SERMON: THE EVANGELIST

18 March 2012

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to Matthew 28:18-20

Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV)

18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

            -- turn over to 2 Timothy 4:5

2 Timothy 4:5 (NIV)

5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.

            -- for several years now, I have been fascinated with the story of St. Patrick -- and since yesterday was St. Patrick's day, I thought that this morning would be a good day to share his story with you since most people really don't know anything about the real St. Patrick

            -- St. Patrick has become a man of legend -- the patron saint of Ireland who drove the snakes out of the country and used the three-leaf clover to spread the gospel -- but when you cut through the mists of myth and know the true story of Patrick, you will see why he is so revered by the people of God and of Ireland today

            -- Patrick was born in Britain in the fourth century -- the son of a leader in the local community and church and the grandson of a priest -- this was a time of chaos and decline in Britain as the Roman Empire was beginning to crumble -- the Roman forces had withdrawn from Britain back to Italy to protect the seat of their power, leaving Britain and the other former territories without military support  and vulnerable to attacks from the Picts and the Irish and the other tribes in that area that had previously warred with the native Britons

            -- in the power void left by the Romans, these other tribes began raiding the countryside of Britain -- attacking and pillaging towns and villages and taking young men and women captive for slaves -- it was in such an attack that Patrick was captured and carried to Ireland as a slave when he was just 16 years old

            -- for six years, Patrick served as a shepherd in Ireland -- living as a slave in a pagan land ruled by local chieftains who constantly warred with each other -- it was here Patrick was first introduced to the religion of the Druids, and realized how the Druids kept the nation dominated by requiring strict adherence to their religious practices -- still, Patrick maintained his faith in Christ and spent his time in the countryside praying and reciting scripture  

            -- Patrick wrote in his Confessions that after he had been in Ireland for six years, he heard a voice telling him that he would soon go home -- a few months later, the voice spoke again, saying that his ship was ready -- and Patrick fled from his slave master, made his way to the coast, where he caught a ship back to Britain

            -- while in Britain, Patrick's faith continued to grow and he began to serve in the Catholic church, as his father and grandfather had done -- one day, Patrick had a vision of a group of Irish men crying out to him, "We appeal to you, holy servant boy, to come and walk among us again"

            -- Patrick realized that God was calling him to leave his homeland and to return to Ireland -- to minister to the people who had taken him captive and destroyed his home -- to live the rest of his life in the land where he once had been a slave

            -- Patrick had a choice to make -- he could stay in Britain and serve God in the church there -- ministering to his own people in his own land -- or he could follow the vision and carry the gospel to the pagans of Ireland -- opposing the established Druid religion and sharing the love of Christ with those who had previously enslaved him

            -- to go to Ireland meant sure death -- to go to Ireland meant that he would face persecution and trials and troubles, not only from the chieftains and the Irish people, but especially from the Druids who had enslaved the island with their superstitious religion -- still, Christ bid him to go and tell the Irish about the good news of the cross -- and Patrick went -- facing his fears and the trials ahead -- and carried the light of Christ to a people living in darkness

            -- without a doubt, Patrick's ministry in Ireland was extremely fruitful -- in his Confessions, he says that he baptized thousands of people -- he ordained priests to lead the new Christian communities -- and he founded hundreds of churches throughout Ireland -- almost single-handedly, Patrick led Ireland from pagan superstition to belief in Christianity -- and, because of this, Patrick is revered in Ireland to this very day

           

II.  Evangelism

            -- every time St. Patrick's Day rolls around, I find myself getting convicted of a failing in my life -- you see, when I think of the real story of Patrick, I see a man who was true to his calling -- a man who lived out his faith despite any personal hardship that might result -- a man who went to great lengths to share the love of Christ with a people who were his enemy -- and I realize how I have failed in that regard

            -- in this passage in the Book of Matthew, we have what we call "The Great Commission" -- or, to put it in other words, we have here the mission and the purpose of the church of Christ on earth

            -- this passage occurs after the resurrection -- after Jesus has risen from the dead and gone into Galilee with His disciples -- these are the last recorded words of Jesus in the Bible -- and in these words, Jesus told His disciples, and us, what He expected us to do

            -- look back with me at Matthew 28, starting at verse 19-20a

19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you

            -- the first thing we see in this section is the word, "go" -- that's not a word that is real popular in our churches today -- we're comfortable where we are -- we're comfortable with coming to church on Sunday mornings -- with worshiping God with our voices and hearing a nice comfortable sermon and then going home -- we're comfortable with living out our faith as best we can during the week -- reading the Bible and praying and trying to not sin as much as possible -- but our faith is a very private faith

            -- if you're like me -- and I suspect you are -- then your faith is centered around yourself and your family and your church -- the word that best describes the church in America today is "come"

            -- how many of you remember the Kevin Costner movie, "Field of Dreams?" -- remember the catch-line of that movie? -- "If you build it, he will come" -- well, that's the way we approach Christianity in America today -- if we build a church, then they will come -- if we meet together on a Sunday morning at a regular time and a regular place, then they will come -- if we gather together and call ourselves a church, then those who need Jesus will come and meet us here

            -- but, look around this morning at all the empty chairs -- where are the people? -- why haven't they come?

            -- they haven't come because that is not what the church was told to do -- the church wasn't told to "sit and wait" -- the church was told to "go"

            -- that's the same message that Patrick was given when he was serving in the church in Britain -- he was serving God -- he was doing the things of God -- he was ministering in that place -- but God spoke to him in a vision and told him, "Go," and Patrick went

            -- but, go and do what? -- Jesus told us to "go and make disciples" -- now, what does that mean? -- simply, it means evangelism -- it means telling other people about Jesus -- it means sharing the good news of salvation and the forgiveness of sins to people who need to know Jesus in their lives

            -- I once heard a story about what happened when Jesus went back to Heaven -- He was surrounded by all the angels and they wanted to hear from Him about His experiences on earth -- He told them about the cross and the resurrection and how He had won the victory over sin and death for all humanity

            -- the angels asked Him, "Now what?" -- and Jesus said, "I have left my disciples on earth to tell others about Me and to show them the way" -- the angels responded, "But, what if they don't? -- What is the plan then?" -- Jesus said, "There is no other plan."

            -- there is no other plan -- Jesus' plan for spreading the good news of salvation is dependent on us -- not the church -- not the preachers -- not the missionaries -- but, us -- each and every one of us is responsible for telling others about Christ -- for sharing our testimony and telling them what Jesus has done for us and what He can do for them

            -- notice here that Jesus is not asking us to do this -- He is commanding that we do this -- this is something that He expects -- and this is something that we supposed to do -- as a church and as individual believers

            -- let me ask you this question -- how many of you told someone about Jesus this week? -- I can't say I did -- there I was in Atlanta, surrounded by people who didn't know Jesus -- by people who needed Jesus -- every day I walked past homeless people living on the street -- and I never said a word -- but, before you judge me, let me ask you, "What about you?"

            -- a few years ago, we had a couple of missionaries from Brazil come to our church at Morven to tell us about their ministry -- they had been in Brazil for a couple of years, but only had a handful of converts -- when someone in the church asked why we should be giving these missionaries money if all they had to show for it was just a couple of people brought to Christ, they turned around and quieted the whole congregation by asking, "How many people have you brought to Christ during this same time?"

            -- in 2 Timothy 4:5, Paul tells Timothy, "Do the work of an evangelist" -- that is our calling as well -- we are all called to do the work of an evangelist and to tell others of the hope that we have in Christ because of His death and resurrection

      -- Rick Warren wrote, "As long as you know one person who doesn't know Christ, you must keep praying for them, serving them in love, and sharing the Good News.  As long as there is one person in your community who isn't in the family of God, your church must keep reaching out.  The church that doesn't want to grow is saying to the world, 'You can go to hell.'"

            -- the next thing we see in this command of Christ is that we are to go and make disciples of all nations -- when we read that, we naturally think of people like Patrick -- men and women who are called to a life of mission -- who leave their homes and go to foreign lands to share the gospel

      -- I admire people like that -- I am impressed with their dedication and the faith it takes to go into hostile areas to carry the message of Christ -- but, at the same time, I know that God is not calling all of us to be missionaries in that sense

      -- we are not all called to leave our homes and our families to go overseas -- we are not all called to quit our jobs and go to distant lands -- so, how can we fulfill this mandate to make disciples of all nations?

      -- well, that's easy -- just look around -- there has never been a time in this world when it was so easy to communicate with people from other countries and races and nationalities

      -- right here in Valdosta, we have people from Mexico and Central America and Africa and Korea and other countries right in our midst -- we pass by them every day -- and while we may not be able to speak to them directly because we don't know their language, there are resources and tracts in their language that we could give to them in order to share God's love to them

      -- when we were at Wright's Chapel, we bought Bibles in Spanish to give out to children and youth who were coming to our Vacation Bible School -- how easy would it be for you to get a few of these or a few tracts written in Spanish and to pass these out the next time you are at the store?

      -- also, think about the internet -- I have a blog where I try to put most of my sermons and occasionally some other thoughts on Christian living -- I have a map on there of the world that shows where the people who have visited my site are from -- I looked at it just yesterday, and I was amazed -- I have people from Muslim countries in the middle East and from Africa and from Asia visiting my site -- maybe they only visit once, but they're still getting exposed to the gospel -- and who is to say what impact that is making on the world?

      -- if you share a tract with someone at Walmart and they carry it home to Mexico, how many people have you reached? -- what impact can you make? -- we will never know this side of heaven, but one thing is certain -- if we do nothing, then nothing will ever happen -- if we don't witness in some way -- whether it's to people from distant lands or to our neighbors right here in Valdosta -- then we're keeping people away from Christ

            -- so, why don't people witness? -- why don't we go and make disciples like Jesus told us? -- for most people, it comes down to fear -- we're scared to do it -- we're scared that we don't know enough or we're scared that we might not say the right thing or we're scared about what response we might get

            -- but the one thing we need to keep in mind is that when we share the good news of Christ with another person, we are not doing it alone and we're not doing it in our own strength

            -- look back at verse 18

Matthew 28:18 "Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.""

            -- what does Jesus mean when He says that all authority has been given to Him? -- what is He trying to get across? -- basically, He's telling us that we don't have to fear, because He has the authority and the power to enable us to do what He is calling us to do

            -- remember that we have all been indwelt with the Holy Spirit -- when we go to tell someone about Jesus, we don't have to worry because the Spirit is with us -- the very God of Creation -- the Lord God Almighty -- is right there with us and in us to give us the words to say and the power to speak in His name

            -- in 1 John 4:18 we read that there is no fear in love because perfect love casts out fear -- and in Matthew 10:19, it says that we should not worry about what we will say because it will be given to us in that hour

            -- what these promises from God means is that when you witness to another person, God will take the fear from you -- He will give you peace -- He will give you strength -- and He will give you the words to say that this other person needs to hear at that moment

            -- the final thing to remember is that you can never save anyone -- it is only the Spirit who convicts people of their sin and who leads them to salvation -- the Spirit uses us to tell others about Jesus, but it is the Spirit who is doing the work of salvation

            -- and, if someone rejects the message -- if they refuse to believe and to repent of their sins and turn to Jesus -- it's not you they are rejecting, but Jesus Himself

            -- real quick, I want to share three ways that we can evangelize others and fulfill this commandment of Christ to go and make disciples of all nations:

            -- first, there is direct witness -- that's what we think of when we hear that word evangelism -- this is telling other people about Christ -- not preaching -- just sharing what Jesus has done for you and telling them what Jesus can do for them -- as one person has put it, evangelism is just like one beggar telling another beggar where they could find a piece of bread -- in this case, it is one sinner telling another sinner where they can find forgiveness and hope and love

            -- second, there is lifestyle evangelism -- showing God's love to others through your life and through your actions -- I think a great way to illustrate this is through the life of St. Francis of Assissi

            -- One day St. Francis of Assissi said to one of the young monks in the monastery, "Let us go down to the town and preach!"

-- The novice, delighted at being singled out to be the companion of Francis, obeyed with great enthusiasm -- they passed through the main streets, turned down many of the byways and alleys, made their way into the suburbs, and at great length, returned to the monastery gate

-- As they approached the gate, the younger man reminded Francis of his original intention -- "You have forgotten, Father, that we went to the town TO PREACH!"

-- "My son, " Francis replied, "We HAVE preached. We were preaching while we were walking -- we have been seen by many -- our behavior has been closely watched -- it was thus that we have preached our morning sermon -- It is of no use, my son, to walk anywhere to preach unless we preach everywhere as we walk."

      -- St. Francis wrote, "preach the gospel everyday -- use words if necessary"

      -- lifestyle evangelism and the change in a person's life after they come to Christ draws people to Jesus and the cross -- eventually, you will have to use words to tell them why you live the way you live -- to explain the change that has happened -- but it all begins with sharing Christ through you daily life

      -- the third way is through servant evangelism -- this is through intentionally reaching out to other people and serving them as a means to share the gospel of Christ -- giving out bottles of water -- washing people's car windows -- giving out the candy at the Christmas parade -- all of these are ways to share the gospel in a tangible, non-threatening way

      -- servant evangelism is really putting your faith into action -- it is ministry in action

      -- once again, you will eventually need to use words to explain why you doing what you are doing -- but people will be drawn to Christ when they see His love through your servanthood

      -- I am a big fan of servant evangelism -- that's where my heart is -- that's my love language, to borrow the concept from Gary Chapman's book, "The Five Love Languages" -- that's how I receive and give love, so naturally, that's where I turn in my ministry and where I find my greatest joy

      -- this is my favorite way to share the gospel -- for you, it may be an entirely different way -- God made us all different and He calls for us to share the gospel and to go and make disciples of all nations in a way that fits us

      -- the important thing is not HOW we do it -- but THAT we do it

III.  Closing

            -- I want to close by showing you a video -- I promise, I'm not going to do this every week, but I wanted you to see this because I've got a point to make as I close that you can glean from this commercial

            -- just like this dog, we all are born with a purpose -- God has given us a mission to go and make disciples of all nations -- it's in our heart -- you know it -- you can feel it

            -- something may be keeping you from living it out in your life -- and we need to do like this dog and make whatever changes we need to in our lives and in our spiritual lives so that we can start fulfilling this calling of God

            -- this dog didn't lose weight overnight -- it took time and it took effort -- learning to evangelize takes time and effort -- some people are born evangelists -- some people are Type A personalities and have never met anyone they can't talk to -- some people have been given evangelism as a spiritual gift

            -- but most of us are not born evangelists -- it's not who we are -- it's not something that we are comfortable with -- but it's something that Christ has called us to do and has empowered us to

            -- evangelism is a skill, just like any other skill -- you can learn how to do it because Christ promises us He will enable us to go and make disciples -- the key is beginning -- the key is taking the first few faltering steps in faith and trusting that God is going to give you the words that you need in order to share your life with another person

            -- there are many resources on the internet and many books in Christian bookstores on evangelism -- both lifestyle evangelism and servant evangelism and how to witness and share your faith

            -- tonight, I'm going to be going over a couple of different ways of evangelism -- and I want to invite you to come out to learn more about it

            -- the point is that we are called to do the work of an evangelist -- we are called to go and make disciples and spread the good news of Christ to this world -- we are called to be the body of Christ in this place

            -- will you obey this command of Christ? -- will you fulfill this calling in your life?

            -- let us pray

OPEN LETTER TO AN AETHISTIC RELIGIOUS KNOW-IT-ALL

Dear Sir,

We shared a table together at the banquet last Wednesday night. As I was engaged in a conversation to my left, I noticed the use of the name, "Jesus," repeatedly coming from across the table. For some unknown reason, you were using this venue to spread your vitriolic attack on the person of Christ and His church. Unfortunately, I was unable to give your discussion (monologue) any real attention because of the conversation that I was already involved in and because my wife was squeezing my hand to the point of pain, soundlessly warning me not to get involved.

As best I could understand, you were making the point that Christianity was not a real religion because it had no real ideas of its own. You started with the all-too worn idea that every single Christian holiday was actually co-opted from other religions. The date of Christ's birth, for example, was not really on 25 December, but was in March. The reason the church celebrates it in December is because they stole an existing holiday from another religion to subvert these people and force them to follow a false god. And that was only the start.

The real crux of your argument was that Jesus was not real. In fact, you made the point of telling everyone that Jesus wasn't even really His name. It was Joshua ben Joseph since Jesus is the Greek version of Joshua. How foolish, you said, that all these people hold the name of Jesus in high honor when that wasn't even really His name. [Here's one place where I wish I would have been able to respond. Sure, we know that Jesus is not the Hebrew name for our Savior. But Joshua wasn't either. To be technically accurate, we should call Him "Yeshua." But, does this matter? No body ever screamed out at the Oscars, "Wait, John Wayne is not his real name! It is Marion!"]

The next point that you went on about was that the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus was all "stolen" from the Egyptian Osiris myths. Thousands of years before Joshua ben Joseph was even born, you said, people believed in a god called Osiris who was crucified and who died and who was resurrected. This discussion went on for a while, but I couldn't hear all of it. I did hear the end, though, when you said, "This shows that all the stories about Jesus aren't real. They were just copied from another religion." [Note to readers: All the while, my wife had a death-grip on me to prevent a scene in the middle of a banquet of peers. If I had been able to respond, I probably wouldn't have been permitted to.]

So, since I couldn't respond to you at the moment, and since I have to admit that my best responses are always formulated after-the-fact anyway, here's what I wish I could have shared with you that night:

Sir, I find everything that you have said fascinating. I'm not sure what spiritual beliefs you hold, since you have spent this entire time expressing doubt and undue crticism to one particular religious group without offering any alternative of your own. But, if I may, can I share what I believe?

I believe in change. Not the change that President Obama proclaimed in 2008, but the change I see in the lives of other people. I may not be a scholar and intellectual giant as you are. I certainly haven't studied the myths of Osiris or the other co-opted beliefs of Christianity. But, I have seen change, and this is what I believe in.

I have seen change in the life of a girl who was extremely promiscuous and who drank to excess. Every weekend found her in a different bed. Every night was another bout with alcohol. It was party after party after party with no direction and no meaning in her life. But then she found Jesus, and her life changed. She no longer lives to party but lives for Him. She no longer offers her body to be used by others, but offers her body in service to Him, reaching out to the homeless and the sick and the elderly to show them love. She no longer allows alcohol to rule her life, but allows the Spirit to fill her daily. I saw the difference in her eyes when she came up out of the river I baptized her in. I saw the difference in her life and the way she has continued to live for Jesus. A life changed. Drastically, totally, and completely changed. Not because she believed in a myth stolen from another religion or based her religion on what she was told. But changed because of Who she met one night two years ago.

Or what about this man who was rejected by his parents. Who was told that by both of them that they didn't love him. Who was beaten by his father to "make him tough." Who all his life was rejected by those around him and told that he was worthless and a waste of time. This man quit school because a principal told him that he was just wasting his time and would never graduate and was probably going to go to jail anyway. This man who was thrown out of his father's house and who was rejected by his whole family. This man who was lost and alone. But, then, he found Jesus, and his life changed. Rather than being told that he was worthless and unloveable, he found love in the eyes of One who told him that he was worth dying for. He found love in a church family who supported him and told him that he was worthy, that he was important, that his life could have meaning. I watched as this young man found a good job, married his girlfriend, and is trying to make a life for her and his young daughter. I see the change in his bearing, in his appearance, in his character. This man's life changed because he found Someone who loved him just for who he was.

Now, sir, you can try to tell me that Jesus is not my Savior's name. You can try to prove to me with a scholar's learning that Christianity stole the legend of Osiris and applied it to Jesus. You can try to impress me with your criticism of the Bible and prove to me that it is wrong. But, you can't argue the change. You can't argue the fact that this Jesus who you say never existed has changed the lives of many, many people I know, myself included. You can't argue the fact that we, like the Apostle John in 1 John 1 says, are eyewitnesses of this fact. We know Jesus is real because we have touched Him, heard Him, talked with Him, lived with Him, and been loved by Him.

So, take that, you pompous and arrogant religious know-it-all, and please pass the salt.

SERMON: REDEEMING RUTH: GLEANING THE GRACE OF GOD

28 August 2011

I. Introduction -- turn in Bibles to Ruth 1:19-22

19 So the two women went on until they came to Bethlehem. When they arrived in Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them, and the women exclaimed, “Can this be Naomi?”

20 “Don’t call me Naomi,” she told them. “Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter. 21 I went away full, but the LORD has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The LORD has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me.”

22 So Naomi returned from Moab accompanied by Ruth the Moabite, her daughter-in-law, arriving in Bethlehem as the barley harvest was beginning.

-- one thing that I have learned in life is that not all days are equal -- some days are just really, really good -- you wake up and the sun is shining and the birds are singing and you just know that it's going to be a good day
-- but then there are those mornings when you wake up and you have to drag yourself out of bed -- you feel like death warmed over and you really don't feel like going to work or school because you just know that this is going to be one of those days -- you just know that today is going to be bad
-- so, how do you know if you're having bad day or not? -- well, if you're not sure, I actually found a list on the internet that can help you determine if your day is going bad or not -- let me share a few of these with you
-- You've been at work for three hours before you find out that your zipper is undone
-- You're so tired, you have to sit down to brush your teeth in the morning.
-- Your income tax refund check bounces.
-- It costs more to fill up your car than it did to buy it.
-- The bird singing outside your window is a vulture.
-- You wake up and your braces are stuck together.
-- You put both contacts into the same eye.
-- Your doctor tells you that you're allergic to chocolate.
-- You have to borrow from your Visa card to pay your Mastercard.
-- and I really like this last one -- you get to work and there's no coffee because the county health inspector has condemned your office coffee bar and closed it down pending test results

-- sometimes that's the way things go -- and sometimes, it's not just a bad day, but a series of bad days or bad weeks or even bad years
-- that's how it was with Naomi

-- if you remember where we left off last week in our story of Naomi and Ruth, Naomi has been having a series of bad days
-- she and her husband Elimelech had moved off to Moab with their two sons because of the famine in Israel -- and soon after they got there, not only did Elimelech die, but both of her sons passed away
-- and, there she was, widowed and penniless -- left in a foreign land to care for herself and her two widowed daughters-in-law -- she decided to go home to Bethlehem, if for no other reason than just to die in the place where she was born
-- one daughter-in-law went home to her family, but Ruth stayed with Naomi as they made the journey back from Moab across the Jordan River to Israel once again
-- as they made their way back into town, the women flocked around Naomi to welcome her home and to hear about what had happened in the time she had been gone -- "Don't call me Naomi -- Don't call me "pleasant" any longer," she said, "for God has afflicted me -- call me Mara -- "bitter" for that is what I am"
-- there's no doubt about it -- Naomi's having a bad day

II. Gleaning the Grace of God
-- so, let's continue our series in Ruth by looking at Chapter 2 -- look with me, if you would, at verse 1-3

1 Now Naomi had a relative on her husband’s side, a man of standing from the clan of Elimelek, whose name was Boaz.
2 And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go to the fields and pick up the leftover grain behind anyone in whose eyes I find favor.”

Naomi said to her, “Go ahead, my daughter.” 3 So she went out, entered a field and began to glean behind the harvesters. As it turned out, she was working in a field belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelek.

-- as Chapter 2 opens, we find Naomi and Ruth back in Bethlehem with no means of support -- they had no husband or and no sons to protect them or to provide for them -- they had no close kin who would help take care of them -- they were basically homeless and reduced to living on the charity of those around them
-- what do you do when you find yourself in this condition? -- what do you do when the bottom drops out and the economy fails and you lose your job and you're left with nothing?
-- you do what you have to do to survive -- as Dave Ramsey, the Christian financial talk show host advises -- when you find yourself in a situation like this -- overcome by debt with without enough income to pay your bills, you focus on what's important -- you put your time and your money into providing the things you need to survive -- food, shelter, and clothing -- and you leave the rest alone until you are able to take care of your basic needs

-- well, that's exactly what we see going on in these verses -- Naomi and Ruth's focus is on food -- they know they have to have food to survive, and without a husband or a son to provide for them, their only hope is in the grace of God
-- as Jerry Bridges put it: "Our worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God’s grace. And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God’s grace."
-- God had already made provision in His law for the widows and the poor and the destitute -- in Leviticus 19:9-10, we read this command, “When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God.”
-- the Bible tells us that God's mercies are new every morning, and that His grace always precedes our needs -- before Naomi and Ruth had ever been born -- before they ever suffered heartache and loss and misery -- before they ever wandered back into Bethlehem as widows in need of food, God had already made a way for them to get by
-- we call this command of God "gleaning" -- the farmers allowing people in need to go into their field to salvage the remnants of the harvest -- to gather the part of the harvest that is dropped or left behind or that is thrown away by the farmer as not usable
-- gleaning is a practice that is not very common today, but it used to be very common -- during the depression, as people struggled to find enough food to eat, farmers would allow strangers into their fields to pick up the culls and the part of the harvest that was missed
-- today, with our clean farming practices and our mechanized harvest, there's not a lot left to glean in the fields, and very few people are doing so -- however, this biblical practice has been gaining a lot of attention in recent years, especially as the economy has turned south
-- there is an organization called the St. Andrews Society with a regional office in Tifton that I tried to get our churches to help with in the past -- this group finds local farmers who are willing to allow people to glean in their fields and they get volunteers to go out and pick up the culls and the vegetables and fruit that are left over to give to the local food bank or to give away directly to people in need
-- this might be something for us to consider being involved with or maybe something that we could pass on to the 4-H club as a community service project
-- regardless, this is what we see Ruth proposing here in the start of Chapter 2

-- now, there's one thing I want to point out to you that you might have missed in these verses -- look back at verse 2

2 And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go to the fields and pick up the leftover grain behind anyone in whose eyes I find favor.” Naomi said to her, “Go ahead, my daughter.”

-- according to God's law, it was the responsibility of Naomi as the mother-in-law to provide for her widowed daughter-in-law's needs -- but who is it that comes up with the idea of gleaning? -- who is it that comes up with the idea of doing what they can to survive? -- it's Ruth
-- you see, Naomi has checked out -- she's given up -- she's given up on life -- she's given up on God -- her faith is gone -- her hope is gone -- and she's quit
-- but, as we saw last week in Ruth's declaration of faith and trust in God, Ruth believes -- in spite of everything that they have been through -- in spite of their hard situation -- in spite of their desperate situation -- Ruth hasn't given up -- she still has hope and she still trusts in the grace of God

-- this begs the question -- what do we do when we're having a really, really bad day like Ruth and Naomi?
-- do we shake our fist at God and turn our back on Him as Naomi did or do we trust in God's grace and goodness and love in the midst of the trial as Ruth did?

-- when Ruth surrendered her will to God -- when she surrendered her very life to Him by following Naomi to Israel despite the fact that she would be entering a hopeless situation -- she opened herself to an outpouring of the grace of God
-- the hardest thing to do when you're going through a really, really bad day or a series of really, really bad days is to count it all joy as James tells us in his epistle and trust that God will walk with us and use our trials to deepen our relationship with Him
-- Ruth trusted God and the fields were opened to gleaning by His grace

-- but that wasn't the end of God's grace in the life of Ruth and Naomi -- as we read in these verses, the field that God sent Ruth to glean in belonged to Boaz -- a relative of Elimelech, Ruth's father-in-law, and a kinsman who was bound by the law to help both Naomi and Ruth in their time of need
-- Boaz notices Ruth in the field gleaning with the other women -- she catches his attention -- probably not only because she is stranger in the land -- not only because her kindness towards Naomi had been noticed -- but because God's grace was beginning to stir Boaz's heart towards Ruth
-- look at what he does -- skip over to verse 8-14

8 So Boaz said to Ruth, “My daughter, listen to me. Don’t go and glean in another field and don’t go away from here. Stay here with the women who work for me. 9 Watch the field where the men are harvesting, and follow along after the women. I have told the men not to lay a hand on you. And whenever you are thirsty, go and get a drink from the water jars the men have filled.”

10 At this, she bowed down with her face to the ground. She asked him, “Why have I found such favor in your eyes that you notice me—a foreigner?”

11 Boaz replied, “I’ve been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband—how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before. 12 May the LORD repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.”

13 “May I continue to find favor in your eyes, my lord,” she said. “You have put me at ease by speaking kindly to your servant—though I do not have the standing of one of your servants.”

14 At mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come over here. Have some bread and dip it in the wine vinegar.” When she sat down with the harvesters, he offered her some roasted grain. She ate all she wanted and had some left over.


-- gleaning in this time was mostly done by women because men in that day would have had their own fields to work or would have been bonded out to help others gather the harvest
-- in addition to the women who came to glean the fields because they were widowed or poor or destitute, the landowner would have handmaidens who would work for them by gleaning in the fields to increase the harvest of the farmer
-- in exchange for their work, they would be allowed to keep part of the harvest they gleaned and would be able to drink from the water provided by the farmer instead of having to bring their own to the field -- in addition, they would receive protection from the landowner from those who might try to hurt them or exploit them
-- so, in essence, when Boaz invites Ruth to stay with his servant girls and glean in his fields alone, and then invites her to share his meal, he is putting her under his protection -- he is offering her the position of handmaiden -- as Ruth puts it in verse 13, Boaz is giving her the standing of one of his servant girls

-- skip over to verse 19, and we'll end there -- verses 19-23

19 Her mother-in-law asked her, “Where did you glean today? Where did you work? Blessed be the man who took notice of you!”

Then Ruth told her mother-in-law about the one at whose place she had been working. “The name of the man I worked with today is Boaz,” she said.

20 “The LORD bless him!” Naomi said to her daughter-in-law. “He has not stopped showing his kindness to the living and the dead.” She added, “That man is our close relative; he is one of our guardian-redeemers.[a]”

21 Then Ruth the Moabite said, “He even said to me, ‘Stay with my workers until they finish harvesting all my grain.’”

22 Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law, “It will be good for you, my daughter, to go with the women who work for him, because in someone else’s field you might be harmed.”

23 So Ruth stayed close to the women of Boaz to glean until the barley and wheat harvests were finished. And she lived with her mother-in-law.


-- when Ruth came back with almost an ephah -- almost 3/5 of a bushel of grain -- Naomi was astounded -- she asked Ruth how this happened, and Ruth starts to explain here in these verses
-- you know, there's an old hymn that we used to sing in our church when I was growing up called, "Count Your Many Blessings" -- it says in that song, "Count your many blessings, name them one by one" -- and that's what Ruth does
-- but as Ruth counts the blessings of that day and she tells Naomi everything that has occurred, from the graciousness of Boaz to the position that she had been offered as one of his handmaidens -- she doesn't realize the greatest blessing and grace of all -- but Naomi does
-- in verse 20, Naomi exclaims, "The Lord bless him" -- and tells Ruth that Boaz is not just a farmer whose fields she happened to stumble into on that fateful day -- but that Boaz was a close relative -- a kinsman-redeemer
-- the role of a kinsman-redeemer was laid out in God's law, primarily in the Book of Leviticus -- a kinsman-redeemer was a male relative who had the responsibility to act for a relative or their family who was in trouble or danger or in need of redemption
-- we talked last week about the law that required a brother to marry his widowed sister-in-law to allow her to bear sons to continue the family name and to make sure that his home and his land did not leave the family
-- when there was no brother to marry a widow, the nearest relative would assume this role and would provide for the family and take care of them in their need -- if land had been sold, then this relative, as kinsman-redeemer, would be obligated to buy back the property and give it back to the relative who had sold it at his own expense
-- If the nearest relative refused to accept the role of kinsman-redeemer, then the next closest kin would take on the role of the redeemer
-- however, there was a catch -- the kinsman-redeemer couldn’t make the decision to redeem on his own -- he had to be asked by the widow to help her -- and we'll see how all of that plays out next week as we turn to Ruth Chapter 3


III. Closing
-- Brian Doerksen is a familiar name to people who listen to contemporary Christian music -- he is a worship leader -- a song writer -- a gifted musician -- but even someone who serves God fulltime is not exempt from suffering
-- Brian's son, Isaiah, suffers from fragile X syndrome, a genetic condition which results in physical, intellectual, emotional, and behavioral limitations -- In his book "Make Love, Make War," Brian reflects on the day he and his wife first received medical confirmation of Isaiah's condition -- In the midst of his heartache, as Brian considered turning away from worship ministry altogether, God taught Brian a lesson that instead carried him further into his ministry:

-- her writes, "[After receiving the test results], I stumbled around our property weeping, confused, heartbroken -- At one point I lifted my voice to heaven and handed in my resignation: "God, I am through being a worship leader and songwriter …"
-- When I was able to be quiet enough to hear, I sensed God holding out his hand and inviting me: "Will you trust me?" -- Will you go even with your broken heart—for who will relate to my people who are heartbroken if not those like you who are acquainted with disappointment?"
-- Reflecting further on this word from God, Brian writes:
-- "I used to think people were most blessed by our great victories -- But now I know differently -- People are just longing to hear [others] speak of how they have walked through the deepest valleys -- The world lifts up the victorious and the successful, but God lifts up the brokenhearted."

-- Naomi and Ruth walked into Bethlehem in Chapter 1 as brokenhearted women going through a trial of enormous pain and suffering -- but God was faithful, and in response to Ruth's faith and her trust in Him, He began to pour out blessings on her and Naomi that were too numerous to count

-- even though we are not finished with the story of Ruth, there's a lesson that we can learn from her example in this chapter when we, too, are walking through trials of pain and suffering in our own lives

-- first, instead of shaking our fist at God and asking, "Why?" -- turn to God in these times and ask, "What? -- What are you trying to teach me? -- What are doing in my life? -- How are you going to turn this trial into good so that you will receive the glory?" -- remember the promise that we read in Romans 8:28-29, "and we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose"

-- next, trust God -- trust His providence -- trust His grace and His mercy and His love -- Proverbs 3:5-6 say, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways, acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight" -- as Ruth learned on that day she first headed out to find a field to glean in, if you trust God with all your heart, He will lead you on the path of grace

-- finally, take refuge under the wings of God's grace -- ask God for His help -- let Him know what your need is and trust that He will meet it -- in Hebrews 4:16 we read, "Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need"

-- Joanie Yoder is a Christian writer who found herself facing a struggle with cancer in her life -- in the midst of her ordeal, she wrote, "I have relinquished my destiny to God's will -- nothing, praise God, not even cancer, can thwart His will -- I may have cancer, but cancer doesn't have me -- God alone has me"
-- that is the same mind-set that Ruth had in this chapter, and this is the same mind-set that we must have if we are to go and grow with God
-- no trial -- no struggle -- no problem -- no bad day -- owns us -- only God owns us, and if we trust in Him, His word tells us that we will overcome the world, just as Ruth is doing in this passage

-- so, let's close in prayer, and next week, we'll pick back up with the story of Ruth in Ruth Chapter 3
-- let's pray

SERMON: REDEEMING RUTH: THE INTRODUCTION

21 August 2011

I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Ruth 1:1-5

1 In the days when the judges ruled,[a] there was a famine in the land. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of Moab. 2 The man’s name was Elimelek, his wife’s name was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to Moab and lived there.

3 Now Elimelek, Naomi’s husband, died, and she was left with her two sons. 4 They married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth. After they had lived there about ten years, 5 both Mahlon and Kilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband.


-- well, I have shared with you all before that I am something of a movie geek -- I really enjoy going to the movies -- watching movies on TV and on DVD are okay, but my most favorite form of entertainment is going out and watching a movie on a big screen in a crowded theater -- there's just something special about seeing a movie with a crowd of other people, as you experience together the drama and the excitement and the emotion of the story
-- but even though you know this about me, I think there's one thing I haven't told you and I want to confess this to you today -- my most favorite type of movie in the entire world are chick flicks -- romantic comedies -- those sappy stories where boy meets girl, boy loses girl, and then they end up together as the credits roll
-- now, don't get me wrong -- I like guy movies, too -- I can enjoy Gladiator and Braveheart and Robin Hood just as much as the next guy -- but I guess I'm just a romantic at heart -- I really enjoy the classic romance stories like Casablanca and the romantic comedies you see the theaters today

-- that's one reason why I love the Book of Ruth so much -- it's not really a story that you'd think a guy would like -- when I have been to men's events like Promise Keepers, you don't hear them preach much from the Book of Ruth -- you hear about David and Goliath -- you hear about Gideon taking on the Midianites -- you hear about Moses standing before Pharaoh and saying, "God says, 'let My people go'"
--and while we need those stories of men and women standing up for their God despite overwhelming odds, we also need stories like the one given in the Book of Ruth, because, if you think about it, Christianity is all about relationship -- and what better way to typify the relationship between Christ and us than a romantic story like the one given in the Book of Ruth
-- if you think about it, doesn't our relationship with Christ sound just like a classic romance? -- Man meets God -- Man loses God -- Man is restored to God and is joined to Him in marriage at the end of time

-- as I mentioned in the announcements, we're going to be starting in the Book of Ruth in our Wednesday night Bible studies -- so, I thought it would be nice to have a sermon series that paralleled the Bible study -- we certainly can't go into the depth that we'll go into on Wednesday nights, but we can hit the high points and walk together through this wonderful book over the next several weeks -- so, today I wanted to kick off a new sermon series that I have called, "Redeeming Ruth" by introducing this book and its main characters to you

II. The Theme and Setting of Ruth
-- I read one time that when Benjamin Franklin was the Ambassador to France, he occasionally attended a gathering called, "The Infidels Club" -- this was a group that spent most of its time reading and discussing literary masterpieces together -- on one occasion Franklin read the book of Ruth to the club, but he changed the names in it so it would not be recognized as a book of the Bible -- When he finished, the listeners were unanimous in their praise -- They said it was one of the most beautiful short stories that they had ever heard, and demanded that he tell them where he had run across such a remarkable work of art -- you can imagine their surprise when he told them that it came from the Bible

-- without a doubt, the story of Ruth is one of those classic love stories -- a real "Gone with the Wind" type epic -- the story of a love blossoming in the midst of tragedy and of a relationship rising from the ashes of fate -- it is the story of a young widow who is swept off her feet by the man of her dreams, who redeems her and her mother-in-law from a life of poverty and misery and gives them a hope and a future that they never imagined possible

-- before we get started in earnest, let me give you the context and the setting of this book -- if you would, look back at verse 1

1 In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land.


-- this writer tells us that this story is set "in the days when judges ruled" -- that dark period of time when Israel was living in the Promised Land but kept forgetting God
-- that happens, doesn't it, in times of plenty? -- when things are going well -- when we're going through life and everything is going good, we tend to forget God -- maybe forget is too strong a word -- how about, we tend to neglect God -- we're getting by okay on our own -- we don't have any major crises going on -- and whatever comes up, we're able to handle -- we don't really need God -- we know He's there -- kind of like a spare tire in the trunk -- we'll pull Him out if we get a flat, but right now we're just cruising through life without a care in the world
-- that's kind of what was going on in the Book of Judges -- the Israelites have entered the Promised Land and the generation who knew God in the wilderness has passed on -- the people who are left don't know what it is like to suffer -- to know want -- to be living in desperate situations and having to depend on God for their very lives -- all they've known is plenty -- and all they've experienced is wealth and prosperity -- and so God's just not that important
-- they start enjoying life and looking for worldly entertainment and before long, they started following the examples of the pagan nations who were already living in the Promised Land when they go there -- they even started worshiping idols -- and finally, God's patience would wear thin and He would respond by sending trouble and calamity to Israel -- an enemy or a plague or something that would get their attention and cause the Israelites to turn to Him for help -- and when they turned back to Him and cried out for help, God would raise up a deliverer or judge who would rescue them from their enemies and lead them back to a right relationship with Him again
-- the key verse that kind of sums this all up is Judges 21:25, "In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit"
-- this is the setting for the book of Ruth -- we read here at the start of this book that there was a famine in the land -- and knowing what we do about this time period, we can assume that the people have strayed away from God once again -- and He has allowed a famine to stalk the land to force the people to turn to Him once again

-- look back at verse 1

1 In the days when the judges ruled,[a] there was a famine in the land. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of Moab. 2 The man’s name was Elimelek, his wife’s name was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to Moab and lived there.

-- here we are introduced to the main characters in the Book of Ruth -- the family of Elimelech and Naomi -- they lived in Bethlehem during the dark age of the judges
-- this famine that God had sent had evidently been going on for a long time -- it was starting to affect the lives of the people -- there just wasn't enough food to go around -- and conditions were getting desperate
-- Elimelech's name literally means, "My God is King" -- but rather than call on the name of God -- rather than ask God for deliverance -- Elimelech moved his family to the land of Moab
-- Moab was a land of rich soil and adequate rainfall -- it lay east of the Jordan River, so this family would have traveled north to Jerusalem and then crossed the Jordan River at the fords by Jericho -- it was a journey of about 100 miles, and probably would have taken them a week or two to move their whole household to the land
-- one thing you need to know about Moab -- God hated Moab -- Moab was Israel's most bitter enemy -- when Israel was wandering in the wilderness, Moab refused to help them and even sent Balaam to curse them and lead them into sin by enticing them with idol worship and sexual immorality -- in Deuteronomy 23:6, God tells the nation of Israel to never seek a treaty of friendship with them as long as they lived
-- this is where Elimelech chooses to move his family, even though this would have been in direct violation of God's word -- remember what I told you was the key verse for the people living in the day of the judges? -- "everyone did as he saw fit"
-- Elimelech sought to avoid the wrath of God by moving away, but, as we will see, it didn't work -- when God removes His hand of protection from our lives and allows us to suffer the full consequence of our sin, He does so for a reason -- He does this to bring us to the point of our need and to lead us back into a relationship with Him
-- Elimelech could not escape what God was trying to do in his life and in the nation of Israel by fleeing to Moab -- even though his name meant, "God is King," Elimelech thought he could king in his own life, and he lived without faith or trust in the God of Israel

-- verse 3

3 Now Elimelek, Naomi’s husband, died, and she was left with her two sons. 4 They married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth. After they had lived there about ten years, 5 both Mahlon and Kilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband.

-- shortly after the family arrived in Moab, Elimelech died -- leaving Naomi a widow with two sons to raise -- this was probably harder for Naomi than you might realize -- her son's names indicate that they were sick and weak -- Mahlon means "unhealthy" -- and Kilion means "weak" or "puny" -- in all likelihood, they were unable to work and to help provide for their family as they should
-- this is probably one reason why Naomi arranged marriages for them with Orpah and Ruth, both Moabite women, even though it was expressly forbidden in God's law for Israelites to marry women from pagan nations -- Naomi probably thought it was her only hope -- in her mind, these marriages would have been a way to secure wealth for the family through the marriage dowry and to gain position in the Moabite society by marrying into Moabite families
-- but just 10 years later, both Mahlon and Kilion died, leaving Naomi completely alone except for her two widowed daughters-in-law -- it was a bad thing to be a widow in that day and age -- "Widows in the ancient world had no social status and no economic means to survive -- This would especially be true for Naomi, since she was an Israelite living in a foreign country"1 -- with no means of support -- with no husband or sons to protect them or to provide for them, Naomi, Orpah, and Ruth were basically homeless and reduced to living on the charity of those around them

-- verse 6-14

6 When Naomi heard in Moab that the LORD had come to the aid of his people by providing food for them, she and her daughters-in-law prepared to return home from there. 7 With her two daughters-in-law she left the place where she had been living and set out on the road that would take them back to the land of Judah.
8 Then Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go back, each of you, to your mother’s home. May the LORD show you kindness, as you have shown kindness to your dead husbands and to me. 9 May the LORD grant that each of you will find rest in the home of another husband.”

Then she kissed them goodbye and they wept aloud 10 and said to her, “We will go back with you to your people.”

11 But Naomi said, “Return home, my daughters. Why would you come with me? Am I going to have any more sons, who could become your husbands? 12 Return home, my daughters; I am too old to have another husband. Even if I thought there was still hope for me—even if I had a husband tonight and then gave birth to sons— 13 would you wait until they grew up? Would you remain unmarried for them? No, my daughters. It is more bitter for me than for you, because the LORD’s hand has turned against me!”

14 At this they wept aloud again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth clung to her.

-- when Naomi got word that Israel had returned to God and that the famine was over and the people had food again, she made plans to go back to the land of her birth -- Naomi, Orpah, and Ruth got everything ready and started on the road to Israel, but before they got very far, Naomi stopped and told Orpah and Ruth to go back
-- by law and custom, Orpah and Ruth were bound to Naomi's family, even though their husbands were dead -- in fact, according to Levirite law, when a man died, the nearest of his kin was to marry the widow so that any children they produced would be the heirs of her first husband -- it was a way of continuing the family line through what the Bible calls a "kinsman redeemer"
-- but, as they headed towards Israel, Naomi realized that she had no kin who could redeem her son's lines -- traditionally, the kinsman redeemer would be a brother to the deceased -- but Naomi knew that she was too old to have any other children and that Orpah and Ruth were too old to wait for children to grow up to be adults
-- also, because they were Moabites, no close kin left in Israel would be willing to marry them -- so, their journey to Israel would be the end of the line -- they would be returning as widows without hope for the future
-- because of this, Naomi urged Orpah and Ruth to go home -- to go back to Moab where they would have a chance to remarry and have a better life
-- Orpah understood and went back to her family -- but Ruth refused to go

-- verse 15-18

15 “Look,” said Naomi, “your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back with her.”

16 But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. 17 Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.” 18 When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her.

-- here we see, in Ruth's words, one of the great promises in Scripture -- we see Ruth making several statements of faith and promise as a covenant to Naomi -- telling her that she would never leave her but would go with her to the land of Israel, come what may
-- Why would she do that? -- knowing that she had little to no chance of being married again -- knowing that she probably faced a lifetime of poverty and discrimination in a foreign land -- why would she agree to do this?
-- it all comes down to faith -- even though Ruth had been born a pagan -- even though she had spent her life worshiping the gods of Moab and living in the culture of that land -- she had come to believe in the God of Israel
-- Elimelech and Naomi had fled Israel because of a lack of faith -- because they didn't trust God and had neglected Him in their lives -- but, in their heart of hearts, they still believed -- they still were part of God's chosen people -- and that remnant of faith that they carried with them to the land of Moab affected Ruth -- when you read this passage, you realize that Ruth came to know and trust in the one true God
-- and, so she refuses to go back to Moab because her heart is just not there any longer -- not only is she loyal to Naomi, but she's loyal to the God that she now follows -- so she binds herself to Naomi with these words:

-- "Where you go, I will go -- Where you stay, I will stay" -- in other words, Ruth was going to identify herself with Naomi -- she was going to live with her no matter what her condition -- in sickness and in health -- in poverty and in wealth -- she wasn't just using Naomi as a passport to the Promised Land, but was pledging to stay with her and support her and live with her forever

-- "Your people will be my people" -- Ruth was saying that she was forsaking her people, their customs and their ways -- she was going to become an Israelite and live as them -- she was going to follow Naomi's example and live like Naomi -- Ruth wasn't going to be like someone who comes to a place and spends all their time telling you how they used to do it at home -- she's going to be part of the family

"Your God will be my God" -- with that promise, Ruth rejected her people's false God -- she proclaimed her faith and trust in the one true God of Israel

-- "Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried -- nothing but death will separate you from me" -- with these words, Ruth promised to stay with Naomi forever -- this wasn't a passing fancy -- this wasn't just something Ruth was doing until things got better -- this was for ever -- Ruth was going to stay with Naomi and be part of her family for eternity -- she would live in the land and die in the land -- she would be buried there and would look for her salvation and resurrection through the God of Israel
-- to put it in poker terms, Ruth has gone all in -- she's laid everything on the table -- and together, Ruth and Naomi make the trek back to Bethlehem

-- verse 19-22

19 So the two women went on until they came to Bethlehem. When they arrived in Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them, and the women exclaimed, “Can this be Naomi?”

20 “Don’t call me Naomi,” she told them. “Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter. 21 I went away full, but the LORD has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The LORD has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me.”

22 So Naomi returned from Moab accompanied by Ruth the Moabite, her daughter-in-law, arriving in Bethlehem as the barley harvest was beginning.
-- the people could hardly believe it when they looked up and saw Naomi walking down the road -- Bethlehem was not a big town -- it was a small village, and you know how things spread in small villages -- when the news got out that Naomi was home, the women came running to hear the story
-- Naomi's name meant "pleasant," but her life has been anything but pleasant -- she has suffered through the famine -- through the long, arduous trip to Moab and back -- she saw the death of not only her husband, but her sons -- and now she's facing a lifetime of poverty and uncertainty
-- when the women say, "Is this Naomi?" -- she responds by saying, "I am Naomi no longer -- I am pleasant no longer -- from now on call me Mara, which means bitter" -- I have lost everything, and I have no hope left"

III. Closing
-- I imagine most of you have seen the movie, "Gone with the Wind" -- one of the most memorable scenes in that movie is right before the intermission -- Atlanta has been burned to the ground by Sherman -- the people are destitute and hungry -- their sons and their husbands -- their fathers and their brothers have been beaten and killed -- the Yankees have come -- the south has lost -- and all hope is gone
-- it's at this point that we see Scarlett O'Hara on a hillside next to a bare oak tree with a red sky behind her -- she has nothing -- she has no one -- everything and everyone has been taken from her -- and she has collapsed onto the ground on that hill out of sheer exhaustion and hopelessness
-- but, as the movie fades into the intermission, we see her rise from the ground and stand up and she shake her fist at the sky as she gives these memorable lines:
-- "As God is my witness, as God is my witness they're not going to lick me. I'm going to live through this and when it's all over, I'll never be hungry again. No, nor any of my folk. If I have to lie, steal, cheat or kill. As God is my witness, I'll never be hungry again"

-- as this first chapter of Ruth comes to a close, Naomi's not there yet -- she hasn't reached the place where she stands up and shakes her fist at the sky and becomes determined to live again despite all the odds against her
-- no, Naomi's lost hope -- she's given up -- she's gone home to die and she's brought Ruth with her to an uncertain future
-- and that's where we're going to end this introduction to the Book of Ruth today -- next week, we'll pick back up with the story of Naomi and Ruth in Chapter 2 -- and I do want to invite you to come out and join us in our Wednesday Bible study on Ruth as we look at this in more detail beginning on September 7th
-- let's pray

1[from "Ruth: A Loyal Love Story" by Brian Bill]

SERMON: BITTER OR BETTER?

14 August 2011

I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Genesis 37:1-5

1 Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan.
2 This is the account of Jacob’s family line.

Joseph, a young man of seventeen, was tending the flocks with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives, and he brought their father a bad report about them.

3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made an ornate[a] robe for him. 4 When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.

5 Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more.


-- now I know that we are caught in the dog days of summer and that the temperature outside is pushing 100 degrees each day -- but just for a moment, I want you to imagine yourself in the dead of winter -- I want you to imagine that you are on a mountaintop in the northeastern U.S. -- and that you walk outside at night and are greeted by the sight of snow falling -- not a blizzard, but a gently snow -- one of those snows with big fluffy flakes that you sometime see in the wintertime -- the snow falling in such a way that you can watch each individual flake as it gently falls from the sky to the ground
-- do you have that image in your mind? -- can you picture the snowflakes? -- now, even though this is all imaginary, what is one thing that you know for sure about each and every one of those snowflakes hitting the ground all around you?
-- it's simply this -- each of those snowflakes are unique -- as Wilson Bentley proved with his photographs of snowflakes taken around the turn of the 20th century, "no two snowflakes are alike" -- we all know that -- we've all heard that -- and you can go look at Bentley's photographs and see that for yourself
-- but, here's the question -- why? -- why are no two snowflakes alike? -- have you ever thought of that?
-- well, the reason each snowflake is different is because each snowflake bears the scars of its journey from the sky to the ground -- they all start out the same -- they all start out as crystals of ice within a cloud, formed by freezing temperatures
-- but each crystal experiences different factors in their short lives which affect their final shape -- the temperature of the sky as they are being formed -- the altitude of the cloud from which it fell -- the trajectory the wind took it as it to earth -- and a thousand other factors all come together to shape the snowflake into what we see when it hits the ground

-- in other words, each snowflake that we see is the result of its response to the things of life that it experienced on its way to earth
-- people are the same way -- you are who you are because of your response to the things that you have experienced so far in your life -- and the person that you are becoming -- the person that you will be at the end of your life -- is all dependent on how you respond to your future experiences in life, especially the trials and tribulations
-- when trials and tribulations come our way, there are really only two options for us -- we can either react or we can respond
-- when we react to something, we are allowing the external event that we are experiencing to dictate what we do -- we act without thinking, and we allow the experience to shape our attitudes and feelings
-- but, when we respond to something, we make a choose about what we are going to do and what we are going to think and feel about an external event -- rather than just thinking and feeling and acting automatically, we choose how we will deal with the experience
-- to put it a different way -- when something bad happens to you -- when someone hurts you -- when you suffer a tragedy in your life -- when trials and tribulations come your way -- you can react and allow the experience to shape you -- or you can respond and choose how you will allow yourself to be changed
-- really, it all comes down to this -- you can either react and become bitter or you can respond and become better

II. The Life of Joseph
-- we see this clearly played out in the life of Joseph, one of the patriarchs of the nation of Israel -- if you would, look back with me again here in Genesis 37 and let's see what we can learn about reacting versus responding -- about being bitter or being better -- through the life of Joseph

-- look back at verse 1

1 Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan.
2 This is the account of Jacob’s family line.

Joseph, a young man of seventeen, was tending the flocks with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives, and he brought their father a bad report about them.

3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made an ornate[a] robe for him. 4 When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.

5 Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more.

-- here we are introduced to Joseph, one of the sons of Jacob -- Jacob had 12 sons who were born to him by four different women -- so, Joseph had 10 half-brothers and one full brother, Benjamin, who was the youngest son
-- Joseph was the oldest son of Rachel, Jacob's first love -- and because of this, Jacob loved Joseph more than any of his other sons -- he showed that Joseph was his favorite by giving Joseph things that he wouldn't give the others -- such as the richly ornamented robe or, as the King James version puts it, the coat of many colors
-- and when Joseph's brothers saw that Joseph was the favorite and that their father loved him more than them, it made them hate him -- of course, it didn't help that Joseph was a tattletale and got his brothers in trouble by giving a bad report to his father about their actions
-- and, then, when Joseph had a dream that implied that all of the brothers were going to bow down to him in the future, it made them hate him all the more -- as it says in verse 4, they couldn't even say a kind word to him -- they hated him with all of their being -- which explains what happens next

-- skip over to verse 18

18 But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him.

19 “Here comes that dreamer!” they said to each other. 20 “Come now, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we’ll see what comes of his dreams.”

-- Jacob had sent Joseph out to help his brothers in the field with the flocks, but when they looked up and saw him coming, their hatred just poured out of them -- and they came up with a plan -- they were going to kill him and then tell their father that he was killed by an animal
-- Reuben convinced them to not kill Joseph immediately but to throw him into a cistern and wait until he got back -- so they stripped Joseph of his robe and of all his money and possessions and threw him into a dry cistern and sat down to eat

-- verse 25

25 As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with spices, balm and myrrh, and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt.

26 Judah said to his brothers, “What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? 27 Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; after all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood.” His brothers agreed.

28 So when the Midianite merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern and sold him for twenty shekels[a] of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.

-- now skip over to verse 36

36 Meanwhile, the Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard.

-- so, while Reuben was away, the other brothers sold Joseph to the Midianites as a slave, who took him to Egypt to sell down there for a profit
-- now, I want you to get a picture in your mind of what has just happened to Joseph -- here is a boy -- 17 years old -- who has been his father's favorite -- he grew up in the lap of luxury -- Jacob was rich and Joseph enjoyed the finer things of life -- he grew up as the favored son of a rich man, with robes and rings and all kinds of wealth and possessions
-- but, now, Joseph's life has taken a drastic turn -- his brothers, who hated him with a passion and who wanted to kill him, have sold him into slavery -- in one moment, Joseph has gone from being the son of a ruler to being a slave in a caravan headed to Egypt -- his life of luxury and ease and privilege was gone in a moment, and now all he has to look forward to was a life of burden and toil and pain
-- Joseph has a choice to make at this point -- he can either react or he can respond -- he can either be bitter or he can be better
-- there's nothing else he can do -- he's powerless -- he can't change the situation -- he can't buy himself out of slavery -- he can't call on his father's good graces -- for right or wrong, from this point on, Joseph is a slave and will probably remain so for the rest of his life
-- the only thing he can control is his response to the situation

-- Joseph's situation reminds me of a story I read one time about two monks who were walking through the countryside -- They were on their way to another village to help bring in the crops -- As they walked, they spied an old woman sitting at the edge of a river -- She was upset because there was no bridge, and she could not get across on her own
-- The first monk told her, "We will carry you across if you would like." -- and she gratefully accepted their help -- So the two men joined hands, lifted her between them and carried her across the river -- When they got to the other side, they set her down, and she went on her way.
-- After they had walked about another mile, the second monk began to complain -- "Look at my clothes," he said. "They are filthy from carrying that woman across the river -- And my back still hurts from lifting her -- I can feel it getting stiff." -- The first monk just smiled and nodded his head.
-- A few more miles up the road, the second monk griped again, "My back is hurting me so badly, and it is all because we had to carry that silly woman across the river! I cannot go any farther because of the pain." -- The first monk looked down at his partner, now lying on the ground, moaning. "Have you wondered why I am not complaining?" he asked. "Your back hurts because you are still carrying the woman. But I set her down five miles ago."
-- That is what many of us are like in dealing with our problems -- with the tragedies and trials and tribulations of life -- We are like that second monk who can't let go -- We hold the pain of the past in our hearts and we become bitter and continue to carry burdens over things that we can't change [adapted from: Dr. Anthony T. Evans, Guiding Your Family in a Misguided World.]

-- the question is what should we do when life lets us down? -- when things don't go our way just as they're not going for Joseph here in this passage? -- do we react or respond? -- do we become bitter or do we choose to become better?

-- let's look at what Joseph did -- skip over to Chapter 39

1 Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. Potiphar, an Egyptian who was one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there.
2 The LORD was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. 3 When his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD gave him success in everything he did, 4 Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned. 5 From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the LORD blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the LORD was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field

-- Joseph was made a slave against his will -- but rather than gripe and complain -- rather than allow the situation to make him bitter and affect his spirit, Joseph chose to trust in God's providence and to respond to the situation in the best way possible
-- he embraced his new role -- he excelled in his new role -- and we read in verse 2 that the Lord was with Joseph and he prospered -- he ended up living in his master's house and being put in charge of all that his master owned
-- what would have happened if Joseph had rebelled? -- what would have happened if Joseph had reacted and become bitter? -- more than likely he would have been sent to the fields to work out his days with hard labor -- but because he chose to put the past behind him and set down the burden that he was carrying, he made the best of the situation and God worked in his life to bring beauty out of the ashes -- to bring good out of the tragedy that had befallen him

-- but, Joseph's story doesn't end there -- we read in the rest of this chapter that Joseph was well-built and handsome, and he attracted the attention of Potiphar's wife -- she wanted to sleep with him -- and when he resisted her advances -- even to the point of running from her grasp leaving his cloak behind -- she ended up claiming that he tried to rape her
-- look at verse 19

19 When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, “This is how your slave treated me,” he burned with anger. 20 Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined.

-- so, things for Joseph have gone from bad to worse -- he's gone from being the son of a rich man in the Promised Land to being a slave and now he's thrown into prison for something that he didn't do
-- if anyone had the right to complain, it was Joseph -- if anyone had the right to become bitter, it was Joseph -- none of this was his fault -- he didn't cause any of this -- but he's having to suffer the consequences none-the-less
-- once again, Joseph is faced with a situation that demands a choice -- does he react with bitterness or does he respond with grace?
-- look at the second part of verse 20

20b. But while Joseph was there in the prison, 21 the LORD was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. 22 So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. 23 The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the LORD was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.

-- once again, Joseph chooses to respond rather than react -- he chooses to put down his burden and to accept his new role, trusting that God will be with him, even in prison
-- and we see in verse 21 that the Lord was with him again -- God worked in Joseph's life and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden, and Joseph ended up being put in charge of the entire prison

-- but once again, Joseph's story doesn't end there -- while he was in prison, he interpreted the dreams of the cupbearer and the baker -- and prophesied that the cupbearer would be restored to his position serving Pharaoh -- Joseph asked the cupbearer to remember him and plead his case before Pharaoh, but when the cupbearer was released from prison, he forgot
-- it wasn't until two years later, when Pharaoh had a dream that he didn't understand, that the cupbearer remembered Joseph and Pharaoh had him brought from prison to the palace to interpret the dream for him
-- when Joseph told Pharaoh what his dream meant, Pharaoh realized that Joseph was wise and discerning and that God was with him, so he put Joseph in charge of the whole land of Egypt -- giving Joseph his signet ring, dressing him in fine robes, and allowing him to ride in Pharaoh's chariot as his second-in-command
-- while Joseph's story goes on through the rest of the book of Genesis, let's end this account by looking at the naming of Joseph's two sons

-- skip over to Chapter 41, and we'll end by reading verses 50-52

50 Before the years of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On. 51 Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh and said, “It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.” 52 The second son he named Ephraim and said, “It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.”

-- here we see the heart of Joseph -- here we see how Joseph was able to endure so many hardships -- from being a prince in the land of Canaan to going to the pit -- from being raised from the pit to go into slavery -- from being thrown into prison and being forgotten by those he helped
-- it all comes down to faith -- Joseph named his first son Manasseh, which means "forget" in Hebrew, because he said God made him forget all his troubles and all the pains that he had suffered
-- he named his second son Ephraim, which means "twice fruitful," because God had made Joseph prosper despite his circumstances
-- Joseph was able to respond rather than react because he trusted God -- he had faith that God would be with him and help him in all situations -- especially in the tragedies and trials and tribulations that he was facing

III. Closing
-- while none of us may face the situations that Joseph faced, every single one of us face problems and burdens in our lives -- we have to deal with people who hate us and people that we don't like -- we have to deal with difficult family members -- we have to face sickness and accidents -- we get treated unfairly -- we get accused of doing things that we didn't do
-- we get cheated -- we get stepped on -- we get overlooked -- we get disrespected -- everyday brings with it new problems and new pains that we have to face
-- but, it also brings with it opportunities for growth and grace -- as the Bible says, God's mercies are new every morning, and He gives us the grace that we need to respond to whatever comes our way
-- as Joseph's experience shows us, problems often provide us with greater opportunities -- they can promote our spiritual maturity -- they can help us become more like Jesus
-- problems prove our integrity -- and they produce a sense of dependence as we are forced to rely on God and trust in Him to see us through
-- and, problems prepare our hearts for ministry -- they make us more empathetic -- who better to help another person through a pain in their life than someone who has already walked down that road and survived

-- as we close, I want to leave you with one final story -- a true story of a man who faced adversity in his life but who chose to respond rather than to react -- who put down his burdens and moved forward in faith rather than letting the past dictate his future
-- this man had a hard life from the start -- when he was seven years old, his family was forced out of their home on a legal technicality, and he had to work to help support them -- At age nine, his mother died -- At 22, he lost his job as a store clerk
-- He wanted to go to law school, but his education wasn't good enough and he couldn't get in -- At 23, he went into debt to become a partner in a small store -- At 26, his business partner died, leaving him a huge debt that took years to repay. -- At 28, after courting a girl for four years, he asked her to marry him. She said no -- At 41, his four-year-old son died
-- all along the way, he could have given up -- he could have gotten bitter -- he could have gone through life as a victim, saying, "Woe is me" -- but each time, he got up and tried again
-- in his thirties, he decided to try his hand at politics -- At 37, on his third try, he was elected to Congress, but failed to be reelected and only served one term -- At 45, he ran for the Senate and lost -- At 47, he failed as the vice-presidential candidate -- At 49, he ran for the Senate again, and lost
-- a life of tragedy -- a life of failure -- a life like Joseph's -- but each time, this man refused to quit -- and finally, when he was 51 years old, Abraham Lincoln was elected president of the United States, and is considered one of the greatest leaders this country ever had





-- there is a lesson that we can learn from the stories of Lincoln and Joseph
-- we are not so different from them -- just like Abraham Lincoln -- just like Joseph -- and just like the snowflakes that I told you about at the start of this message -- we can't control what happens to us -- bad things are going to happen -- we are going to suffer loss and heartache and difficulties -- and there's nothing we can do about it -- we can't change the things that we go through in life
-- “yet even the most unjust, undeserved, and pointless suffering is an opportunity for us to respond in such a way that our Lord can turn us into His own likeness.” -- “the only way to grow into [the image of Christ] is to submit each day to the conditions God brings into our lives”
-- as we choose to submit and respond rather than to react -- as we choose to live better rather than bitter, “His holiness becomes ours -- [and] gradually…God’s Spirit begins” to make us more and more like Jesus in our hearts and our minds and our souls
-- “as Ruth Bell Graham puts it, may God give us grace ‘to bear the heat of cleansing flame, not bitter at our lot, but [able] to bear our share of suffering and [be better], in Jesus’ name.’” [adapted from Our Daily Bread Devotional, 14 August]

-- let us pray

A CHURCH WITHOUT A SERVICE?

Today, as I type this, is an extraordinary day. I have been a pastor for over 10 years now, and this is the first Sunday that the church I was pastoring at the time didn't had a worship service.

Now, I have personally missed Sunday worship services before for various reasons -- participation in weekend spiritual retreats, vacations, etc. -- but, always, our church gathered for worship without me, sometimes with a visiting pastor and sometimes with a lay speaker from within the church. But not today. Today, the meeting place is empty. Today, the doors stay locked. Today, no chairs will be set up, no overheads put on the wall, no words proclaimed from the pulpit. But, you know what, I think it's okay.

You see, the church I pastor now is definitely not a "normal" church. Over half of our members were previously unchurched and joined our church when they were baptized following a true salvation experience with Christ Jesus. They don't know what a typical church does. They don't know what a typical church looks like. They don't have the baggage of tradition and expectations and the constraint of "we've always done it like this and can't possibly change."

These members read the stories of faith in the New Testament and see how the early church had all things in common and miraculous signs and wonders accompanied their preaching and teaching, and they ask me, "Why aren't we doing that? If they did that, then why can't we?" Not, "I wish that would happen" or "That would be nice to see," but "Let's go and do it, too!" And, if that means occasionally missing a scheduled worship service, so be it.

For instance, when God began to call our attention to the homeless that were around our building, we talked about what God would want us to do to help them. Meeting in a doggie daycare/boarding facility, we were kind of limited in our response ability. One day, one of our members failed to show up for worship. "She must have gotten sick," we thought. But, that wasn't the case. On the way to worship, she saw one of the homeless people we had been looking for, a young girl who was wandering in our neighborhood with all her possessions on her back. Our member saw her and said, "I need to mention that I saw her this morning when I get to church," but then God spoke to her. She stopped her car, turned around, loaded up this homeless girl, and carried her to brunch first, and then to worship that night. She missed church, but did so much more.

What I have found in my time pastoring this church is that when the focus of your church is Jesus and sharing the love of Jesus with others, then ministry can, and does, happen outside the walls of the building as your vision grows outward. Alternately, when the focus of your church is on the church service itself, your vision turns inward and ministry gets thwarted.

Reading the gospels, I can only find a handful of instances where Jesus actually attended a formal worship service. However, He ministered where He was, sharing His love and the miracles and signs with all those He happened to meet. Since He wasn't worrying about trying to get to "church" on time, He took time for others (e.g. the 10 lepers and the woman with the issue of blood). If it worked for Jesus and the disciples, why can't it work for us?

So, despite the raised eyebrows and questioning words of my peers, let me proclaim today that our church building is closed. No worship will take place. But lives may be changed instead. As I tell my people, the church is not the building, it is the people. And today, the church has left the building.

SERMON: WHAT CAN I DO?

WHAT CAN I DO?
7 August 2011

I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Judges 6:1-16

1 The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD, and for seven years he gave them into the hands of the Midianites. 2 Because the power of Midian was so oppressive, the Israelites prepared shelters for themselves in mountain clefts, caves and strongholds. 3 Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples invaded the country. 4 They camped on the land and ruined the crops all the way to Gaza and did not spare a living thing for Israel, neither sheep nor cattle nor donkeys. 5 They came up with their livestock and their tents like swarms of locusts. It was impossible to count them or their camels; they invaded the land to ravage it. 6 Midian so impoverished the Israelites that they cried out to the LORD for help.

7 When the Israelites cried out to the LORD because of Midian, 8 he sent them a prophet, who said, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I brought you up out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 9 I rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians. And I delivered you from the hand of all your oppressors; I drove them out before you and gave you their land. 10 I said to you, ‘I am the LORD your God; do not worship the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you live.’ But you have not listened to me.”

11 The angel of the LORD came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. 12 When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, “The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.”

13 “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the LORD has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.”

14 The LORD turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”

15 “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.”

16 The LORD answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.”


-- several years ago, a local businessman decided to convert his business from a dry goods store into a tavern for financial reasons -- and even though the town where he lived was a dry county, it looked like he had enough support from the county commissioners to push it through -- it was just a matter of time before he could open up this bar up for business
-- a group of Christians from a local church got concerned and planned an all-night prayer meeting -- they wanted to ask God to intervene and stop the tavern from opening up in their community
-- so, on a Sunday night, the Christians gathered for their prayer service, and on the very next day, lightning struck the bar and it burned to the ground -- well, the owner of the bar sued the church, claiming that the prayers of the members were responsible
-- the church hired a lawyer to defend them in court and argue that they were not responsible -- "we're only a small church -- what could we have done to cause this to happen? -- all we did was pray”
-- the judge who presided over the case was a man who was very wise -- he read the arguments presented by both sides, and after his initial review of the case, he stated, "no matter how this case comes out, one thing is obvious -- the tavern owner believes that God worked through the prayers of this small church and the Christians do not"

-- you know, over the course of my ministry, I have developed this theory about the way small churches think and operate -- I call it the “reverse-Napoleon complex” -- let me explain what I’m talking about
-- everyone in here is probably aware of what the psychologists call the “Napoleon complex” named after the French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte -- Napoleon was a very short man -- he definitely did not stand head and shoulders above the crowd -- and because he was so short, he developed this drive to excel in other areas of his life -- most historians agree that Napoleon compensated for his short height by seeking power, war, and conquest -- in other words, because Napoleon was small, he sought to do more and to have more than those around him to make up for the difference in physical appearance -- and it was his short stature that caused him to seek to take over the world in his day
-- in our world today, we see men just like Napoleon who have this same drive for power and influence brought on because they have an inferiority complex about their height or some other aspect of their lives -- this is what psychologists call a “Napoleon complex”

-- but in the church, we see an opposite dynamic at work that I call the “reverse-Napoleon complex” -- based on the Napoleon complex, you would expect small churches to be the driving force in Christianity today -- you would expect that they would be trying to compensate for their small size and their small resources by seeking greater influence and greater power and greater results than larger churches near them -- but that’s not the case
-- just like the church in the story I told you about the tavern that burned down, the mind-set of many churches is, “we’re just a small church -- what can we do? -- if we had more people, we might be able to do something for God -- if we had more money, God could really use us -- if we had more people praying, God would listen and respond to our prayers more often”
-- rather than using their size to motivate them to even greater levels of ministry, small churches tend to get emotionally crippled and end up thinking that God can’t use them because they aren’t big enough -- and, large churches tend to do the same, looking down on smaller congregations in a condescending way because they don’t believe that small churches can accomplish anything either
-- it’s this reverse-Napoleon complex that is driving the church growth movement in America today -- it’s this reverse-Napoleon complex that causes denominations to put on training seminars and courses to help small churches grow so that maybe one day they can start doing real ministry and start having an impact for Christ in their area
-- the overall message that is coming out from the Christian community is that small churches are cute, but just not effective -- small churches are a curious oddity, but they really can’t anything for God
-- but, you know what? -- that type of thinking is wrong -- it’s simply not biblical -- it goes against everything that we see in the Bible -- in fact, I was thinking the other day as I was reading an article about the fastest growing churches in America and looking at an ad for a church-growth seminar that if Jesus was here today, some denominations would be encouraging Him to go to a workshop to help Him grow His church
-- if you think about it, Jesus only had 12 people in His church at the end of His ministry

-- if you get nothing else out of this message today, I want you to get this -- there's nothing wrong with being small -- size does not limit what God can do through you

II. Scripture Lesson (Judges 6-7)
-- if you want to see what God can do with the least of these -- if you want to see what God can do with small churches and small people, look at the story of Gideon here in Judges 6
-- before we look back at this passage in more detail, let me give you the context so you know what’s going on and how this passage fits in the whole scheme of things
-- the Book of Judges covers the first 350 years of the nation of Israel right after they entered the Promised Land
-- this is sometimes called the “Dark Ages” of the Israelites because it was a time when the Israelites would turn away from God and start worshiping idols -- God would respond by sending an enemy against Israel, which caused the Israelites to turn to God for help -- finally, God would raise up a deliverer who would rescue them from their enemies and lead them back to a right relationship with Him again
-- these deliverers were known as “judges” -- and Gideon was one of these judges during this 350 year period

-- look back at verse 1

1 The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD, and for seven years he gave them into the hands of the Midianites. 2 Because the power of Midian was so oppressive, the Israelites prepared shelters for themselves in mountain clefts, caves and strongholds. 3 Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples invaded the country. 4 They camped on the land and ruined the crops all the way to Gaza and did not spare a living thing for Israel, neither sheep nor cattle nor donkeys. 5 They came up with their livestock and their tents like swarms of locusts. It was impossible to count them or their camels; they invaded the land to ravage it. 6 Midian so impoverished the Israelites that they cried out to the LORD for help.

7 When the Israelites cried out to the LORD because of Midian, 8 he sent them a prophet, who said, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I brought you up out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 9 I rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians. And I delivered you from the hand of all your oppressors; I drove them out before you and gave you their land. 10 I said to you, ‘I am the LORD your God; do not worship the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you live.’ But you have not listened to me.”


-- as Judges 6 opens up, we read that the Israelites have once again turned away from God and were doing evil in His sight -- because of this, God allowed the Midianites to oppress the people
-- not only did the nation of Midian come against Israel with their military might, but they also took away Israel’s way of life and their livelihood -- they destroyed the crops of the Israelites and forced them to flee their cities and live in caves and shelters in the mountains
-- their situation looked hopeless -- they had no homes -- they had no resources -- they had no food -- so, finally, they repented of their sins and they cried out to God for help -- they asked Him to send a deliverer who would save them from the power of Midian
-- now keep in mind that Midian was a powerful nation with a vast army and lots of resources -- when God responded and said that He would send a deliverer, the people were expecting Him to send someone powerful -- someone who had a lot of resources -- a lot of men at his disposal -- someone who was comparable to Midian and who could go toe-to-toe with them in a battle -- the people were expecting someone like Rambo or Swarzenegger or the guy from the Die Hard movies -- but look who God sent

-- verse 11

11 The angel of the LORD came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. 12 When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, “The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.”

13 “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the LORD has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.”

14 The LORD turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”

15 “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.”

16 The LORD answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.”

-- God sent Gideon -- Gideon -- here is this guy who is so afraid of the Midianites that he is hiding in a winepress threshing wheat -- he’s not even brave enough to thresh the wheat on the threshing floor where it should be done
-- in verse 15 he tells us that he’s from the tribe of Manasseh, the weakest tribe out of all the 12 tribe of Israel -- and not only is he from the smallest and weakest tribe, but his clan is the weakest in that tribe -- to make matters worse, Gideon points out that he is the least in his own family -- in other words, Gideon is the lowest of the low -- he is the weakest and least powerful of any person or clan or tribe in the entire nation of Israel -- but this is who God chooses to use to deliver the nation of Israel from the power of Midian

-- notice in verse 11 that it says that “the angel of the Lord” came to Gideon at Ophrah -- just so you know, when you say that phrase, “the angel of the Lord,” in the Old Testament, that is an appearance of God in the flesh -- if it says, “an,” angel of the Lord, then it’s an angel -- but if it says, “the,” angel of the Lord -- then it’s God
-- so, God Himself comes to Gideon while he’s threshing wheat in the winepress and in verse 12, He calls Gideon, “mighty warrior” -- Gideon was not a mighty warrior -- as we just saw, Gideon was a small man -- so, why would God call him “mighty warrior?”
-- it wasn’t because of who Gideon was -- it wasn’t because of who Gideon’s family or his tribe was -- it was because the Lord was with him
-- you see, that’s the thing that a lot of people miss when it comes to churches and what churches can do for God -- does a small church have people? -- no -- does a small church have financial resources? -- no -- does a small church have material possessions or large sanctuaries? -- no
-- so, what do they have? -- they have the Lord with them -- in Acts 3:6, when the crippled man at the gate Beautiful asks them for money, Peter and John reply, “silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you -- in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk” -- and the man got up and walked
-- here’s the thing -- Peter and John only had one thing -- they had the Lord with them, and it made all the difference
-- Gideon only had one thing -- he had the Lord with him, and it made all the difference -- Gideon may not have been a mighty warrior when he was hiding in a winepress threshing wheat, but with God, he was about to deliver the nation of Israel from their worst enemy
-- in verse 14, God tells Gideon to go in the strength that he has to save Israel from the hands of Midian -- God didn’t change anything about Gideon’s situation -- He didn’t send an army to gather around the winepress for Gideon to command, although that comes later -- He didn’t have money fall out of the sky for Gideon to use to buy weapons and food and other resources -- He didn’t give Gideon wisdom or strength or stature
-- the only thing Gideon had was the presence of the Lord by his side, but that made all the difference
-- in fact, when the men of Israel did rally around Gideon’s call to fight Midian, God wouldn’t let Gideon take them into battle -- skip over to Chapter 7, verse 1

1 Early in the morning, Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) and all his men camped at the spring of Harod. The camp of Midian was north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh. 2 The LORD said to Gideon, “You have too many men. I cannot deliver Midian into their hands, or Israel would boast against me, ‘My own strength has saved me.’ 3 Now announce to the army, ‘Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.’” So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained.
4 But the LORD said to Gideon, “There are still too many men. Take them down to the water, and I will thin them out for you there. If I say, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go; but if I say, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.”

5 So Gideon took the men down to the water. There the LORD told him, “Separate those who lap the water with their tongues as a dog laps from those who kneel down to drink.” 6 Three hundred of them drank from cupped hands, lapping like dogs. All the rest got down on their knees to drink.

7 The LORD said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands. Let all the others go home.”

-- as chapter 7 opens, Gideon has an army of over 30,000 men surrounding him -- he thinks he’s ready to do something for God -- finally, he has enough people -- finally, he has enough weapons -- finally, he has enough resources
-- but look what God says here in verse 2 -- “You have too many men -- in order that Israel may not boast that they defeated Midian in their own strength and in their own power, you need to reduce the size of your army”
-- and so, God told Gideon to send home everyone who was afraid -- and 22,000 men went home, leaving Gideon with a pitiful army of just 10,000 men -- but God looked at that army and said, “Nope, you’ve still got too many” -- so God had the men drink water from a stream to further whittle them down -- and when all is said and done, Gideon is left with only 300 men to fight against the entire Midian army
-- when they looked at that army of 300 men, do you know what Gideon thought? -- “We’re too small to do anything -- we don’t have enough people -- we don’t have enough money -- we don’t have enough resources -- God won’t be able to do anything through us -- maybe if we were larger, He could -- but not now”
-- but, you know what? -- with only 300 men and God by his side, Gideon went into battle anyway, and he defeated the entire Midian army once and for all -- never again would the nation of Midian be a threat to Israel

III. Closing
-- let me remind you what I told you in the start of this sermon -- size does not limit what God can do through you -- the only thing that can limit you is you
-- the only thing that can keep God from working in us and through us in our belief in the power of God to use the smallest things in this world to do great things in His name

-- think about Chick Fil A and the story of Truett Cathy
-- Truett Cathy started out in Atlanta with a restaurant so small, it was called the Dwarf Grill -- later, he called it the "Dwarf House" -- it only had 10 stools and four tables
-- and, when he opened it, he didn't offer a full menu like all the other big restaurants had -- he didn't even offer hamburgers -- all he offered was chicken sandwiches and french fries -- and he did something else strange -- he refused to open on Sundays, even though other restaurants got over 20% of their income on that day -- Cathy wanted to make a stand for God
-- for almost 20 years, Cathy operated the Dwarf House -- it was the only restaurant he had -- but this restaurant met a need in the community -- McDonald's didn't have chicken sandwiches -- neither did the other big restaurants -- and business grew
-- finally, in 1967, Cathy opened the first Chick-fil-A restaurant in Atlanta's Greenbriar Mall -- but he didn't change the way he did business -- he didn't try to do everything the big chains and the big restaurants did -- he just sold chicken sandwiches and fries -- and he didn't try to make his restaurants bigger than his neighbors -- he just did what he felt God had called him to do
-- and, by doing what God called him to do, God blessed him -- currently, there are over 1,000 Chick-fil-A restaurants in 35 states and South Africa
-- a recent article in Atlanta Business Chronicle noted that Cathy could make a fortune if he made a public stock offering for Chick-fil-A, but he refuses to consider it -- he said, "We're able to do a lot of things that we couldn't do if we were a large public company" -- Cathy has made the decision to keep Chick-Fil-A small

-- do we need to be large to do great things for God? -- do we need more people in order to do ministry? -- do we need more finances or more resources to serve God? -- no, all we need is what Gideon had -- the Lord beside us and faith in His power
-- we saw that just this week when we delivered the school supplies to the Valdosta City Schools -- we took a step of faith and God provided the resources that we didn’t have and used this little church of about 20 people that doesn’t even have a church building to provide more school supplies this year than was provided by all the churches and all the people in Valdosta last year
-- God took five loaves and two fish and fed the 5,000 -- and He took our 20 people and provided school supplies for 150 homeless kids

-- so, the question I want to leave you with this morning is, “Do you believe? -- Do you believe that a small church of less than 20 people can do the impossible with Christ by their side?”
-- God took 300 men and defeated an entire nation -- and when the world saw that, they knew that only God could have done it
-- God wants to do the same through us -- He already did it with the school supplies -- and I believe He wants to do even more
-- as we close, I want to encourage you to dream big dreams for this church -- I want to encourage you to envision great ministries that will come to pass -- there is nothing that God can’t do through us, if we only believe -- if we only trust -- if we only have faith
-- as you pray this week, ask these questions, “What does God want to do through us that will make the City of Valdosta stand up and notice? -- Where is God calling us to go next so that His name will be glorified?”
-- let us pray