WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:07.000 Good morning. Oh, guys, you can do better than that. Good morning. Great. Thank you. 00:00:07.719 --> 00:00:12.599 Great. Welcome to Watermark. My name's Chris. If you don't know me, I'm one of the pastors here. 00:00:13.519 --> 00:00:19.280 And it's just really exciting to, after Easter, to be getting into a new series. We're going to 00:00:19.280 --> 00:00:25.219 do a new four-part series in the Book of Ruth. And I'm personally really excited about this 00:00:25.219 --> 00:00:30.079 because it's one of the most beautifully written stories, I think, in the whole of the Bible. 00:00:30.799 --> 00:00:36.479 And so we're going to go for the next four weeks looking at this love story. And what we've done 00:00:36.479 --> 00:00:43.960 is we've looked at the person of Jesus kind of moving up to Easter. And we've seen how Jesus 00:00:43.960 --> 00:00:51.859 really is part of the climax of God's great redemption story. But sometimes we wonder how 00:00:51.859 --> 00:00:58.399 this kind of, how Jesus fits into our ordinary, everyday, mundane lives, the ups and downs that 00:00:58.399 --> 00:01:05.180 we go through. We wonder, where is God's big story? Where do I fit in? Where does my story 00:01:05.180 --> 00:01:13.280 fit into this? And the Book of Ruth is going to show us how our story fits into where God's story 00:01:13.280 --> 00:01:19.359 is working and what He is doing. Because God's writing a script, and your life and my life 00:01:19.359 --> 00:01:24.719 is part of that script. And so what I want to do is I want to just, let's just pray, 00:01:25.539 --> 00:01:28.780 and let's ask God to just really speak to us this morning. 00:01:33.539 --> 00:01:39.960 Father, I thank you that even as we're here this morning, it's not an accident that we're here. 00:01:40.920 --> 00:01:43.939 Thank you. You have brought us here because you want to speak to us. 00:01:43.939 --> 00:01:49.759 I pray that you'd open our eyes, open our ears, open our hearts, Lord, to hear what you want to say. 00:01:50.340 --> 00:01:56.159 I pray that you'd use my words, Lord, inadequate as they are, to just be able to convey something of 00:01:56.159 --> 00:02:02.180 how beautiful you are. Please be present here this morning. In Jesus' name. Amen. 00:02:04.680 --> 00:02:09.020 So this book that we're going to be looking at, the Book of Ruth, I really encourage you to be reading 00:02:09.020 --> 00:02:17.100 along as we go. One of the interesting things is, God is not prominent in kind of the center stage 00:02:17.100 --> 00:02:24.219 of the story. Okay? In the Gospels, you know, Jesus is kind of center stage. But in Ruth, God is kind of 00:02:24.219 --> 00:02:30.680 working behind the scenes in everyday ordinary life. He's there every moment, but He's kind of behind 00:02:30.680 --> 00:02:36.200 the scenes. He's working out His plan. And so what we're going to do is, you know, like a good TV drama 00:02:36.199 --> 00:02:42.339 kind of unfolds bit by bit, the tension builds. We're going to look chapter by chapter over these 00:02:42.339 --> 00:02:48.699 next four weeks to see how this storyline is going to play out. So don't go to the last page before 00:02:48.699 --> 00:02:56.500 you've read, you've looked at the first part of it. Okay? So we're going to, I'm going to share, just go 00:02:56.500 --> 00:03:02.879 through the story and pick out some things that even as 21st century readers, we might miss from the 00:03:02.879 --> 00:03:07.139 background here. I want us to see what the author is trying to do with this book. And then we're just 00:03:07.139 --> 00:03:12.240 going to come through and see four things that this passage really just wants to speak and share 00:03:12.240 --> 00:03:20.780 with us. Okay? So let's go. Let's dive in to this book. First line, in the days when the judges ruled. 00:03:21.439 --> 00:03:26.079 We're going to stop there. In the days when the judges ruled. What you need to know is the book of 00:03:26.079 --> 00:03:32.379 Ruth is written during this period of the judges. Judges is the book before Ruth in our Bibles. 00:03:32.879 --> 00:03:38.419 And what you need to know is the last verse of the book of Judges summarizes the whole book. It says 00:03:38.419 --> 00:03:44.560 this, in those days there was no king and everyone did what was right in their own eyes. 00:03:45.519 --> 00:03:52.960 This was a dark time. This was a time where people had stopped worshiping God, people who go in their 00:03:52.960 --> 00:03:59.800 own way. There was injustice, there was violence, there was rape. It was a horrific time. And the book of 00:03:59.800 --> 00:04:09.240 Ruth is this little glimmer of light in the midst of this dark time. And what you can see is things 00:04:09.240 --> 00:04:16.040 are not easy in Bethlehem because God's judgment has come upon the people of God. There is a famine 00:04:16.040 --> 00:04:21.960 in Bethlehem. Now Bethlehem, we all kind of know it from the Christmas story, but actually Bethlehem 00:04:21.959 --> 00:04:28.339 was a small town. And it's famous for being King David's birthplace. But before we get to there, 00:04:28.839 --> 00:04:33.479 we've got to know what it means. It means literally house of bread. That's what Bethlehem means, 00:04:33.599 --> 00:04:39.759 house of bread. And it's ironic because the house of bread has no bread. There's no food here in the 00:04:39.759 --> 00:04:45.620 house of bread. It's a tough time. So this guy, Elimelech, he decides, I'm going to leave the promised 00:04:45.620 --> 00:04:51.899 land. I'm going to go all the way down to this place called Moab because I want to find some food 00:04:51.899 --> 00:04:59.480 down there. And so you might think that sounds like a good idea. Okay, find the nearest supermarket. 00:04:59.620 --> 00:05:04.840 They didn't have a supermarket. So Moab seems a good place. But if you were a first century, 00:05:04.879 --> 00:05:13.079 if you were a Jewish reader and you heard the word Moab, you'd be going, uh-oh. Because Moab 00:05:13.079 --> 00:05:23.379 Moab was the son of Lot, who was Abraham's nephew. And he was a son by incest. And the story didn't 00:05:23.379 --> 00:05:28.919 get any better because Moab became a pagan nation. And they kept following idols and they kept 00:05:28.919 --> 00:05:35.139 opposing Israel. When Israel wanted to get into the promised land, they were trying to get through 00:05:35.139 --> 00:05:40.299 Moab. They said, can we come in? The Moabites said, no way. You're not coming our way. In fact, 00:05:40.300 --> 00:05:48.460 what they did was they even sent a guy called Balaam to curse the Israelites. And then the Moabite 00:05:48.460 --> 00:05:56.000 women came along and seduced the Israelite men and took them away to worship other gods and God's 00:05:56.000 --> 00:06:03.420 judgment came upon them. So when an Israelite heard the word Moab, they were thinking, that's not good 00:06:03.420 --> 00:06:09.920 news. In fact, even in Deuteronomy 23, the Moabites were forbidden to come into the Jewish camp 00:06:09.920 --> 00:06:16.360 because of their idolatry and their wickedness. So when this says they're going down to Moab, 00:06:16.660 --> 00:06:22.139 that's like an unemployed woman coming to you and saying, I'm going to the red light district in 00:06:22.139 --> 00:06:28.360 one child to look for work. That's the same kind of impression. You're going, that doesn't sound like 00:06:28.360 --> 00:06:38.040 a good idea. They're leaving God's people, going to a dangerous pagan place. And when they get there, 00:06:38.800 --> 00:06:45.840 tragedy strikes. Naomi loses her husband. And then what happens very quickly afterwards, 00:06:46.280 --> 00:06:53.960 it says her sons marry two foreign Moabite women, Ruth and Orpah. Again, a Jewish reader will be going, 00:06:53.959 --> 00:07:00.680 oh no, that's not good news because Jewish men were not meant to marry foreign women, not because of 00:07:00.680 --> 00:07:07.240 racism, but because they would lead them away to follow their gods. And so there's one poor choice 00:07:07.240 --> 00:07:13.199 going to Moab and then there's another poor choice in who they're marrying. And for 10 years, Ruth and 00:07:13.199 --> 00:07:21.240 Orpah, they have no children. They're barren. And for Jewish, in the Old Testament, barrenness and famine 00:07:21.240 --> 00:07:29.900 and death are often curses for disobedience. That's what the law said. Tragedy strikes again. 00:07:30.840 --> 00:07:41.800 Her two sons die. Is this a happy story so far? No. In that culture, men were the landowners 00:07:41.800 --> 00:07:48.840 and your husband and your sons were your financial security, your future, your hope. They would protect 00:07:48.839 --> 00:07:55.679 you from being taken advantage of by other men. They were the status. Their name gave you status. So 00:07:55.679 --> 00:08:05.039 when both her husband and her sons die, she is basically now a vulnerable, nameless nobody. 00:08:05.719 --> 00:08:12.139 In fact, many widows ended up just in prostitution to survive. And you know, actually in verse 5, 00:08:12.279 --> 00:08:17.539 where our translation says, Noemi was left without her two sons and her husband. It actually says, 00:08:17.540 --> 00:08:23.060 The woman. Because she's lost her name. She's a nobody in society. 00:08:25.900 --> 00:08:30.300 Now we don't know, the way the author writes it, we don't know, is this God's judgment coming 00:08:30.300 --> 00:08:36.000 on them because of their poor decisions? Or is it just the tragedy of life? There seems 00:08:36.000 --> 00:08:42.039 to be ambiguity there. Elimelech was the one who took them down to Moab. But it's the women 00:08:42.039 --> 00:08:51.819 who are the survivors. This is a dark time. And then a glimmer of hope comes. Naomi hears 00:08:51.819 --> 00:08:59.980 that God has restocked Bethlehem with food. That's verse 6. That he's come to his people. 00:09:00.079 --> 00:09:06.919 The house of bread has got bread again. And she starts the 7 to 10 day walk to go back 00:09:06.919 --> 00:09:14.000 to Bethlehem. To a place she's not seen for 10 years. To her people. She's returning to 00:09:14.000 --> 00:09:19.379 God's people again. And as she goes, she's got these two daughter-in-law, Orpah and Ruth. 00:09:19.500 --> 00:09:26.299 And they go with her. But she knows her life is over. She's probably over 50. She's not going 00:09:26.299 --> 00:09:32.740 to get married again. No one to look after her. Destined to poverty and a life of insecurity. 00:09:32.740 --> 00:09:37.700 And so out of love for these two daughters-in-law, she tries to persuade them to go back. 00:09:38.100 --> 00:09:44.379 She says, like three times, she says, turn back. Turn back. Turn back. Because she knows 00:09:44.379 --> 00:09:48.100 they're Moabites. If they were going to come into Israel, they're not going to be accepted. 00:09:49.019 --> 00:09:55.279 If they come into Israel, she knows their marriage prospects are low. She knows that there's an 00:09:55.279 --> 00:10:02.539 Israelite law which said in Deuteronomy, if you have a widow, the brother of the husband who had 00:10:02.539 --> 00:10:09.139 died was meant to marry that widow to provide protection for her. But she's got no more sons. 00:10:09.399 --> 00:10:14.759 There's nobody else who can marry them and provide protection for them. So she's saying, listen, 00:10:15.120 --> 00:10:20.620 just go back to Moab. You've got better chances there. You might find a husband there. You might find 00:10:20.620 --> 00:10:27.360 a future there. You might find a hope there. I've got nothing. My life is over. I'm done. 00:10:28.299 --> 00:10:33.019 I've got no hope. But my life is more bitter than for you because you might still have a chance. 00:10:33.440 --> 00:10:36.440 So go back. Don't ruin your life. That's what she's saying. 00:10:38.379 --> 00:10:46.379 And so as the story goes on, Orpah knows this is true. So she's like, okay, I want to stay with you, 00:10:46.379 --> 00:10:52.820 but I know that I'm going to lose everything. So she decides to turn back to Moab. And do you notice 00:10:52.820 --> 00:11:02.659 it says that she turns back to her gods? That's what it says in verse 15. She turns back to her people 00:11:02.659 --> 00:11:14.419 and her gods in verse 15. But Ruth, you see the contrast with Ruth. You see, because Ruth, 00:11:14.419 --> 00:11:22.419 she faces the full prospect of having every ounce of security stripped from her. She could become an 00:11:22.419 --> 00:11:32.139 outsider, no future, no prospects. And yet where Orpah left in verse 14, it says, Ruth clung to Naomi. 00:11:33.439 --> 00:11:38.500 Do you know that word clung is the same word in Genesis 2 where it says, when a man leaves his 00:11:38.500 --> 00:11:44.799 father and mother and he clings to his wife and they become one flesh? This is as close as you're 00:11:44.799 --> 00:11:52.700 going to get. And the author is saying, this is one of the most beautiful expressions of love 00:11:52.700 --> 00:11:59.340 that you could see. I mean, look at this verse. This verse is amazing. Memorize this verse. It's 00:11:59.340 --> 00:12:11.000 verse 16 to 17. Ruth says, you're not going to be alone. You're never going to be alone. You may 00:12:11.000 --> 00:12:16.540 not have a husband or sons, but don't urge me to leave you. I'm not taking no for an answer here. 00:12:16.720 --> 00:12:23.860 I'm going with you. My mind's made up. Where you go, I'll go. Where you stay, I'll stay. Your people 00:12:23.860 --> 00:12:30.779 shall be my people. Your gods will be my gods. Where you die, I will die. And there will I be buried. 00:12:32.560 --> 00:12:38.700 She's saying, Naomi, you're not abandoned. Your life's not over. I'll be with you. 00:12:39.600 --> 00:12:43.399 And I will lay down my life. I'll lay down everything else for you. 00:12:45.039 --> 00:12:50.920 My marriage prospects everything. You know, one commentator says this, with radical 00:12:50.919 --> 00:12:58.959 self-sacrifice, she abandons every base of security that any person, let alone a poor widow, 00:12:59.299 --> 00:13:06.019 in that cultural context would have clung to. Her native homeland, her own people, even her own gods. 00:13:08.839 --> 00:13:15.779 Wow, this is powerful. How can she be so different from Orpah? That's the question. 00:13:15.779 --> 00:13:24.120 Because whereas Naomi had left her life in God's covenant people to find bread elsewhere, 00:13:24.899 --> 00:13:29.639 Ruth is leaving her old pagan life and is running to the community of God, 00:13:30.240 --> 00:13:36.240 where she knows that there is a God of Israel there, who she's going to come to trust. 00:13:37.059 --> 00:13:42.620 But she has no assurance of what lies ahead of her. She doesn't know. Kevin talked about that path 00:13:42.620 --> 00:13:47.779 last week, where you just, you don't know everything that's going to happen. All she can do is trust 00:13:47.779 --> 00:13:53.740 this God will provide. She knows gods of Moab don't offer her protection. 00:13:55.860 --> 00:14:03.340 See, it's a big deal, a big deal for Ruth to leave. But she's finding refuge in God, 00:14:03.740 --> 00:14:06.960 the God of Israel. And that's the foundation of her love. 00:14:06.960 --> 00:14:11.460 Now, this is interesting in our culture, because 00:14:11.460 --> 00:14:18.800 I think we live in a commitment-phobic culture, right? You know, we get an invite on Facebook, 00:14:19.420 --> 00:14:26.340 and our favorite response to whether we're going or not is, maybe, right? We don't want to commit 00:14:26.340 --> 00:14:32.420 because we're afraid that we might miss out on good things. We live in fear of FOMO, fear of missing 00:14:32.419 --> 00:14:38.360 out, right? You know, we fear we might miss out in relationships if we commit too much. We fear if 00:14:38.360 --> 00:14:43.620 we stay too long in this job, we might miss out on opportunities. We fear that if I serve God too 00:14:43.620 --> 00:14:51.339 much, then maybe my life is not going to work out as it should do. We have FOMO. And yet Ruth's love, 00:14:53.360 --> 00:14:55.299 costly, sacrificial, 00:14:55.299 --> 00:15:01.079 is a love that I think every one of us wants to be loved like that. 00:15:02.159 --> 00:15:04.539 And I think deep down, every one of us 00:15:04.539 --> 00:15:08.059 would love to have the courage to love like that. 00:15:09.859 --> 00:15:12.379 You see, I watched a YouTube video of a Polish guy 00:15:12.379 --> 00:15:14.000 during the Second World War 00:15:14.000 --> 00:15:16.339 called Janusz Korczak. 00:15:16.500 --> 00:15:17.959 I'm not sure if I pronounced it correctly. 00:15:18.599 --> 00:15:19.339 But anyway, 00:15:19.340 --> 00:15:25.920 he was the director of an orphanage of 192 Jewish kids during the Second World War. 00:15:27.200 --> 00:15:31.000 When the Nazis came to take those kids out of the concentration camp, 00:15:31.340 --> 00:15:34.379 they told him, stay behind. We're just taking the kids. 00:15:34.660 --> 00:15:35.320 Do you know what he did? 00:15:36.379 --> 00:15:40.379 He took their hands and he marched with them to the concentration camp. 00:15:40.780 --> 00:15:43.379 He got to the gate of the concentration camp. 00:15:43.700 --> 00:15:45.820 One of the guards there recognized him and said, 00:15:45.920 --> 00:15:48.379 hey, I can help you escape here. Don't worry. 00:15:49.379 --> 00:15:50.200 Do you know what he said? 00:15:50.840 --> 00:15:53.620 He said, no, I'm not leaving these kids. 00:15:54.279 --> 00:15:56.139 They need to know that right to the end, 00:15:56.220 --> 00:15:56.840 they're not alone. 00:15:57.980 --> 00:16:01.159 And so he walked into the concentration camp. 00:16:01.279 --> 00:16:02.539 He went to his death 00:16:02.539 --> 00:16:05.779 with the very children that he'd been looking after. 00:16:07.399 --> 00:16:09.019 Because he would not leave them alone 00:16:09.019 --> 00:16:11.139 to face that. 00:16:11.279 --> 00:16:13.460 That is what Ruth is doing here. 00:16:14.100 --> 00:16:16.100 That is what Ruth is doing here. 00:16:16.100 --> 00:16:18.820 She's showing a depth of costly love 00:16:18.820 --> 00:16:20.500 that is so challenging. 00:16:22.120 --> 00:16:23.440 And you see in the story, 00:16:23.560 --> 00:16:25.440 Naomi is speechless. 00:16:26.700 --> 00:16:29.040 Our translation says she stopped urging her. 00:16:29.759 --> 00:16:32.700 She stopped urging her to not come. 00:16:32.800 --> 00:16:33.779 But actually, the word says, 00:16:33.840 --> 00:16:34.740 she didn't say anymore. 00:16:36.240 --> 00:16:38.100 So seven days walking, 00:16:38.180 --> 00:16:39.480 and they're just walking in silence 00:16:39.480 --> 00:16:43.700 until they reach Bethlehem. 00:16:45.500 --> 00:16:47.500 And you see, it's been 10 years. 00:16:48.879 --> 00:16:51.560 Elimelech and Naomi left 10 years ago. 00:16:51.659 --> 00:16:52.700 She returns now, 00:16:52.940 --> 00:16:53.659 no husband, 00:16:54.159 --> 00:16:55.200 no sons, 00:16:55.860 --> 00:16:57.279 completely different woman, 00:16:57.759 --> 00:16:58.200 haggard, 00:16:58.539 --> 00:16:59.320 downcast, 00:17:00.039 --> 00:17:00.500 aged. 00:17:00.920 --> 00:17:02.399 People can hardly recognize her. 00:17:02.440 --> 00:17:02.700 They say, 00:17:02.820 --> 00:17:03.720 is this Naomi? 00:17:03.720 --> 00:17:03.840 Naomi? 00:17:05.160 --> 00:17:06.500 Is it really you? 00:17:07.440 --> 00:17:08.160 And do you know what she says? 00:17:08.220 --> 00:17:08.700 She says, 00:17:08.900 --> 00:17:09.779 don't call me Naomi, 00:17:10.240 --> 00:17:11.779 because Naomi means pleasant. 00:17:12.539 --> 00:17:12.920 She says, 00:17:13.000 --> 00:17:13.880 call me Mara, 00:17:14.180 --> 00:17:16.440 because Mara means bitter. 00:17:17.720 --> 00:17:18.579 She says, 00:17:19.400 --> 00:17:20.039 Shaddai, 00:17:20.299 --> 00:17:21.319 the Almighty, 00:17:21.839 --> 00:17:22.220 Shaddai, 00:17:22.360 --> 00:17:23.740 it means the mountain one, 00:17:23.799 --> 00:17:24.839 the one who is sovereign 00:17:24.839 --> 00:17:26.180 over the whole earth, 00:17:26.360 --> 00:17:29.360 has made my life bitter. 00:17:29.359 --> 00:17:32.579 I went away full, 00:17:32.719 --> 00:17:33.759 but I've come back empty. 00:17:33.939 --> 00:17:35.459 You stripped me of everything 00:17:35.459 --> 00:17:36.659 that was precious to me. 00:17:36.839 --> 00:17:37.479 I'm bitter, 00:17:37.740 --> 00:17:38.519 life is bitter, 00:17:38.740 --> 00:17:39.619 because God, 00:17:39.839 --> 00:17:41.139 like a witness in a case, 00:17:41.219 --> 00:17:42.559 has testified against me. 00:17:44.859 --> 00:17:46.259 I know God's in control 00:17:46.259 --> 00:17:47.039 of every moment, 00:17:47.619 --> 00:17:49.419 and what's happened to me 00:17:49.419 --> 00:17:50.799 shows me that he's against me. 00:17:51.479 --> 00:17:53.179 I wonder if you've ever felt like that. 00:17:54.019 --> 00:17:55.500 I wonder if you ever felt 00:17:55.500 --> 00:17:57.719 whether God is really good, 00:17:57.720 --> 00:18:00.440 whether you feel like he's against you. 00:18:01.259 --> 00:18:02.900 Why didn't he answer that prayer 00:18:02.900 --> 00:18:04.200 when I was asking for him 00:18:04.200 --> 00:18:04.940 to do something? 00:18:06.420 --> 00:18:07.759 Why am I still single? 00:18:08.940 --> 00:18:10.480 Is God against me? 00:18:11.860 --> 00:18:13.380 And right at the end of the chapter, 00:18:13.500 --> 00:18:14.019 what we have 00:18:14.019 --> 00:18:17.220 is we have 00:18:17.220 --> 00:18:18.519 Ruth, 00:18:19.660 --> 00:18:23.360 and the author explicitly tells us 00:18:23.360 --> 00:18:24.839 Ruth the Moabite. 00:18:25.259 --> 00:18:26.759 That means Ruth the immigrant. 00:18:26.759 --> 00:18:28.559 Ruth the outsider, 00:18:29.119 --> 00:18:31.500 who wasn't supposed to be in Israel 00:18:31.500 --> 00:18:33.180 because she's a Moabite. 00:18:33.960 --> 00:18:35.019 There she is, 00:18:35.359 --> 00:18:37.079 standing right next to Naomi, 00:18:37.519 --> 00:18:39.259 and Naomi can't see 00:18:39.259 --> 00:18:42.839 that Ruth is God's kindness to her. 00:18:44.039 --> 00:18:45.299 She can't see it. 00:18:46.680 --> 00:18:47.799 And she can't see, 00:18:48.319 --> 00:18:49.599 do you see what the last line 00:18:49.599 --> 00:18:50.759 of the chapter is? 00:18:52.180 --> 00:18:54.160 The barley harvest is beginning. 00:18:54.160 --> 00:18:56.600 She'd lost food, 00:18:56.700 --> 00:18:57.700 she'd lost family, 00:18:58.080 --> 00:18:59.460 and now God is beginning 00:18:59.460 --> 00:19:00.920 this story 00:19:00.920 --> 00:19:04.400 of restoring and showing kindness. 00:19:05.620 --> 00:19:07.240 But there's three chapters left, 00:19:07.680 --> 00:19:08.680 so I'm not going to get into 00:19:08.680 --> 00:19:09.560 the rest of the story. 00:19:12.200 --> 00:19:13.900 But what do we get from this? 00:19:14.440 --> 00:19:16.820 Okay, this story is a beautiful, 00:19:17.080 --> 00:19:18.160 tragic story. 00:19:19.060 --> 00:19:20.320 What do we get from this? 00:19:20.319 --> 00:19:23.659 I want to go through four things, 00:19:23.779 --> 00:19:25.099 but I want us to see, 00:19:25.159 --> 00:19:27.339 this is a story of bitterness or trust. 00:19:28.179 --> 00:19:29.399 Bitterness or trust. 00:19:30.379 --> 00:19:31.919 Because I don't know about you 00:19:31.919 --> 00:19:32.859 and what you're going through 00:19:32.859 --> 00:19:33.759 in life right now, 00:19:33.859 --> 00:19:35.119 but whether things are great 00:19:35.119 --> 00:19:36.419 or whether things are not great, 00:19:36.599 --> 00:19:37.259 sooner or later, 00:19:37.399 --> 00:19:38.059 you will face situations 00:19:38.700 --> 00:19:39.659 in your life 00:19:39.659 --> 00:19:40.599 where you will be tempted 00:19:40.599 --> 00:19:41.379 to grow bitter. 00:19:43.500 --> 00:19:44.000 You know, 00:19:44.639 --> 00:19:45.599 there will be times 00:19:45.599 --> 00:19:46.839 where you're tempted to say, 00:19:46.839 --> 00:19:48.859 why is this happening to me? 00:19:49.879 --> 00:19:51.379 God, are you really fair? 00:19:53.039 --> 00:19:55.419 This doesn't seem right. 00:19:57.299 --> 00:19:57.959 You see, 00:19:58.299 --> 00:19:59.439 whether it's because 00:19:59.439 --> 00:20:01.019 of your own choices 00:20:01.019 --> 00:20:02.000 or whether it's because 00:20:02.000 --> 00:20:03.939 of the way life has happened 00:20:03.939 --> 00:20:05.659 or other people's choices, 00:20:06.439 --> 00:20:08.119 there is a reality 00:20:08.119 --> 00:20:09.059 of the brokenness 00:20:09.059 --> 00:20:10.399 of our world. 00:20:11.579 --> 00:20:11.899 You see, 00:20:11.980 --> 00:20:12.500 I have a friend 00:20:12.500 --> 00:20:13.220 who got married 00:20:13.220 --> 00:20:15.139 a while ago 00:20:15.140 --> 00:20:16.480 and she moved to a new place, 00:20:16.680 --> 00:20:17.720 got a new job, 00:20:17.900 --> 00:20:18.920 had a new life. 00:20:19.340 --> 00:20:20.440 Everything was great. 00:20:20.700 --> 00:20:21.460 A month in, 00:20:21.860 --> 00:20:22.720 she blacks out, 00:20:23.740 --> 00:20:24.900 gets to the hospital 00:20:24.900 --> 00:20:26.380 and they find out 00:20:26.380 --> 00:20:27.800 she had an ectopic pregnancy. 00:20:29.240 --> 00:20:30.680 The surgeon has to operate. 00:20:30.820 --> 00:20:31.840 It's really serious. 00:20:32.660 --> 00:20:33.440 They had to cut out 00:20:33.440 --> 00:20:34.940 one of her fallopian tubes. 00:20:35.280 --> 00:20:36.520 She's left in the hospital 00:20:36.520 --> 00:20:38.220 for a number of weeks 00:20:38.220 --> 00:20:39.020 feeling alone 00:20:39.020 --> 00:20:40.080 in this new place 00:20:40.080 --> 00:20:40.500 wondering, 00:20:40.700 --> 00:20:41.040 God, 00:20:41.420 --> 00:20:42.460 this is not the way 00:20:42.460 --> 00:20:43.440 it's supposed to be. 00:20:44.019 --> 00:20:44.980 I've only been married 00:20:44.980 --> 00:20:45.600 a month. 00:20:47.519 --> 00:20:47.759 You know, 00:20:47.799 --> 00:20:48.380 I'm supposed to be 00:20:48.380 --> 00:20:49.100 kind of productive 00:20:49.100 --> 00:20:49.900 and getting on 00:20:49.900 --> 00:20:50.880 with my new life 00:20:50.880 --> 00:20:52.279 and I feel like 00:20:52.279 --> 00:20:53.660 life's just on hold. 00:20:54.120 --> 00:20:54.940 Ever feel like that 00:20:54.940 --> 00:20:55.759 when life just feels 00:20:55.759 --> 00:20:56.580 like it's on hold? 00:20:57.680 --> 00:20:58.039 You know, 00:20:58.080 --> 00:20:59.400 she's left with uncertainties 00:20:59.400 --> 00:21:00.160 about the future. 00:21:00.320 --> 00:21:00.700 Will we be able 00:21:00.700 --> 00:21:01.360 to have kids? 00:21:02.880 --> 00:21:04.100 Will it happen again 00:21:04.100 --> 00:21:05.000 if I get pregnant? 00:21:05.580 --> 00:21:06.500 We've only been married 00:21:06.500 --> 00:21:06.980 a month. 00:21:07.059 --> 00:21:08.160 Did I make a wrong decision? 00:21:08.880 --> 00:21:10.140 Is God punishing me 00:21:10.140 --> 00:21:11.100 for something I did? 00:21:11.099 --> 00:21:13.619 And right when 00:21:13.619 --> 00:21:14.859 the clouds roll in, 00:21:15.759 --> 00:21:18.019 we have a choice 00:21:18.019 --> 00:21:19.339 to run to God 00:21:19.339 --> 00:21:21.159 or to run away from God. 00:21:21.319 --> 00:21:22.579 To stay in Moab 00:21:22.579 --> 00:21:24.079 and to run to Moab 00:21:24.079 --> 00:21:25.000 or to run back 00:21:25.000 --> 00:21:26.019 to the God of Israel. 00:21:28.219 --> 00:21:29.459 And so we need to see 00:21:29.459 --> 00:21:30.379 a number of things. 00:21:31.519 --> 00:21:32.399 The first thing 00:21:32.399 --> 00:21:33.139 we need to see 00:21:33.139 --> 00:21:34.139 is in this chapter, 00:21:34.299 --> 00:21:35.079 God is sovereign. 00:21:36.039 --> 00:21:36.879 God is sovereign. 00:21:38.139 --> 00:21:39.219 Naomi knows this. 00:21:39.220 --> 00:21:41.079 She says, 00:21:41.720 --> 00:21:42.900 in all of these circumstances, 00:21:43.140 --> 00:21:43.759 God's hand 00:21:43.759 --> 00:21:44.740 has gone out against me. 00:21:45.039 --> 00:21:46.039 God has made my life 00:21:46.039 --> 00:21:46.299 midder. 00:21:46.600 --> 00:21:47.620 The Lord has brought me 00:21:47.620 --> 00:21:48.220 back empty. 00:21:48.579 --> 00:21:50.160 God has testified against me. 00:21:50.519 --> 00:21:51.420 It's God who's done 00:21:51.420 --> 00:21:52.100 all of this. 00:21:53.759 --> 00:21:54.819 She knows, 00:21:55.059 --> 00:21:56.240 she's understood something, 00:21:56.339 --> 00:21:57.940 that God is Shaddai, 00:21:58.039 --> 00:21:58.839 the one who is 00:21:58.839 --> 00:21:59.980 sovereignly in control 00:21:59.980 --> 00:22:01.759 of every single circumstance 00:22:01.759 --> 00:22:03.180 that happens in your life 00:22:03.180 --> 00:22:03.880 and my life. 00:22:05.100 --> 00:22:06.279 She knows that. 00:22:06.279 --> 00:22:07.940 He could change 00:22:07.940 --> 00:22:08.920 her circumstances 00:22:08.920 --> 00:22:10.160 at the blink of an eye. 00:22:12.019 --> 00:22:12.680 You know, 00:22:12.859 --> 00:22:13.559 but he hasn't. 00:22:15.500 --> 00:22:16.279 There's a guy 00:22:16.279 --> 00:22:17.740 called Rabbi Kushner 00:22:17.740 --> 00:22:19.299 who wrote a book 00:22:19.299 --> 00:22:20.660 called 00:22:20.660 --> 00:22:21.980 Why Bad Things Happen 00:22:21.980 --> 00:22:22.680 to Good People. 00:22:22.940 --> 00:22:23.559 Has anyone read it? 00:22:24.480 --> 00:22:24.759 Okay. 00:22:24.920 --> 00:22:25.700 Why Bad Things Happen 00:22:25.700 --> 00:22:26.259 to Good People. 00:22:26.759 --> 00:22:27.779 And his argument 00:22:27.779 --> 00:22:29.059 is basically this. 00:22:29.440 --> 00:22:30.519 God is really good 00:22:30.519 --> 00:22:31.160 and kind 00:22:31.160 --> 00:22:32.359 but he's just not able 00:22:32.359 --> 00:22:33.319 to change things. 00:22:33.319 --> 00:22:34.960 He'd love to be able 00:22:34.960 --> 00:22:35.720 to help us out 00:22:35.720 --> 00:22:36.159 a little bit 00:22:36.159 --> 00:22:36.980 in these circumstances 00:22:36.980 --> 00:22:38.220 but he really can't 00:22:38.220 --> 00:22:39.759 because, 00:22:40.139 --> 00:22:41.039 you know, 00:22:41.779 --> 00:22:44.039 he's not that powerful. 00:22:45.819 --> 00:22:46.700 That's not what 00:22:46.700 --> 00:22:47.599 Naomi believes. 00:22:48.259 --> 00:22:49.519 That's not what 00:22:49.519 --> 00:22:51.619 the Bible teaches. 00:22:52.079 --> 00:22:52.599 Jesus says, 00:22:52.819 --> 00:22:53.599 not a sparrow 00:22:53.599 --> 00:22:54.539 falls to the ground 00:22:54.539 --> 00:22:55.299 outside of my 00:22:55.299 --> 00:22:56.480 father's care. 00:22:57.119 --> 00:22:57.879 He's in control 00:22:57.879 --> 00:22:58.700 of every detail. 00:22:59.659 --> 00:23:00.319 God is sovereign. 00:23:00.319 --> 00:23:03.619 But the second thing 00:23:03.619 --> 00:23:04.839 is that God's smile 00:23:04.839 --> 00:23:05.599 can sometimes 00:23:05.599 --> 00:23:06.779 be hidden in clouds. 00:23:08.299 --> 00:23:09.399 What do I mean by that? 00:23:09.460 --> 00:23:10.159 Because sometimes 00:23:10.159 --> 00:23:10.759 if you know 00:23:10.759 --> 00:23:11.700 that God is sovereign 00:23:11.700 --> 00:23:12.740 that can sometimes 00:23:12.740 --> 00:23:13.839 make it even harder 00:23:13.839 --> 00:23:15.379 to accept the things 00:23:15.379 --> 00:23:16.399 that happen in our lives, 00:23:16.460 --> 00:23:16.779 right? 00:23:17.659 --> 00:23:19.159 Because if he could change it, 00:23:19.220 --> 00:23:19.960 why doesn't he? 00:23:20.939 --> 00:23:22.240 Why doesn't he answer 00:23:22.240 --> 00:23:23.539 my prayers all the time? 00:23:25.279 --> 00:23:26.240 Because Naomi 00:23:26.240 --> 00:23:27.119 doesn't struggle 00:23:27.119 --> 00:23:27.619 with believing 00:23:27.619 --> 00:23:28.740 that God is in control. 00:23:28.919 --> 00:23:29.599 She struggles 00:23:29.599 --> 00:23:30.740 with knowing 00:23:30.740 --> 00:23:31.179 whether God 00:23:31.179 --> 00:23:31.859 is really good. 00:23:32.899 --> 00:23:33.419 Whether God 00:23:33.419 --> 00:23:34.759 really loves her. 00:23:35.679 --> 00:23:35.939 You see, 00:23:36.059 --> 00:23:36.399 Naomi, 00:23:36.799 --> 00:23:38.759 Naomi tells 00:23:38.759 --> 00:23:39.679 Orpah and Ruth, 00:23:40.000 --> 00:23:40.740 may God show 00:23:40.740 --> 00:23:42.059 kindness to you. 00:23:42.579 --> 00:23:43.059 In other words, 00:23:43.119 --> 00:23:43.959 she believes up here 00:23:43.959 --> 00:23:44.899 God can be kind. 00:23:45.119 --> 00:23:46.219 Maybe to everyone else, 00:23:46.319 --> 00:23:47.339 but he's not going 00:23:47.339 --> 00:23:48.359 to be kind to her. 00:23:51.279 --> 00:23:53.480 Because she doesn't believe 00:23:53.480 --> 00:23:55.500 that because she sees 00:23:55.500 --> 00:23:56.579 these circumstances 00:23:56.579 --> 00:23:58.099 that God is really 00:23:58.099 --> 00:23:59.299 showing kindness to her. 00:23:59.599 --> 00:24:00.619 God is going to be 00:24:00.619 --> 00:24:01.699 and we've got to see 00:24:01.699 --> 00:24:02.439 a couple of different 00:24:02.439 --> 00:24:03.459 things through this. 00:24:04.559 --> 00:24:05.779 One is this. 00:24:06.579 --> 00:24:08.039 When they went to Moab, 00:24:08.099 --> 00:24:09.219 was that a good choice? 00:24:10.419 --> 00:24:10.899 No. 00:24:12.179 --> 00:24:13.000 And sometimes 00:24:13.000 --> 00:24:14.439 when we make poor choices, 00:24:14.579 --> 00:24:15.759 there are consequences. 00:24:17.059 --> 00:24:18.079 We can't think 00:24:18.079 --> 00:24:19.039 that if we walk out 00:24:19.039 --> 00:24:20.000 of God's people 00:24:20.000 --> 00:24:22.219 and God's presence 00:24:22.219 --> 00:24:24.099 and disobedience, 00:24:24.740 --> 00:24:25.799 that there won't be 00:24:25.799 --> 00:24:26.579 consequences. 00:24:26.579 --> 00:24:27.439 You know, 00:24:27.480 --> 00:24:28.119 if you go and put 00:24:28.119 --> 00:24:30.019 your hand on a hot stove, 00:24:30.240 --> 00:24:31.799 you expect it to burn. 00:24:32.439 --> 00:24:33.619 You don't go and expect 00:24:33.619 --> 00:24:34.579 nothing to happen. 00:24:35.859 --> 00:24:37.599 Sin always has consequences, 00:24:37.960 --> 00:24:39.019 but it clouds 00:24:39.019 --> 00:24:40.500 our view of God as well. 00:24:41.759 --> 00:24:42.960 And some of us actually, 00:24:43.259 --> 00:24:44.579 we know deep down 00:24:44.579 --> 00:24:45.439 we've been staying 00:24:45.439 --> 00:24:45.960 in Moab 00:24:45.960 --> 00:24:46.839 for a little while. 00:24:47.799 --> 00:24:49.339 We know that in our hearts, 00:24:49.439 --> 00:24:50.319 we come on a Sunday, 00:24:50.439 --> 00:24:51.139 but deep down, 00:24:51.299 --> 00:24:53.799 God seems a million miles away 00:24:53.799 --> 00:24:55.359 and we prefer things 00:24:55.359 --> 00:24:56.019 like news, 00:24:56.339 --> 00:24:56.680 YouTube, 00:24:57.180 --> 00:24:57.559 Facebook, 00:24:57.879 --> 00:24:58.619 anything else 00:24:58.619 --> 00:24:59.740 other than spending time 00:24:59.740 --> 00:25:00.299 with God 00:25:00.299 --> 00:25:02.240 because what drives us 00:25:02.240 --> 00:25:03.079 is something else. 00:25:03.700 --> 00:25:04.980 Our work drives us. 00:25:05.200 --> 00:25:06.539 Our relationships drive us. 00:25:06.759 --> 00:25:07.759 What my boss thinks 00:25:07.759 --> 00:25:09.000 about me drives us. 00:25:09.519 --> 00:25:10.279 And God is just 00:25:10.279 --> 00:25:11.579 a Sunday exercise. 00:25:12.759 --> 00:25:14.159 But God here says 00:25:14.159 --> 00:25:14.839 it doesn't matter 00:25:14.839 --> 00:25:15.940 whether you have made 00:25:15.940 --> 00:25:16.700 poor choices 00:25:16.700 --> 00:25:17.639 or good choices. 00:25:18.220 --> 00:25:18.639 He says, 00:25:18.759 --> 00:25:19.759 I want you to return 00:25:19.759 --> 00:25:20.480 from Moab. 00:25:21.099 --> 00:25:21.659 Return. 00:25:21.660 --> 00:25:23.660 I want to show you 00:25:23.660 --> 00:25:24.360 my kindness. 00:25:25.200 --> 00:25:26.180 I want to show you 00:25:26.180 --> 00:25:26.800 my kindness. 00:25:27.779 --> 00:25:28.720 Because the thing is, 00:25:28.779 --> 00:25:29.060 actually, 00:25:29.160 --> 00:25:30.259 if you really realize it, 00:25:30.420 --> 00:25:31.660 every single one of us 00:25:31.660 --> 00:25:33.000 have chosen to go to Moab 00:25:33.000 --> 00:25:33.680 in our lives. 00:25:34.360 --> 00:25:35.660 We frequently do. 00:25:36.920 --> 00:25:37.340 You know, 00:25:37.720 --> 00:25:38.580 I want success 00:25:38.580 --> 00:25:39.300 in my career 00:25:39.300 --> 00:25:40.400 more than I want success 00:25:40.400 --> 00:25:41.279 in God's eyes. 00:25:42.580 --> 00:25:43.720 We've not loved 00:25:43.720 --> 00:25:44.460 other people 00:25:44.460 --> 00:25:45.440 as He's called us to love. 00:25:45.500 --> 00:25:46.200 We've not obeyed 00:25:46.200 --> 00:25:47.340 as He's called us to obey. 00:25:48.240 --> 00:25:49.279 And so sometimes, 00:25:49.460 --> 00:25:50.259 because we have this 00:25:50.259 --> 00:25:51.640 kind of performance-based 00:25:51.640 --> 00:25:52.340 mentality, 00:25:52.640 --> 00:25:53.820 we think that if God 00:25:53.820 --> 00:25:55.580 gives us a difficult situation, 00:25:55.820 --> 00:25:57.100 if God strips something 00:25:57.100 --> 00:25:57.820 away from us, 00:25:57.940 --> 00:25:59.759 that maybe He's punishing us. 00:26:01.480 --> 00:26:02.740 But is that true? 00:26:04.520 --> 00:26:06.080 Sometimes there are consequences, 00:26:06.300 --> 00:26:07.580 but Psalm 34 says, 00:26:08.020 --> 00:26:09.140 even the righteous 00:26:09.140 --> 00:26:11.860 suffer many afflictions. 00:26:13.660 --> 00:26:14.520 I don't know what you're 00:26:14.520 --> 00:26:15.420 going through now. 00:26:16.100 --> 00:26:16.560 Maybe you're having 00:26:16.560 --> 00:26:17.180 a great time. 00:26:17.259 --> 00:26:17.640 Maybe you're having 00:26:17.640 --> 00:26:18.440 a tough time. 00:26:18.440 --> 00:26:20.920 But God, 00:26:21.059 --> 00:26:21.720 don't put God 00:26:21.720 --> 00:26:23.180 in this little performance box 00:26:23.180 --> 00:26:24.539 where if you've worked 00:26:24.539 --> 00:26:25.080 hard enough, 00:26:25.140 --> 00:26:25.680 then you should get 00:26:25.680 --> 00:26:26.539 the good grades. 00:26:26.700 --> 00:26:27.559 And good grades means 00:26:27.559 --> 00:26:28.360 happy, comfortable, 00:26:28.539 --> 00:26:29.259 easy life. 00:26:29.820 --> 00:26:30.799 And then if you've been 00:26:30.799 --> 00:26:31.340 a bit lazy, 00:26:31.460 --> 00:26:32.080 you haven't read your Bible 00:26:32.080 --> 00:26:32.519 recently, 00:26:32.620 --> 00:26:33.259 you haven't prayed, 00:26:33.580 --> 00:26:34.299 therefore you're always 00:26:34.299 --> 00:26:35.240 going to get bad grades. 00:26:35.340 --> 00:26:35.900 God's going to give you 00:26:35.900 --> 00:26:36.559 a hard life. 00:26:36.620 --> 00:26:37.019 He's going to give you 00:26:37.019 --> 00:26:37.759 a terrible life. 00:26:37.820 --> 00:26:39.259 It doesn't work like that. 00:26:40.820 --> 00:26:42.160 Sure, there are consequences, 00:26:42.160 --> 00:26:42.400 consequences, 00:26:42.700 --> 00:26:44.180 but God is wanting 00:26:44.180 --> 00:26:46.360 to show us his smile 00:26:46.360 --> 00:26:47.820 even when we feel 00:26:47.820 --> 00:26:49.100 like the clouds are there. 00:26:50.019 --> 00:26:51.560 Because here's the third thing. 00:26:51.600 --> 00:26:52.340 God is sovereign. 00:26:52.740 --> 00:26:53.820 God's smile is sometimes 00:26:53.820 --> 00:26:54.880 hidden by the clouds. 00:26:55.040 --> 00:26:55.720 Sometimes that's our 00:26:55.720 --> 00:26:56.440 own sinfulness 00:26:56.440 --> 00:26:57.800 and the consequences. 00:26:58.019 --> 00:26:59.180 Sometimes that's just life. 00:26:59.519 --> 00:27:00.460 But the third thing is 00:27:00.460 --> 00:27:01.300 God strips us 00:27:01.300 --> 00:27:02.519 to show us his kindness. 00:27:04.900 --> 00:27:05.200 You know, 00:27:05.200 --> 00:27:10.700 some of us have grown bitter. 00:27:12.160 --> 00:27:13.720 We've grown bitter at God. 00:27:15.480 --> 00:27:16.259 We've grown bitter 00:27:16.259 --> 00:27:17.259 at our circumstances. 00:27:18.240 --> 00:27:18.860 Maybe you don't think 00:27:18.860 --> 00:27:19.640 it's really bitter. 00:27:19.800 --> 00:27:20.540 Maybe just a little bit 00:27:20.540 --> 00:27:20.900 of bitterness. 00:27:22.000 --> 00:27:23.700 But we have expectations. 00:27:24.759 --> 00:27:25.980 We have hopes. 00:27:26.840 --> 00:27:28.700 We grow up with the expectations 00:27:28.700 --> 00:27:29.560 that God is just going 00:27:29.560 --> 00:27:30.620 to bless my life 00:27:30.620 --> 00:27:32.060 and make it just flourish 00:27:32.060 --> 00:27:33.460 in every way. 00:27:33.460 --> 00:27:35.360 And we see in our lives 00:27:35.360 --> 00:27:36.700 he does do that. 00:27:37.360 --> 00:27:38.600 In our community group, 00:27:38.680 --> 00:27:39.920 we've seen so many answers 00:27:39.920 --> 00:27:40.560 to prayer 00:27:40.560 --> 00:27:41.960 for whether it's work, 00:27:41.960 --> 00:27:42.840 whether it's relationship, 00:27:43.000 --> 00:27:43.600 whether it's babies, 00:27:43.720 --> 00:27:44.819 all kinds of things. 00:27:46.100 --> 00:27:47.799 God does bless us. 00:27:48.220 --> 00:27:50.120 But isn't it true 00:27:50.120 --> 00:27:50.900 that sometimes 00:27:50.900 --> 00:27:51.900 the really good things 00:27:51.900 --> 00:27:53.140 we want can become 00:27:53.140 --> 00:27:54.059 the very hope 00:27:54.059 --> 00:27:55.620 in our life itself? 00:27:55.960 --> 00:27:56.900 We think life 00:27:56.900 --> 00:27:57.980 is found in those things. 00:27:58.079 --> 00:27:58.819 We want the gifts 00:27:58.819 --> 00:27:59.700 more than the giver. 00:28:01.759 --> 00:28:02.299 You see, 00:28:03.160 --> 00:28:04.259 Naomi believed 00:28:04.259 --> 00:28:05.860 that her life 00:28:05.860 --> 00:28:06.740 and her hope 00:28:06.740 --> 00:28:07.420 was determined 00:28:07.420 --> 00:28:08.259 by her husband 00:28:08.259 --> 00:28:09.500 and her sons. 00:28:10.700 --> 00:28:11.200 She, 00:28:11.519 --> 00:28:12.400 her security 00:28:12.400 --> 00:28:13.500 lay with them. 00:28:14.700 --> 00:28:15.400 And as God 00:28:15.400 --> 00:28:16.599 stripped those things 00:28:16.599 --> 00:28:17.400 away from her, 00:28:17.599 --> 00:28:18.420 she thought life 00:28:18.420 --> 00:28:18.920 was over. 00:28:19.519 --> 00:28:20.319 That was it. 00:28:20.420 --> 00:28:21.000 No hope. 00:28:22.799 --> 00:28:23.779 Because she placed 00:28:23.779 --> 00:28:24.480 all her hope 00:28:24.480 --> 00:28:26.160 in that, 00:28:26.599 --> 00:28:27.480 in her husband 00:28:27.480 --> 00:28:28.339 and all her sons. 00:28:28.799 --> 00:28:29.680 But let me ask you, 00:28:29.740 --> 00:28:30.599 in your life, 00:28:30.599 --> 00:28:33.740 what in your life, 00:28:33.779 --> 00:28:34.619 if it was taken 00:28:34.619 --> 00:28:35.899 away from you today, 00:28:36.119 --> 00:28:36.959 would leave you 00:28:36.959 --> 00:28:37.819 feeling like life 00:28:37.819 --> 00:28:38.299 was over? 00:28:39.579 --> 00:28:40.740 You had no hope 00:28:40.740 --> 00:28:41.199 left. 00:28:43.259 --> 00:28:44.179 What if I said 00:28:44.179 --> 00:28:45.039 you'll never earn 00:28:45.039 --> 00:28:45.500 more money 00:28:45.500 --> 00:28:46.379 than you do today 00:28:46.379 --> 00:28:47.119 in the rest 00:28:47.119 --> 00:28:47.679 of your life? 00:28:49.199 --> 00:28:50.359 What if I said 00:28:50.359 --> 00:28:52.279 you'll never move 00:28:52.279 --> 00:28:53.419 higher in your company 00:28:53.419 --> 00:28:54.299 than you do today, 00:28:54.379 --> 00:28:55.119 than you are today 00:28:55.119 --> 00:28:55.699 in your life? 00:28:57.439 --> 00:28:58.359 What if I said 00:28:58.359 --> 00:28:58.799 you will never 00:28:58.799 --> 00:28:59.379 get married? 00:29:00.599 --> 00:29:02.079 What if I said 00:29:02.079 --> 00:29:02.559 your kids 00:29:02.559 --> 00:29:03.059 will not get 00:29:03.059 --> 00:29:03.799 into that school? 00:29:05.639 --> 00:29:06.379 Would that 00:29:06.379 --> 00:29:07.799 disappoint you deeply? 00:29:07.859 --> 00:29:08.339 Because these 00:29:08.339 --> 00:29:09.199 are good desires. 00:29:09.639 --> 00:29:10.459 They're not bad desires. 00:29:10.539 --> 00:29:11.579 These are good desires. 00:29:12.519 --> 00:29:13.099 Would that 00:29:13.099 --> 00:29:14.559 disappoint you deeply? 00:29:14.919 --> 00:29:15.659 Or would that 00:29:15.659 --> 00:29:16.579 devastate you 00:29:16.579 --> 00:29:17.059 to the point 00:29:17.059 --> 00:29:17.639 you felt there was 00:29:17.639 --> 00:29:18.679 no life worth living? 00:29:20.379 --> 00:29:21.879 Because we take 00:29:21.879 --> 00:29:22.819 good desires 00:29:22.819 --> 00:29:23.740 and we place 00:29:23.740 --> 00:29:24.659 all our weight 00:29:24.659 --> 00:29:25.159 on them. 00:29:25.759 --> 00:29:26.859 And when we do 00:29:26.859 --> 00:29:27.399 that, 00:29:27.719 --> 00:29:28.539 we make what 00:29:28.539 --> 00:29:29.179 the Bible calls 00:29:29.179 --> 00:29:29.740 an idol. 00:29:30.599 --> 00:29:32.619 And the thing 00:29:32.619 --> 00:29:32.759 is, 00:29:32.819 --> 00:29:33.299 when you have 00:29:33.299 --> 00:29:34.379 an idol of a hope 00:29:34.379 --> 00:29:35.619 weighed so strongly 00:29:35.619 --> 00:29:36.679 on certain things, 00:29:36.839 --> 00:29:38.519 then it terrifies us 00:29:38.519 --> 00:29:39.959 to think that we 00:29:39.959 --> 00:29:40.539 could ever live 00:29:40.539 --> 00:29:41.139 without it. 00:29:43.819 --> 00:29:44.759 And the difficult 00:29:44.759 --> 00:29:45.500 thing is, 00:29:45.559 --> 00:29:46.459 with these desires, 00:29:46.579 --> 00:29:48.539 is they bind us. 00:29:48.980 --> 00:29:50.079 Because you notice, 00:29:50.319 --> 00:29:50.959 for example, 00:29:51.199 --> 00:29:52.199 if you struggle 00:29:52.199 --> 00:29:53.339 with singleness, 00:29:53.879 --> 00:29:54.719 and then you go 00:29:54.719 --> 00:29:55.679 and look on Facebook, 00:29:55.680 --> 00:29:57.220 and everyone else 00:29:57.220 --> 00:29:57.740 of your friends 00:29:57.740 --> 00:29:58.620 is getting married, 00:30:00.160 --> 00:30:01.500 does that lead 00:30:01.500 --> 00:30:02.120 to joy 00:30:02.120 --> 00:30:02.660 or does that 00:30:02.660 --> 00:30:03.340 lead to bitterness? 00:30:04.960 --> 00:30:06.519 It can easily 00:30:06.519 --> 00:30:08.360 lead to bitterness. 00:30:09.460 --> 00:30:10.740 Or when you see 00:30:10.740 --> 00:30:11.580 that somebody 00:30:11.580 --> 00:30:13.259 else's spouse 00:30:13.259 --> 00:30:15.259 seems so much 00:30:15.259 --> 00:30:16.840 more proactive, 00:30:17.320 --> 00:30:17.799 godly, 00:30:17.960 --> 00:30:18.779 whatever it is, 00:30:18.840 --> 00:30:19.900 than your spouse, 00:30:21.060 --> 00:30:22.000 can we suddenly 00:30:22.000 --> 00:30:22.920 end up getting 00:30:22.920 --> 00:30:23.700 that little bit 00:30:23.700 --> 00:30:24.720 of resentment, 00:30:25.140 --> 00:30:25.440 saying, 00:30:25.600 --> 00:30:26.660 it's not fair. 00:30:27.759 --> 00:30:28.140 God, 00:30:28.180 --> 00:30:28.620 I've been trying 00:30:28.620 --> 00:30:29.180 to serve you, 00:30:29.220 --> 00:30:29.620 I've been trying 00:30:29.620 --> 00:30:30.240 to do these things 00:30:30.240 --> 00:30:30.660 for you, 00:30:30.759 --> 00:30:31.220 but it doesn't 00:30:31.220 --> 00:30:31.640 seem to be 00:30:31.640 --> 00:30:32.160 working out 00:30:32.160 --> 00:30:32.820 as it should. 00:30:34.920 --> 00:30:35.600 You see, 00:30:35.779 --> 00:30:36.440 when bitterness 00:30:36.440 --> 00:30:37.240 creeps in, 00:30:37.320 --> 00:30:38.500 that's a warning light 00:30:38.500 --> 00:30:39.560 to say, 00:30:40.039 --> 00:30:40.740 idol alert. 00:30:41.420 --> 00:30:42.320 You have placed 00:30:42.320 --> 00:30:43.480 a good desire 00:30:43.480 --> 00:30:44.140 to become 00:30:44.140 --> 00:30:45.259 an ultimate desire, 00:30:45.480 --> 00:30:46.420 and you've replaced 00:30:46.420 --> 00:30:47.340 God as your 00:30:47.340 --> 00:30:48.259 ultimate hope. 00:30:48.259 --> 00:30:51.000 And the thing is, 00:30:51.059 --> 00:30:51.839 we can be blind 00:30:51.839 --> 00:30:52.559 to this, 00:30:53.559 --> 00:30:54.379 which is why 00:30:54.379 --> 00:30:55.740 sometimes in life, 00:30:55.859 --> 00:30:56.940 God graciously 00:30:56.940 --> 00:30:58.680 strips us 00:30:58.680 --> 00:30:59.319 of things. 00:31:00.539 --> 00:31:01.339 Not because 00:31:01.339 --> 00:31:02.039 he wants to make 00:31:02.039 --> 00:31:02.759 our lives hard, 00:31:02.839 --> 00:31:03.460 but because he wants 00:31:03.460 --> 00:31:04.539 to show you something. 00:31:05.980 --> 00:31:06.759 Because you see, 00:31:06.879 --> 00:31:08.200 Naomi was so wrapped 00:31:08.200 --> 00:31:09.160 up in her bitterness 00:31:09.160 --> 00:31:10.539 that she failed 00:31:10.539 --> 00:31:11.799 to see God's kindness. 00:31:13.819 --> 00:31:14.519 You see, 00:31:14.680 --> 00:31:15.359 in spite of the 00:31:15.359 --> 00:31:16.119 poor choices 00:31:16.119 --> 00:31:16.960 she'd made, 00:31:16.960 --> 00:31:18.600 God hasn't 00:31:18.600 --> 00:31:19.539 finished with her. 00:31:20.680 --> 00:31:21.480 This is beautiful. 00:31:22.200 --> 00:31:22.940 Some of you feel 00:31:22.940 --> 00:31:24.059 like you've messed up 00:31:24.059 --> 00:31:25.039 in your life. 00:31:25.480 --> 00:31:26.400 God's just kind of 00:31:26.400 --> 00:31:27.420 getting you a hard time 00:31:27.420 --> 00:31:28.160 because you've made 00:31:28.160 --> 00:31:29.019 some poor choices. 00:31:29.440 --> 00:31:30.360 This tells you 00:31:30.360 --> 00:31:31.840 God's not finished 00:31:31.840 --> 00:31:32.380 with you. 00:31:33.180 --> 00:31:34.900 Because who provides 00:31:34.900 --> 00:31:35.620 food again 00:31:35.620 --> 00:31:36.860 in Bethlehem? 00:31:38.039 --> 00:31:38.740 God does. 00:31:39.400 --> 00:31:40.140 God is trying 00:31:40.140 --> 00:31:41.420 to draw her back 00:31:41.420 --> 00:31:42.160 into the people 00:31:42.160 --> 00:31:42.700 of God. 00:31:42.960 --> 00:31:43.940 What's the time 00:31:43.940 --> 00:31:45.000 that she comes back? 00:31:45.279 --> 00:31:46.259 She comes back 00:31:46.259 --> 00:31:48.119 it's the barley harvest. 00:31:49.000 --> 00:31:49.359 You see, 00:31:49.480 --> 00:31:50.119 the very thing 00:31:50.119 --> 00:31:50.859 she'd gone down 00:31:50.859 --> 00:31:51.519 to Moab 00:31:51.519 --> 00:31:52.519 to try and get 00:31:52.519 --> 00:31:54.460 was the very thing 00:31:54.460 --> 00:31:55.180 that actually God 00:31:55.180 --> 00:31:56.140 was providing. 00:31:56.720 --> 00:31:57.440 The barley harvest 00:31:57.440 --> 00:31:58.220 is when bread 00:31:58.220 --> 00:31:58.819 is made. 00:31:59.079 --> 00:32:00.160 You get food. 00:32:01.000 --> 00:32:01.440 God was wanting 00:32:01.440 --> 00:32:01.839 to show you, 00:32:01.980 --> 00:32:02.599 you come to me, 00:32:02.660 --> 00:32:03.599 you'll be satisfied 00:32:03.599 --> 00:32:04.940 in a way 00:32:04.940 --> 00:32:06.039 that you go to Moab 00:32:06.039 --> 00:32:06.759 you won't be. 00:32:07.900 --> 00:32:09.119 But the thing is, 00:32:09.500 --> 00:32:11.079 even when there 00:32:11.079 --> 00:32:11.900 are these signs 00:32:11.900 --> 00:32:12.640 of kindness, 00:32:12.799 --> 00:32:13.359 the rays 00:32:13.359 --> 00:32:14.839 are peeking 00:32:14.839 --> 00:32:15.639 through the clouds, 00:32:15.980 --> 00:32:17.299 she doesn't see them. 00:32:18.599 --> 00:32:19.000 Because, 00:32:19.899 --> 00:32:20.279 do you remember 00:32:20.279 --> 00:32:21.000 when she said, 00:32:21.119 --> 00:32:22.059 I went away full 00:32:22.059 --> 00:32:23.679 and now I'm empty, 00:32:23.819 --> 00:32:24.500 I've got nothing. 00:32:25.579 --> 00:32:26.319 Who's standing 00:32:26.319 --> 00:32:27.139 right next to her? 00:32:28.879 --> 00:32:29.559 Ruth is. 00:32:30.220 --> 00:32:30.959 Ruth who has 00:32:30.959 --> 00:32:31.639 laid down 00:32:31.639 --> 00:32:32.819 her life for her. 00:32:33.619 --> 00:32:34.179 Ruth who has 00:32:34.179 --> 00:32:35.119 given everything 00:32:35.119 --> 00:32:35.939 for her 00:32:35.939 --> 00:32:37.059 and she can't 00:32:37.059 --> 00:32:37.519 see it. 00:32:38.579 --> 00:32:39.980 She can't see it. 00:32:39.980 --> 00:32:44.539 But we're only 00:32:44.539 --> 00:32:45.259 at chapter one. 00:32:47.240 --> 00:32:48.120 There's three more 00:32:48.120 --> 00:32:48.740 chapters and 00:32:48.740 --> 00:32:49.559 as you see 00:32:49.559 --> 00:32:50.079 Ruth, 00:32:51.480 --> 00:32:52.559 as you see 00:32:52.559 --> 00:32:54.180 the barley harvest, 00:32:54.519 --> 00:32:55.519 these are glimpses 00:32:55.519 --> 00:32:56.480 of the kindness 00:32:56.480 --> 00:32:57.240 of what God 00:32:57.240 --> 00:32:57.620 is wanting 00:32:57.620 --> 00:32:58.160 to show 00:32:58.160 --> 00:32:58.759 to Naomi. 00:33:00.720 --> 00:33:01.480 And that's 00:33:01.480 --> 00:33:01.920 what he wants 00:33:01.920 --> 00:33:02.839 to show to us. 00:33:03.480 --> 00:33:04.079 Sometimes we're 00:33:04.079 --> 00:33:04.660 so focused 00:33:04.660 --> 00:33:05.420 on what we don't 00:33:05.420 --> 00:33:07.039 have in our lives 00:33:07.039 --> 00:33:07.880 that we fail 00:33:07.880 --> 00:33:08.819 to see the kindness 00:33:08.819 --> 00:33:09.559 that God is trying 00:33:09.559 --> 00:33:10.299 to show you 00:33:10.299 --> 00:33:11.159 day in 00:33:11.159 --> 00:33:12.259 and day out. 00:33:16.939 --> 00:33:17.839 And so when 00:33:17.839 --> 00:33:18.500 we're struggling, 00:33:18.839 --> 00:33:19.519 maybe you're struggling 00:33:19.519 --> 00:33:20.299 wondering how am I 00:33:20.299 --> 00:33:20.859 going to provide 00:33:20.859 --> 00:33:21.579 in my life? 00:33:21.939 --> 00:33:22.759 Maybe you're struggling 00:33:22.759 --> 00:33:23.720 with a sense of 00:33:23.720 --> 00:33:24.720 things just don't 00:33:24.720 --> 00:33:25.359 seem fair. 00:33:25.480 --> 00:33:26.359 God seems to not 00:33:26.359 --> 00:33:27.119 be coming through 00:33:27.119 --> 00:33:27.859 for me in a whole 00:33:27.859 --> 00:33:28.619 load of ways. 00:33:29.379 --> 00:33:30.099 We need to know 00:33:30.099 --> 00:33:30.619 he's sovereign. 00:33:31.539 --> 00:33:32.179 We need to know 00:33:32.179 --> 00:33:33.200 sometimes his smile 00:33:33.200 --> 00:33:34.240 is hidden in the clouds. 00:33:34.399 --> 00:33:35.039 We need to know 00:33:35.039 --> 00:33:35.599 that sometimes 00:33:35.599 --> 00:33:36.819 he strips us 00:33:36.819 --> 00:33:38.000 because he wants us 00:33:38.000 --> 00:33:38.639 to see that 00:33:38.640 --> 00:33:39.840 God has got 00:33:39.840 --> 00:33:41.000 more for you 00:33:41.000 --> 00:33:42.220 in himself 00:33:42.220 --> 00:33:43.520 than just in his gifts. 00:33:44.040 --> 00:33:44.780 The fourth thing 00:33:44.780 --> 00:33:45.800 is he wants to 00:33:45.800 --> 00:33:46.960 consider his kindness. 00:33:48.900 --> 00:33:49.500 You see, 00:33:49.560 --> 00:33:50.240 what you need to do 00:33:50.240 --> 00:33:50.960 wherever you are 00:33:50.960 --> 00:33:52.080 right now in your life, 00:33:52.540 --> 00:33:53.360 you need to look up 00:33:53.360 --> 00:33:53.920 and see 00:33:53.920 --> 00:33:55.560 not just Ruth 00:33:55.560 --> 00:33:56.140 is with you, 00:33:56.200 --> 00:33:56.759 there is a better 00:33:56.759 --> 00:33:57.880 Ruth who's with you. 00:33:59.160 --> 00:34:00.560 Because Jesus Christ 00:34:00.560 --> 00:34:01.280 was the one 00:34:01.280 --> 00:34:02.120 who clings 00:34:02.120 --> 00:34:03.320 closer than a brother 00:34:03.320 --> 00:34:04.000 to us. 00:34:04.720 --> 00:34:05.320 He didn't just 00:34:05.320 --> 00:34:06.320 leave Moab, 00:34:06.319 --> 00:34:08.079 he left heaven 00:34:08.079 --> 00:34:09.179 itself for you. 00:34:10.259 --> 00:34:11.199 He came as the 00:34:11.199 --> 00:34:12.279 ultimate insider 00:34:12.279 --> 00:34:13.059 but was treated 00:34:13.059 --> 00:34:13.779 as the ultimate 00:34:13.779 --> 00:34:14.420 outsider. 00:34:15.579 --> 00:34:16.420 He didn't just 00:34:16.420 --> 00:34:17.219 give up marriage 00:34:17.219 --> 00:34:18.579 prospects for you, 00:34:18.960 --> 00:34:19.779 he gave up 00:34:19.779 --> 00:34:20.779 his very life 00:34:20.779 --> 00:34:21.500 for you. 00:34:23.400 --> 00:34:24.119 You see, 00:34:24.179 --> 00:34:25.219 he was so committed 00:34:25.219 --> 00:34:27.279 to bringing you 00:34:27.279 --> 00:34:28.059 to himself, 00:34:28.779 --> 00:34:29.719 to showing you 00:34:29.719 --> 00:34:30.440 his kindness, 00:34:31.019 --> 00:34:32.420 that he set his face 00:34:32.420 --> 00:34:33.480 towards Jerusalem 00:34:33.480 --> 00:34:34.800 and Peter 00:34:34.800 --> 00:34:35.980 tries to tell him, 00:34:36.240 --> 00:34:36.900 turn back, 00:34:37.079 --> 00:34:37.940 don't come back, 00:34:38.179 --> 00:34:39.300 don't do this 00:34:39.300 --> 00:34:40.280 and Jesus says, 00:34:40.599 --> 00:34:41.519 he rebukes Peter 00:34:41.519 --> 00:34:41.820 and says, 00:34:41.920 --> 00:34:42.179 no, 00:34:42.900 --> 00:34:44.340 I'm going to the 00:34:44.340 --> 00:34:45.219 cross for you. 00:34:46.420 --> 00:34:46.920 You see, 00:34:47.019 --> 00:34:47.500 he says, 00:34:47.780 --> 00:34:48.760 where you should go, 00:34:48.840 --> 00:34:49.539 I will go. 00:34:49.940 --> 00:34:51.260 Where you should die, 00:34:51.420 --> 00:34:52.219 I will die 00:34:52.219 --> 00:34:53.240 instead of you. 00:34:54.119 --> 00:34:55.240 So that the judgment 00:34:55.240 --> 00:34:56.119 and the punishment 00:34:56.119 --> 00:34:56.599 of God 00:34:56.599 --> 00:34:57.360 goes on me, 00:34:57.480 --> 00:34:58.099 not on you. 00:35:00.980 --> 00:35:02.179 You're not alone. 00:35:02.179 --> 00:35:04.440 Because when he rose 00:35:04.440 --> 00:35:05.319 and ascended to his 00:35:05.319 --> 00:35:05.599 father, 00:35:05.679 --> 00:35:06.599 he sent his spirit 00:35:06.599 --> 00:35:09.219 to us and he says, 00:35:09.339 --> 00:35:10.419 I will never leave you. 00:35:10.579 --> 00:35:11.579 I will never leave you 00:35:11.579 --> 00:35:12.219 as an orphan. 00:35:12.419 --> 00:35:13.259 God is with us 00:35:13.259 --> 00:35:14.559 and God is for us. 00:35:17.859 --> 00:35:18.299 So, 00:35:18.739 --> 00:35:20.399 if God is for us 00:35:20.399 --> 00:35:21.419 and God is with us, 00:35:21.599 --> 00:35:22.399 this week, 00:35:22.799 --> 00:35:24.000 you may have choices 00:35:24.000 --> 00:35:24.679 and moments 00:35:24.679 --> 00:35:25.099 where you're going 00:35:25.099 --> 00:35:25.739 to be tempted 00:35:25.739 --> 00:35:28.039 to be bitter. 00:35:29.079 --> 00:35:30.139 You have a choice 00:35:30.139 --> 00:35:30.960 whether you trust 00:35:30.960 --> 00:35:31.679 or you get bitter. 00:35:32.179 --> 00:35:33.559 But if Jesus 00:35:33.559 --> 00:35:34.460 is so committed 00:35:34.460 --> 00:35:35.039 to you, 00:35:35.460 --> 00:35:36.859 so kind to you 00:35:36.859 --> 00:35:37.679 that he would die 00:35:37.679 --> 00:35:38.379 for you, 00:35:38.960 --> 00:35:39.839 don't you realize 00:35:39.839 --> 00:35:41.099 that you can trust him 00:35:41.099 --> 00:35:42.079 in your life 00:35:42.079 --> 00:35:42.940 with whatever you're 00:35:42.940 --> 00:35:43.440 going through 00:35:43.440 --> 00:35:44.119 right now 00:35:44.119 --> 00:35:45.119 to work out 00:35:45.119 --> 00:35:46.419 his redemption plan 00:35:46.419 --> 00:35:47.279 because there are 00:35:47.279 --> 00:35:48.159 three more chapters 00:35:48.159 --> 00:35:48.679 left 00:35:48.679 --> 00:35:50.339 and he sees 00:35:50.339 --> 00:35:51.279 a bigger story 00:35:51.279 --> 00:35:52.359 and he's weaving 00:35:52.359 --> 00:35:53.119 your story 00:35:53.119 --> 00:35:54.139 into his story. 00:35:55.460 --> 00:35:55.859 See, 00:35:55.919 --> 00:35:57.219 he wants to bring you 00:35:57.219 --> 00:35:58.779 the barley harvest, 00:35:59.579 --> 00:36:00.539 the barley harvest 00:36:00.539 --> 00:36:01.539 of knowing him. 00:36:04.000 --> 00:36:04.840 Every day 00:36:04.840 --> 00:36:05.860 this week, 00:36:06.259 --> 00:36:06.659 faith 00:36:06.659 --> 00:36:08.259 will be 00:36:08.259 --> 00:36:09.300 a matter 00:36:09.300 --> 00:36:10.619 of a battle 00:36:10.619 --> 00:36:11.219 to remember 00:36:11.219 --> 00:36:11.860 his kindness 00:36:11.860 --> 00:36:12.440 to you. 00:36:13.559 --> 00:36:14.279 It doesn't matter 00:36:14.279 --> 00:36:14.900 whether you chose 00:36:14.900 --> 00:36:15.579 not to grow bitter 00:36:15.579 --> 00:36:16.219 last week 00:36:16.219 --> 00:36:16.679 when you looked 00:36:16.679 --> 00:36:17.219 on Facebook 00:36:17.219 --> 00:36:18.079 and did other things, 00:36:18.420 --> 00:36:19.300 you talked to your colleagues. 00:36:19.699 --> 00:36:20.840 This week's a new week. 00:36:21.539 --> 00:36:22.420 You can choose 00:36:22.420 --> 00:36:22.940 to be bitter 00:36:22.940 --> 00:36:23.719 or to trust. 00:36:23.719 --> 00:36:26.339 this is the fight 00:36:26.339 --> 00:36:26.959 of faith 00:36:26.959 --> 00:36:28.959 but God 00:36:28.959 --> 00:36:29.679 calls you 00:36:29.679 --> 00:36:30.379 to consider 00:36:30.379 --> 00:36:31.139 the kindness 00:36:31.139 --> 00:36:31.759 he's showing 00:36:31.759 --> 00:36:32.559 to you 00:36:32.559 --> 00:36:34.539 most beautifully 00:36:34.539 --> 00:36:36.000 at the cross. 00:36:37.459 --> 00:36:38.079 You see, 00:36:38.159 --> 00:36:38.619 my friend 00:36:38.619 --> 00:36:39.639 who was in hospital 00:36:39.639 --> 00:36:40.559 in the midst 00:36:40.559 --> 00:36:41.359 of her darkness, 00:36:41.859 --> 00:36:42.639 she chose 00:36:42.639 --> 00:36:43.359 to refuse 00:36:43.359 --> 00:36:43.699 bitterness 00:36:43.699 --> 00:36:44.399 and to run 00:36:44.399 --> 00:36:44.939 to God 00:36:44.939 --> 00:36:47.039 and do you know 00:36:47.039 --> 00:36:47.779 what she told me? 00:36:48.559 --> 00:36:49.439 When I felt 00:36:49.439 --> 00:36:50.319 everything was stripped 00:36:50.319 --> 00:36:50.739 away, 00:36:50.839 --> 00:36:51.939 my hope was gone, 00:36:51.940 --> 00:36:53.480 I found hope 00:36:53.480 --> 00:36:54.119 in God. 00:36:55.139 --> 00:36:56.240 I have never 00:36:56.240 --> 00:36:56.900 experienced 00:36:56.900 --> 00:36:57.840 such a closeness 00:36:57.840 --> 00:36:58.800 with God before. 00:36:59.619 --> 00:37:00.380 When God 00:37:00.380 --> 00:37:01.420 is all you have, 00:37:01.659 --> 00:37:02.440 you discover 00:37:02.440 --> 00:37:02.900 that God 00:37:02.900 --> 00:37:03.720 is all you need. 00:37:04.720 --> 00:37:05.579 We sing 00:37:05.579 --> 00:37:06.460 about God's goodness, 00:37:06.639 --> 00:37:07.000 we say, 00:37:07.139 --> 00:37:08.039 I know God loves me 00:37:08.039 --> 00:37:08.480 but often 00:37:08.480 --> 00:37:08.920 that's just 00:37:08.920 --> 00:37:09.740 left up here. 00:37:10.619 --> 00:37:11.260 Sometimes God 00:37:11.260 --> 00:37:11.920 will bring you 00:37:11.920 --> 00:37:12.860 through circumstances 00:37:12.860 --> 00:37:13.860 because he wants 00:37:13.860 --> 00:37:14.900 to show the kindness 00:37:14.900 --> 00:37:16.159 to go from here 00:37:16.159 --> 00:37:17.400 down to here 00:37:17.400 --> 00:37:18.820 so that you can 00:37:18.820 --> 00:37:20.260 truly sing, 00:37:20.659 --> 00:37:21.420 God is sovereign 00:37:21.420 --> 00:37:22.139 in my life 00:37:22.139 --> 00:37:23.019 and God is kind 00:37:23.019 --> 00:37:23.720 in my life 00:37:23.720 --> 00:37:25.280 and my story 00:37:25.280 --> 00:37:26.119 is hidden 00:37:26.119 --> 00:37:27.139 in his story 00:37:27.139 --> 00:37:28.480 and he is working 00:37:28.480 --> 00:37:29.800 out his great purposes 00:37:29.800 --> 00:37:30.559 and plans 00:37:30.559 --> 00:37:31.740 and he will get 00:37:31.740 --> 00:37:32.240 the glory. 00:37:34.180 --> 00:37:35.380 He's what you need 00:37:35.380 --> 00:37:36.260 for whatever you're 00:37:36.260 --> 00:37:37.340 going through right now. 00:37:38.039 --> 00:37:38.840 Let's pray. 00:37:38.840 --> 00:37:38.880 Let's pray. 00:37:51.420 --> 00:37:53.380 Father, I just pray. 00:37:58.019 --> 00:37:58.940 I know there are 00:37:58.940 --> 00:37:59.980 some people here 00:37:59.980 --> 00:38:04.480 who life has been hard. 00:38:07.539 --> 00:38:08.099 Health, 00:38:09.059 --> 00:38:09.700 work, 00:38:10.680 --> 00:38:11.400 relationships 00:38:11.400 --> 00:38:14.340 and Lord, 00:38:14.480 --> 00:38:15.860 there are some people 00:38:15.860 --> 00:38:16.900 here who have grown weary 00:38:16.900 --> 00:38:20.480 and are wondering 00:38:20.480 --> 00:38:21.180 whether you really 00:38:21.180 --> 00:38:21.720 are good 00:38:21.720 --> 00:38:24.820 because sometimes 00:38:24.820 --> 00:38:25.800 you felt a long way 00:38:25.800 --> 00:38:26.119 away. 00:38:28.320 --> 00:38:29.559 I pray that you'd 00:38:29.559 --> 00:38:30.300 help them to lift 00:38:30.300 --> 00:38:30.840 their eyes 00:38:30.840 --> 00:38:31.519 and to see 00:38:31.519 --> 00:38:32.340 your kindness 00:38:32.340 --> 00:38:34.960 in the little things 00:38:34.960 --> 00:38:36.260 and in the big things. 00:38:36.260 --> 00:38:39.200 I pray, Lord, 00:38:39.240 --> 00:38:40.180 for those of us 00:38:40.180 --> 00:38:41.520 who right now 00:38:41.520 --> 00:38:42.080 are actually, 00:38:43.020 --> 00:38:43.820 we're happy 00:38:43.820 --> 00:38:44.500 in Moab. 00:38:46.080 --> 00:38:46.760 We're happy 00:38:46.760 --> 00:38:47.760 just finding 00:38:47.760 --> 00:38:48.620 our satisfaction 00:38:48.620 --> 00:38:49.300 in all kinds 00:38:49.300 --> 00:38:50.260 of other things, Lord, 00:38:50.320 --> 00:38:50.900 but I pray 00:38:50.900 --> 00:38:51.720 that you'd show us 00:38:51.720 --> 00:38:52.320 that those things 00:38:52.320 --> 00:38:52.900 are empty, 00:38:53.980 --> 00:38:55.400 that they're not 00:38:55.400 --> 00:38:55.800 going to, 00:38:55.800 --> 00:38:57.040 they're not going 00:38:57.040 --> 00:38:57.640 to satisfy. 00:38:59.100 --> 00:39:00.000 Show us that we need 00:39:00.000 --> 00:39:00.560 to run back 00:39:00.560 --> 00:39:01.100 to you 00:39:01.099 --> 00:39:03.799 and when we run back, 00:39:03.900 --> 00:39:04.659 we're not faced 00:39:04.659 --> 00:39:05.319 with a God 00:39:05.319 --> 00:39:07.319 who's just looking 00:39:07.319 --> 00:39:08.579 to just grudgingly 00:39:08.579 --> 00:39:09.279 accept us 00:39:09.279 --> 00:39:09.920 but we're looking 00:39:09.920 --> 00:39:10.579 at a God 00:39:10.579 --> 00:39:12.239 who is desperately 00:39:12.239 --> 00:39:13.380 wooing us back 00:39:13.380 --> 00:39:14.059 to yourself. 00:39:16.000 --> 00:39:16.880 I pray, 00:39:17.179 --> 00:39:17.739 make us, 00:39:18.559 --> 00:39:19.199 those who learn 00:39:19.199 --> 00:39:19.759 how to fight 00:39:19.759 --> 00:39:20.400 this week, 00:39:21.139 --> 00:39:21.779 to remember 00:39:21.779 --> 00:39:22.259 your goodness 00:39:22.259 --> 00:39:23.940 and to trust you 00:39:23.940 --> 00:39:25.599 and to see 00:39:25.599 --> 00:39:26.480 your great love 00:39:26.480 --> 00:39:27.019 for us. 00:39:27.619 --> 00:39:28.779 In Jesus' name, 00:39:29.579 --> 00:39:29.779 Amen.