Well, good evening everyone.
Somebody out there, it's very bright, light's shining on me.
It's great to be here with you in Brentsfield.
Again, can I wish you a very happy new year and God's blessing,
a year of change for you as a church.
I've been praying for you, for Graham, for the elders,
the team that God's going to bless you richly in this coming year.
Well, Christmas is over.
Remember, we now have grandchildren aged five and three,
so we've been discovering the delights of children's toys,
which are very different to the toys that we had when we were growing up,
says he, having just had his 70th birthday.
Pause for gas of amazement there, thank you.
So among all the presents, of course, the children want to know what you're going to buy them,
and we got them one or two things,
but my wife had the inspired idea that it was important for them to experience something a little more traditional.
So we bought them,
I do tell you this is not the only thing we bought them,
but we did buy them a box set of traditional stories as well.
Now you all know fairy stories.
They always begin with the same words.
So what do fairy stories begin with?
Once upon a time.
It's a story.
It begins once upon a time,
and then that follows a story.
Many twists and turns,
and they always end with the same words,
which are?
And they all lived happily ever after.
Now this book,
66 books,
makes up one book
that is the story.
It's the story of the Bible.
And it begins not with a fictional statement,
but with a factual statement,
which you've got on your back wall
in a variety of different languages.
It begins not with once upon a time.
It says,
in the beginning,
God.
The Bible is a story.
It begins with God,
a God who creates the world
in all its perfection.
Everything he makes is good.
It's a perfect world.
And when he's finished creating the crown of his creation,
the man and the woman,
he saw that everything was very good.
Unfortunately,
did not remain very good,
because Genesis 1 and 2 in the Bible
are followed by Genesis 3.
And sadly,
our first parents rebelled against God,
went their own way,
with the result that a fallen world
is the consequence.
With disastrous consequences for them,
and for the created order.
Now thankfully,
the Bible does not end at Genesis 3.
It would be a very short book,
and we would have a very short history.
Because God,
in his great love,
determines to put things right,
and to restore human beings
to the relationship for which we are made
to know and love God.
And this,
of course,
culminates in a redeemed world,
focusing finally
in the coming to earth
of God's Son
that we've just celebrated
at Christmas time.
the Son of God
who lives the life
we could never live,
who dies the death
that we deserved
in our place,
who is declared with power
to be God's Son
by raising him from the dead,
is raised to life,
he ascends into heaven,
and the last book of the Bible,
this is a very potted history
of a long book,
but at the very end of it,
the very last book,
the very last chapter,
we have a wonderful picture
of a restored world.
And in a sense,
they all lived happily ever after.
Well, not all, sadly.
And so the final book of the Bible
looks forward
to the return from heaven
of Jesus,
God's Son.
And then the curtain
of human history
will come down,
and it ends in this way.
It says,
he who testifies
to these things says,
yes,
I'm coming soon.
Amen,
come Lord Jesus.
And then there's a
kind of little postscript,
the grace of the Lord Jesus
be with God's people.
Now,
we live our lives
within this story.
We actually live
in the last chapter.
The last chapter
of God's story of salvation.
The last chapter
is that period
between the return
of Jesus to heaven
from earth,
and the last chapter
will finish
with the return
of Jesus
from heaven
to earth.
And every part
of the Bible,
this wonderful book,
God's book,
his word,
all the stories
within it
form part
of that great story
and contribute
towards it.
And all the characters
in it
play out their lives
within that story.
So what I've been
trying to do
is just set the context.
You think,
where is he going
with this?
I'm going to
the book of Ruth,
which is a wonderful
little story.
The German poet
Goethe
described it
as the loveliest
complete work
on a small scale
ever written.
What a commendation.
And it begins,
as we begin our story
today,
it begins
not with a happy story,
but with a sad story.
So our opening verses
in Ruth
begin with
a family tragedy.
And that's what
we're going to focus on
this evening.
So if you've got a Bible,
and there are Bibles
in the pews,
it really will be helpful
to have a Bible
in front of you.
We're just going to look
at these opening
five verses.
The words will come up
on the screen as well,
but it would be helpful
to have your own Bible
in front of you
if you haven't got on there.
So let's read
this wonderful story,
this beginning story.
which sets the scene.
In the days
when the judges ruled,
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.
The man's name
was Elimelech,
his wife's name
was Naomi,
and the names
of his two sons
were Marlon
and Kilion.
They were Ephrathites
from Bethlehem
in Judah,
and they went to Moab
and lived there.
Now,
Elimelech,
Naomi's husband,
died,
and she was left
with her two sons.
They married Moabite women,
one named Orpah,
the other Ruth.
After they had lived there
about ten years,
both Marlon
and Kilion
also died,
and Naomi was left
without her two sons
and her husband.
It's God's word.
Now,
look with me
at this introduction
that sets the scene
for this story.
I want to focus,
this is going to be
really simple,
and
the points even begin
with the same letter.
All right?
So you'll be able
to remember them easily.
They don't always work
that way,
but I think these do.
And we're going to look
at three aspects
of the story
which apply to the characters,
these six named people here,
but they also apply
to your life
and to my life.
All right?
Here's the three.
I'll tell you what they are
before we begin,
and then we'll look
at each one in turn.
First of all,
circumstances,
the setting in which
the story takes place
and their lives take place.
Secondly,
choices,
which the characters make.
And finally,
arising from those choices
are consequences.
Those three things
apply to you and me.
We live in a context
in circumstances.
We make choices
in our lives,
and the choices we make
determine certain consequences.
So look with me
at each in turn.
So let's start with
consequences.
And what did I do then?
I forgot to put the words
up on the screen.
Sorry.
That's me with PowerPoint.
Circumstances.
The setting is given
right at the beginning.
In the days
when the judges ruled,
there was a famine
in the land.
Now notice in this
opening sentence,
we have a general context,
and then we have
a specific situation.
A general context.
It says,
in the general context,
in the days
when the judges ruled.
It's really simple
because maybe
you're getting to know
the Bible.
Some of you are
very familiar with it.
Others maybe don't know
it very well,
so I'll be absolutely simple.
So just excuse me
if you know all this
already, all right?
In the days
when the judges ruled.
After the...
Here's a little chart.
Can you see it?
No, it's not too bad.
I'm looking at that
big thing up there.
After the...
You know the story
of the Bible.
After the exodus
from Egypt,
under the leadership
of Moses,
the people of Israel
eventually,
after a 40-year hiatus
around the wilderness,
finally arrive
in the promised land.
Moses dies,
succeeded by Joshua,
and the book of Joshua
tells us the story
of the conquest of Canaan,
a somewhat patchwork event.
And this is followed
by a period
of around about
three centuries.
Think of that for a moment.
300 years.
300 years
when Israel was ruled
by a succession of leaders
who had the title
of judges.
And the book
which precedes you,
if you've got your Bible
open at Ruth,
if you turn back
the preceding book
in our English Bibles,
the experts will tell you
that in the Hebrew Bible
it's not the case.
But anyway,
in the English Bibles
the preceding book
is the book of Judges.
It's named after these
Judges.
And the last verse,
if you look,
just page over,
if you look back
it says,
it's characterized by this,
in those days
Israel had no king,
everyone did
as they saw fit.
Literally,
I think in Hebrew
it's everyone did
what was right
in his own eyes.
Am I right,
David?
Thank you very much.
David's got the Hebrew Bible
there to keep me straight.
Now,
the little nation of Israel
chosen in love by God,
not because of any merit
on their part,
the Lord said to them
in New Tionomy 7,
7,
it's not because you
were more in number
or better than anyone else.
I loved you
because I loved you.
He chose this nation,
delivered them
from slavery in Egypt,
brought them to their own land,
and yet sadly
they constantly turned
against God
and went their own way.
And the book of Judges
describes how
this terrible cycle
took place.
The people turned
against God,
God allowed
neighboring tribes
and nations
to invade,
to subjugate,
to oppress them.
The people then
cried out to God
for help.
God raised up
these leaders,
these judges.
The people turned
back to God
and yet within a generation
the cycle is repeated
as they turn
against the Lord again.
And this is this kind
of cycle
where people are just
doing what's right
in their own eyes.
It's a period
of political uncertainty.
Some of the judges
are well known.
Most people know
about Samson,
Gideon,
Samuel.
Others are not
so well known.
Ophnil,
Ehud,
Deborah,
Jephthah,
Shamgar,
Tola,
Jair.
What is familiar
is this repeated
cycle over
and over again.
That was the
general context
in which this
little family lived.
But we're told
they also faced
a specific situation.
There was a famine
in the land.
This family did not
live in one of
the economic upturns
that took place
in the nation
from time to time.
They lived in a
down time
when a famine
hit the land.
Now we're not told
where during
the book of Judges
this actually took
place.
It may have
been the period
if you know
the book of Judges
a little bit
further back.
There was a judge
named Gideon
who was raised
up by God
because a
neighboring nation
the Midianites
kept invading
the land
on camels.
They were
a camel
what's the word
I'm looking for?
Camel seated.
They sat on camels
and invaded Israel
for a period
of seven years
and they particularly
did it when
harvest came.
So they kind of
looted the land
and everyone
was desolate.
Maybe this
exacerbated the
situation.
This is maybe
the famine.
Whatever the case
this family
lived in hard
times at this
specific point
in history.
I think about it
for a moment.
If they'd lived
200 years before
they'd have
experienced
crossing the
river Jordan.
They'd have
experienced the
mighty conquest
under Joshua.
If they'd lived
a couple of
hundred years
later maybe
they'd lived
at the glorious
time of King
David and Solomon
in the amazing
temple that he
erected.
But they didn't.
They lived in the
days when the
judges ruled where
there was a famine
in the land.
Now,
2017 AD.
We live in history.
Present history.
We live in the days
of Islamic State.
Terrorist atrocities.
We live in the days
of mass migration.
Of Brexit.
Economic uncertainties.
People in boats
trying to get to
Europe.
We live in the days
of President-elect
Trump.
And we live in this
amazing celebrity
culture where,
can you believe it,
all of this is
superseded for 15
minutes on BBC
by the death of a
pop star.
kind of strange
days we live in,
don't we?
For those of us
who are Christians,
we do not live,
though we wish we
did,
and we hope we
may,
we do not live in
days of spiritual
revival.
I think,
to be fair,
in our nation,
we live in days of
spiritual decline.
Says he now,
having lived his
allotted three-score
years and ten.
And we cannot
escape the context
in which we live.
While we're
drawing into our
ghettos,
wallowing in
spiritual nostalgia.
We are,
Jesus reminded us,
we are in the
world,
but we are not
of the world.
You are,
said Jesus to
his followers,
the salt of the
earth.
death.
You are the
light of the
world.
That is the
context in which
we live.
And we have no
choice about that.
We have no choice
about the times in
which we live.
We do have a
choice about how
we respond to
the times in which
we live.
So,
here's my second
point.
Choices.
What are Elimelech
and his family to
do?
Living at this
time of famine,
in these
uncertain days?
Well,
we're told in
the text.
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.
They just hopped
over into the
neighboring nation
of Moab.
They did what
many people are
doing today,
they became
economic migrants.
Now,
the writer of
this book,
will you notice,
he makes no
comment about
the wisdom or
folly of what
they did.
not everyone
agrees with this,
and I'll agree to
disagree and live
with you if you
disagree,
but I think
there is no
comment on this
because it
doesn't need any
comment.
For anyone who
knows the
history of Israel
will make the
correct judgment.
I was trying to
think of a modern
illustration.
It is like saying,
in 2012,
when Rangers were
demoted to the
third division of
Scottish football,
a certain supporter
decided to go to
Celtic Park,
you don't need to
comment on the
wisdom or folly
of such a move.
Well,
it depends who
you support.
So,
for those who
are not familiar
with the Bible,
there is a whole
history behind
this comment about
going to Moab.
Let me give you
again a brief
summary of the
origin and
history of the
nation of Moab,
and what I think
is the folly of
moving to Moab.
And,
in Genesis 19,
we read about
the unsavoury
origins of the
nation of Moab.
It's the story of
how Lot,
the nephew of
Abraham,
fleeing from the
destruction that
the God poured
out upon Sodom,
running away with
his two daughters.
His wife was the
one who was
turned into a
pillar of salt
when she looked
back.
And at the end
of the day,
he and his two
daughters,
the two daughters
get their father
drunk,
sleep with him
in successive
evenings.
And the elder
daughter gives
birth to a
son called
Moab,
which sounds
like the Hebrew
for from my
father.
The other one
gives birth to
another nation
called Ammon.
Lot was a man
who, because of
his materialism,
was dragged into
idolatry and
immorality,
traits which soon
became characteristic
of the nation
that emerged from
him, as we see
in later history.
We then meet
them in Numbers
22 and 25.
When the people
of Israel are
traveling from
Egypt through to
Canaan, they
asked the king
of Moab for
permission to go
through their
land, not to do
anything hostile.
He refuses.
Instead, it's one
of these stories in
the Bible, if you
went to Sunday
school, you
remember, he
hired a prophet
called Balaam to
put a curse on the
people of Israel.
Balaam was
prevented from doing
this by talking
donkey, and
instead he
pronounced a
blessing on
Israel, but
even though that
is not successful,
the women of
Moab enticed
the men of
Israel into
pagan revelry
and gross
sexual immorality
and 24,000 of
them are struck
dead.
In more recent
times, in
Judges 3, we
read of recent
oppression by
Moab.
Eglon, king of
Moab, attacks and
subjugates the
nation of Israel
for 18 years.
No wonder, then,
that later
prophets, Isaiah,
Jeremiah, Ezekiel,
Amos, Zephaniah, all
utter judgment
against Moab.
And the law of
Moses is very
clear.
The law of
Moses says, no
Ammonite or
Moabite or any
of their
descendants may
enter the
assembly of the
Lord, not even
in the tenth
generation.
We will see
gloriously there
is an exception
to this as we
come to this
series later.
But can you
see the irony
of a man
called Elimelech,
whose name
means my
God is king,
leaving Bethlehem,
which means the
house of bread,
to emigrate to a
place like Moab,
even in times of
famine.
So why did he do
it?
What was his
motivation in
moving to Moab?
Well, it's obvious.
Famine in Israel,
bread in Moab.
It seems a no-brainer
just across the
border.
It is, I would
say, the peril of
pragmatism, where
pragmatism overrules
principle.
And I simply say,
how many people,
how many Christians,
how many of us,
myself included,
how many at times
have allowed
pragmatism,
interest, self-interest
to overrule
principle, what is
right?
How did he
justify it?
How do we justify
it?
Well, the answer
lies in the little
words.
His intention is,
it's for a little
while.
Notice what it
says.
It says,
So a man from
Bethlehem in
Judah, together
with his wife and
two sons, went to
live for a while
in Moab.
To tide things
over.
It's a temporary
expedient.
I can imagine him
saying, well, it's
not the right thing.
I realize that and
it's not a good
thing for his
Israelites.
But a man's got
to live.
We've got to eat.
So let's do it.
But listen, we'll be
back soon.
It's the peril of
procrastination.
See, every choice
begins with the
first step that you
make.
And if the first
step is a wrong
step, someone said
to me the other
day, it's like a
ship.
If it's just two
degrees off, a few
miles out at sea,
you're a long way
off and your
destination is a
very different
destination.
See, every choice
begins with the
first step.
How many of
Christians decides
to stop going to
church just for a
while?
You know, I just
don't get on with
those other
Christians, you
know.
It caused me a lot
of hassle.
How many Christians
decide, just for a
while I'm going to
stop reading the
Bible because I'm
just not getting
much out of it.
Just for a while
I'm going to stop
praying.
Just for a while
I'll come to church
but I'm not going to
do anything.
I need to take a
back seat for a
while.
See, what does a
Christian do in
times of crisis?
What do you do in
times of famine?
Where do you look
for a solution?
You either continue
to trust God,
remaining within the
security of his love
and his people,
or you look
elsewhere to Moab
for a solution.
Now, maybe you're
there this evening.
Maybe there's a
crisis in your life
and you look to the
wrong place for a
solution.
Or maybe you're
tempted to look to
the wrong place for a
solution.
See, the Christian is
the only one who can
make such a choice.
Before you become a
Christian, the Bible
says you're a slave to
sin.
You have to obey its
whims and desires.
But when you are set
free by Christ,
filled with his
spirit, the prison
door is flung open,
but you have a choice.
You can walk out or
you can walk back in.
That's why the Bible
and the epistles
constantly says,
you know,
put off the old
nature, put on the
new nature.
Don't yield the parts
of your body to sin,
but to righteousness.
Make the right
choices.
Or you choose to go
your own way.
Every choice has a
consequence.
It's put most
succinctly in the
letter that the
Apostle Paul wrote to
the Christians in the
Roman province of
Galatia.
It talks about the law
of cause and effect.
Do not be deceived.
God cannot be mocked.
A man reaps what he
sows.
Whoever sows to
please their flesh
from the flesh will
reap destruction.
Whoever sows to
please the Spirit
from the Spirit
will reap eternal
life.
There are consequences
that follow
from our choices.
So we come
thirdly back to
our story.
Consequences.
Elimelech,
head of the house,
makes his choice.
Probably his wife
had little say in it
in a patriarchal
society.
The husband said
that sadly still
happens today in
our more egalitarian
society that my
experience pastoral
is that often men
set a lead and
women are sometimes
quite often the ones
who suffer not always.
He went to Moab
for a while.
For a while
became a long
while.
And the consequences
for him and his
family are enormous.
for a while
became a long
while.
And for Elimelech
there is no
return.
He dies in
Moab.
I kind of think
about him maybe
saying every year
to his family
well we're going
to go back
home soon.
Yep.
This is going
to be the year
and then something
just kind of puts
it up you know.
We live under
an illusion if we
think we can set
the agenda you
know.
Okay I'm not
where I should be
spiritually at the
moment but believe
me I'm going to
put it right.
Believe me the
years go by year
after year
unless you make
a clear and
definite choice
to return.
What I want to
say and I say
with all seriousness
you can be a
believer and you
can die in Moab.
You can die in
Moab.
He dies there.
As always happens
with families the
children assimilate
more quickly and
easily into the
prevailing culture
than the parents
the two sons
Marlon and
Kilion.
Their names
both probably
mean something
like weakness
or frailness
expressed in the
fact that both
of them
both of them
marry Moabite
girls
contrary again
to the law
of Moses
and then great
tragedy each of
them in turn
dies.
But notice the
irony.
Why did they
go to Moab
in the first
place?
To save their
lives in time
of famine.
But Moab
was never
is an
answer.
The promise
of life
always proves
false in
the end.
The wise
little writer
of the
Proverbs
summarizes it
so well in
Proverbs 14
12 he
says
sorry I
should put a
picture on
there sorry
there's a
family tree like
the program
who do you
think you are
and you look
at it and
you see
died in
Moab
died in
Moab
died in
Moab
and there's
Naomi
left on
her own
a little
writer
of Proverbs
puts it
there is a
way that
seems right
to a man
but in the
end
it leads
to death
and the
story of
Elimelech
and his
family
is a
tragedy
that is
sadly
repeated
time and
again in
Christian
homes and
families
for you
can be a
church member
and live
in Moab
you can be
a
you can be
here this
evening
physically
here but
spiritually you
can be living
in Moab
how
by making
wrong choices
oh you may
have your
excuses
and you may
be saying to
yourself it's
only for a
little while
I'm not going
to stay there
I'm going to
put this right
eventually
I'm going to
return home to
the Lord
and his
people but
you may not
it's a sobering
message really
you may die
in Moab
because life
goes past so
quickly doesn't
the older we
get we suddenly
think you
know where
did 70
years go
the older you
get the more
you begin to
reflect on
those things
don't you
and you begin
to think about
things like
what legacy
will you leave
for your
family
Elimelech
made the
wrong choice
and he
left behind
an embittered
wife and
two pagan
daughters-in-law
yes we're
going to see
in this book
and in our
series how
God transformed
the situation
but it was
in spite of
Elimelech
not because
of him
and God
willing we'll
see more
about her
and the
choice she
then made
as the story
unfolds
God willing
next week
in the
weeks that
follow
some kind
of sobering
message isn't
it but
but maybe I
think you might
maybe at the
beginning of a
new year it's
it's maybe a
good message for
us to to
pause and take
stock and say
where are you
living where are
you living today
I don't mean are
you living in
Brentsville or
Edmond I mean
are you living in
Moab are you
living in Bethlehem
are you living in
Israel are you
living among God's
people are you
rooted in God's
people
challenging
daughter's name
well
looked at the
sad story of a
family tragedy
a man
who left
home and went
to a foreign
country
because of a
famine
and died
there
but I want
to finish on a
positive note
because I want
to remind you
it need not
happen
you need not
end up in
Moab
let me finish
with another
story
a story Jesus
told us I
reflected on it
I began to
notice some
interesting
connections
these are
preachers
connections
not necessarily
biblical
connections
but it may
help us to
think about
these things
so let me
finish with a
happy ending
there's a
story about a
young man
who like
Elimelech
left his
home country
not because of
a famine
but because he
was attracted
by the bright
lights of a
distant far
country
which seemed
to offer so
much more
than all the
boring stuff at
home
restricted by
family and
father
armed with
his share of
the family
fortune
he set out
on his
journey and
for a time
as is always
the case
his destination
seemed to
fulfill
all he had
hoped for
as he
squandered
his wealth
in wild
living
wine
women
and song
but it
didn't
last
as Jesus
goes on to
explain in
this wonderful
story
let me read
from the
text
after he'd
spent everything
now notice the
connection
there was a
severe famine
in that
whole country
and he began
to be in
need
so he went
and hired
himself
to a citizen
of that
country
who sent
him
to his
fields
to feed
pigs
he longed
to fill
his stomach
with the
pods
that the
pigs
were eating
but no
one gave
him
anything
what a
place for
a Jewish
boy to
end up
in a
pigsty
eating
pig
swill
but you
see
the story
Jesus tells
us
reminds us
that he
didn't end
up he
didn't die
in the
pigsty
instead
the famine
God used
the famine
to remind
him
of what
he left
behind
it was
the famine
in this
case that
was the
means of
his salvation
we just
sang a hymn
by John
Newton
Amazing
Grace
John
Newton
of course
lived in
the 18th
century
he was
this slave
trader who
lived a
life of
utter
depravity
was gloriously
converted in a
storm at sea
and became
a minister
of the
gospel
and he
wrote this
wonderful hymn
Amazing
Grace
but he
wrote other
hymns and
maybe I'd be
surprised if
anyone here
maybe one or
two of you
might know
that he
actually wrote
a hymn
about the
parable of
the prodigal
son
and as I was
looking at it
I thought it's
a nice
place to
finish
so I'm
going to read
the words
of this hymn
now
the words
are a little
bit quaint
and old
fashioned
but I
think you'll
get the
meaning of
them
Newton is
a great
great
hymn
writer
so here's
what Newton
says
writes
listen
carefully
here's a
big star
picture
afflictions
though they
seem severe
in mercy
oft are
sent
they stopped
the prodigal's
career and
forced him
to repent
simple
isn't it
although he
no relentings
felt
change
your mind
till he
had spent
his store
his stubborn
heart began
to melt
when famine
pinched him
sore
what have I
gained by sin
he said
by hunger
shame
and fear
my father's
house abounds
with bread
while I am
starving here
I'll go and
tell him all
I've done
and fall
before his
face
unworthy
to be called
his son
I'll seek
a servant's
place
his father
saw him
coming back
he saw
and ran
and smiled
and threw
his arms
around the
neck
of his
rebellious
child
father I've
sinned
but oh
forgive
I've heard
enough
he said
rejoice my
house
my son's
alive
for whom
I mourned
as dead
now let
the fatted
calf be slain
and spread
the news
around my
son was
dead
but lives
again was
lost
but now
is found
and here's
the lesson
final bit
it is thus
the Lord
his love
reveals
to call
poor sinners
home
more than
a father's
love he
feels
and welcomes
all
that
come
maybe
this evening
you're
that poor
sinner
living in
a far
country
if truth
are told
in a
pigsty
life
maybe
you're
not a
Christian
and you're
living in
that far
country
and I
simply
want to
say
to finish
on a
gospel
note
that God
the father
loves you
his son
invites you
the Holy
Spirit
urges you
and welcomes
you home
we come
expecting
nothing
and we
receive
God's
love
and grace
his arms
around us
of great
assurance
and maybe
for you
2017
is the
year
when you
return home
for the
first time
back to
the
father's
home
the fellowship
with God
to restoration
to forgiveness
to peace
to joy
all the
things you've
longed for
and prove
that this
world never
satisfies
but maybe
there's
someone here
this evening
and you're
actually a
Christian
but you're
far from
God
living in
the peace
time
living in
the far
country
living in
Moab
as it
were
and I
simply want
to urge
you this
evening
don't die
in Moab
return home
to your
heavenly
father
let's pray
and then I'll
hand over to
Carrie for
a final
song
just pause
for a moment
just to reflect
what God
has said to
us this
evening
for his
word
father we
thank you
for your
amazing
unconditional
love
here is
love not
that we
loved you
but that
you loved
us
and gave
your son
to be the
one to
pay the
price for
our sin
to restore
us
to
yourself
thank you
for your
great
patience
with us
forgive us
that so
often we
seek our
satisfaction
in things
that never
fulfill
things that
prove in
the end
worthless
even
degrading
thank you
that you
welcome
us
home
and as
we
bound
your
presence
you
know
our
hearts
you're the
one to
whom all
hearts are
open
from whom
no secrets
are hid
and so
knowing
our
hearts
grant to
us that
repentant
spirit
that desire
to return
and as we
turn we
thank you
that you
welcome us
home
may this
day
be a day
of rejoicing
in heaven
as jesus
said over
one sinner
who repents
over one
son who
is restored
who was dead
and is alive
again who
was lost
and is found
and may this
be a beginning
a new year
when we
experience the
joy of
belonging to
you and
belonging to
your people
we ask it in
jesus name
for your glory
amen