A Mother's Faith | Pastor Grant Ethridge | Liberty Live Church

We gather on Mother’s Day around a portrait of Sarah that refuses tidy answers. We read Hebrews 11 and Genesis and find a woman whose life moves from barrenness to blessing not because she performed flawlessly but because she trusted a faithful God amid failure. We trace the promise given to Abram and Sarai, the long seasons of waiting, the poor choices made to accelerate God’s timing, and the messy family fallout that followed. We confront infertility, impatience, manipulation, and the pain of divided vision, and we refuse to let those facts cancel God’s promises. We insist that God chooses and uses unlikely people, that faith often grows in the soil of our mistakes, and that even laughter and doubt can be part of the pilgrimage toward trust.

We hold two themes in tension: law and grace. The story of Hagar and Sarah contrasts a religion of performance with a reliance on divine promise. We practice parenting and life with authority, affection, boundaries, and consistency so families reflect both truth and mercy. We also watch God change names and breathe life into the hopeless; Abraham and Sarah receive new identity when God promises nations and then provides Isaac in apparent impossibility. The provision climaxes on Mount Moriah where a ram replaces the son and the scene points forward to the once for all provision of the cross. We learn that God asks for our greatest joys to be offered back as an act of trust, and then provides in ways that rewrite our stories.

We leave insisting on three convictions: God sees our wounds, God is more than enough, and God will provide what we truly need now and for eternity. We will not ground our identity in marital status or parenthood, but in Christ who raises the dead and breathes life into barren places. We will choose trust over self-reliance, stewardship over ownership, and let God finish what He began in us and through our children.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Promises endure beyond our failures We acknowledge that failure does not disqualify a promise. We will not let our poor choices or seasons of doubt erase what God has declared. The narrative of Sarah shows God fulfilling his word despite human sabotage and unbelief, so we hold fast to the promise even when evidence argues otherwise. [02:12]
• 2. Waiting does not cancel God We accept waiting as a spiritual furnace that exposes idols and refines desire. We will refuse quick fixes that substitute human schemes for divine timing because those shortcuts fracture homes and steal future blessing. Patient faith trusts the shape of God’s timetable more than the anxiety of now. [08:06]
• 3. Parent with authority and grace We practice parenting that pairs clear structure with steadfast affection and mercy. We will discipline without demeaning, set boundaries without withdrawing love, and correct without severing relationship because spiritual formation requires both truth and tenderness. This balance models gospel formation more than either harsh legalism or permissive friendliness. [20:09]
• 4. God provides through sacrificial trust We are called to place our dearest hopes on the altar and to believe God will provide what we cannot. We will offer our Isaac and receive the ram, seeing in the Moriah scene the rhythm of surrender followed by provision that points to Christ. Trusting God with what matters most exposes our hearts and opens the door to resurrection care. [31:50]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:24] - Mother's Day Recognition
• [00:53] - Reasons We Gather
• [01:35] - Introducing Sarah: A Mother's Faith
• [02:12] - The Promise Repeated
• [07:11] - The Problem of Hagar
• [11:21] - Consequences and Nations
• [17:15] - Law Versus Grace
• [22:47] - El Shaddai and New Names
• [30:00] - Birth of Isaac: The Provision
• [31:50] - Mount Moriah and Substitution
• [38:25] - Foreshadowing Resurrection
• [39:33] - Closing Call to Trust

1. What was Sarah’s initial circumstance when God’s promise was given, and how did her actions reflect her struggle to trust it? ([03:54])
2. What immediate consequences arose when Abraham and Sarah tried to "help" God fulfill His promise through Hagar? ([07:11])
3. How does the ram in Genesis 22:13-14 directly address Abraham and Isaac’s situation, and what does Abraham declare about God afterward?

1. Why do you think Sarah’s laughter (both in doubt and later in joy) is included in her story, and what does this reveal about faith’s relationship with human imperfection? ([24:12])
2. How does the contrast between Ishmael (born of human effort) and Isaac (born of divine promise) illustrate the difference between relying on works and relying on grace? ([17:15])
3. In Genesis 22, God tests Abraham’s trust by asking him to sacrifice Isaac. Why is this test central to understanding God’s character and His ultimate provision?

1. What “barren” area of your life (a relationship, dream, or struggle) feels impossible right now? How can Sarah’s story encourage you to hold onto God’s promises even when circumstances seem hopeless? ([15:28])
2. Are there areas where you’ve taken control instead of waiting on God’s timing, like Abraham and Sarah did with Hagar? What practical step could you take this week to surrender that situation back to Him? ([08:06])
3. Parenting (or mentoring) requires balancing authority and grace. How can you model both truth and tenderness in your relationships this week, especially when setting boundaries or addressing mistakes? ([20:09])
4. What “Isaac” (a cherished hope, relationship, or goal) do you need to place on the altar of surrender, trusting God to provide what you truly need—even if it looks different than you expect? ([31:50])
5. How can the truth that “God sees” (as Hagar experienced) reshape how you respond to feelings of loneliness, injustice, or being overlooked in your current season? ([14:42])