about nations or tribes, it’s about people, it’s about individuals, it’s about us. And so, when we feel abandoned and forgotten, when life seems to have passed us by, we need to remember that not only does God see, but the Bible says,

“You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed…” (Psalms 10:17-18).

And so, we need to understand that God hears us, this isn’t just Hagar’s story, it’s our story. And you may be here listening, and you’ve often felt rejected, forsaken by those closest to you, but I want to assure you today. When you feel those feelings, when you question your worth, remember the word of the Lord who said, “I have watched over you and have seen what has been done to you” (Exodus 3:16). In other words, what happened to you, what was done to you, wasn’t a secret to God, because not only did God hear, but he is the God who sees all things.

And so, when the pain is unbearable and you’ve enough, the Bible tells us, “When the righteous cry out… the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles” (Psalms 34:17). But maybe some of you are like me and you were raised not to cry. And so, crying goes against everything you were taught growing up. The problem is that when you’re hurt, when you’re grieved, your heart has no way to relieve itself of the burden. And if you’re not able to cry out, if the tears can’t flow, it doesn’t make you stronger, it actually makes you sick on the inside.

That’s why we need to be able to cry, because if there’s no release the grief can’t leave. The Bible tells us that there is…

“A time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance” (Ecclesiastes 3:4).

And so, there are times when you need to cry, times when you need to mourn, because you need to let it out. And it doesn’t mean that somebody has to be dead, you can be mourning the lack of companionship, mourning the job you lost, mourning the opportunity that you missed. There are a lot of things you can mourn about that require time to weep and it’s good and even necessary.

In our text, God heard the boy crying, and for those of you who are parents, you know that there is a cry that will make you stop in your tracks. The kids can be playing in the backyard, screaming and shouting, making all kinds of noise, and you don’t pay them any attention. But there is a cry, I don’t know if it’s the tone or the fervency, but there is a cry that will make you drop what you’re doing and run to see what’s wrong.

And it’s the same way for God, there’s a cry that will get his attention, a cry that will stop him in his tracks. Like that time when blind Bartimaeus was sitting by the roadside begging, when he heard that Jesus was coming. He began to cry out, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" The people told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more. Many rebuked him but he cried out until “Jesus stopped” (Mark 10:49). You see, there is a cry that will get God’s attention, you may not have tears running down your cheeks, but David said, “This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles” (Psalms 34:6 ESV).

When the people of God open their mouths and cry, God will move the heavens and the earth to deliver them. The children of Israel were down in Egypt, groaning under the oppression of their slavery and they cried out. “God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant” (Exodus 2:23-24). You see, sometimes it’s to our own downfall that we keep our mouths shut, because we should open our mouths and declare our dependence on God. Because if we would just open our mouths and declare our faith, the moment we cry out God would come and rescue us.

Just like it was that night out on the lake, the wind and the waves terrified the disciples, and Jesus heard them crying out in fear (Matthew 14:26). Right away he calmed the storm, and brought them over to the other side, because no amount of winds or waves can keep you from doing what God wants you to do. And so, sometimes you just need to let it out, you just need to open your mouth and cry out; it doesn’t matter what it sounds like, but Jesus will pay attention when you call upon him.

You may have been left for dead like Abel. Cain killed his brother, but the Lord came to him and said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground” (Genesis 4:10). And so, you may be sick, hurt, down and out, but God sees and even the blood makes a cry that catches the attention of God.

Jonah was lost in a storm, feeling hopeless, but there was still another deliverance working deep down inside of him. The sailors threw him overboard but a great fish swallowed him. For three days and three nights he was inside the belly of this fish and from inside the fish Jonah cried out to the Lord. “He said: "In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me. From the depths of the grave I called for help, and you listened to my cry” (Jonah 2:1-2). And even though he was threatened by the deep, engulfed by a large fish, and surrounded by seaweed, the Lord brought him up from his watery grave.

Wherever you are, when you cry out like Jonah, “I’m still here, I’m still alive” God knows, he can hear you. David said it this way, “If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there” (Psalms 139:8). And there are some of you who need to stop fussing and worrying and start crying out to God because he will deliver you.

Jesus came to Mary and Martha’s house because his friend Lazarus had died. When he arrived the Bible says, “Jesus wept.” Then he looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me,” because God always hears the cries of his children (John 11:41). And so, if Jesus can cry, every man in here should open your mouth and cry.

Even the martyrs, those who had been slain for the Word of God and for their testimony of Jesus, the apostle John says he saw them under the altar, he had a vision of them crying out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you judge and avenge our blood?” (Revelation 6:9-10, ESV). And in the same way, some of you have been in a situation, stuck in that condition for a long time, and you’ve got every right to cry out and ask how long?

Sometimes, we just need to be given permission, it’s helpful to be given an invitation, and so if you’ve had enough, and you’re sick and tired of holding it in, just open your mouth and cry out to God. It is so liberating to get it out of your system, it doesn’t matter if you mess up your makeup with tears running down your cheeks, because you’ve got to get it out or it will eat at you like a cancer.

Now, I know as soon as you start crying out, your spiritual enemy is going to tell you it’s not going to make any difference, God’s too busy, he doesn’t hear you, and you will be tempted to make excuses. But let me assure you, like blind Bartimaeus, true passion finds a way, faith finds a way, and every time you cry out to God, every time you make a noise, God hears you. And I believe that someone here, someone listening, is about to experience breakthrough, because you’re going to be honest about the pain, acknowledging what hurts, and you’re going to cry out to God because a mighty deliverance is coming.

I know it’s going to require some vulnerability, because if you open your mouth, you could get your feelings hurt. But let me encourage you because not only does God hear, but he won’t waste one bit of your pain. And I would rather pray myself to sleep at night, my heart aching with passion about something I care about, than to waste my life doing nothing, because it’s better to hurt, crying out with a purpose, than to exist without one.

Consider Moses, David, Nehemiah, or Jesus; each one of them was broken, moved in their spirit, praying and weeping, crying out to God because of the burden in their heart. Church, I truly believe that if we never give sacrificially anywhere, never serve anywhere, never fast and pray, crying out over something or somebody, we are missing out on God’s best. That’s why the apostle John encourages us, saying, “Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth” (1 John 3:18). And today, each one of you has the opportunity to respond to a child’s cry, to make a difference in a child’s life, making sure that they have the basic things like food, clothing, healthcare, schooling, and most importantly the opportunity to learn about Jesus Christ.

I wonder if there are any of you that will cry out to God, getting beyond yourself, beyond your own situation, and becoming the hands and feet of Jesus? I know if you do something, it could cost you something, it could require some sacrifice, it’s going to take some of your time, and it’s easier not to care. But for just $38 a month, you can change a child’s life, giving them a start, a beginning, a hope and a future.

Graphics, notes, and commentary from LifeChurch, Ministry Pass, PC Study Bible, Preaching Library, and Sermon Central. Scripture from the New International Version unless otherwise noted.