WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.080 We hope that you enjoy this teaching from Christ Church. 00:00:05.719 --> 00:00:09.500 This material is copyrighted and no unauthorized duplication, 00:00:09.880 --> 00:00:15.280 redistribution, or any other use of any part is permitted without prior consent from Christ Church. 00:00:15.640 --> 00:00:22.620 Please consider donating to this work in the San Francisco Bay Area online at ChristChurchEastBay.org. 00:00:22.620 --> 00:00:31.060 I'm going to read the scripture and then I'm going to introduce our preacher this morning. 00:00:31.340 --> 00:00:32.799 This is from Ruth chapter 1. 00:00:33.579 --> 00:00:37.420 In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land. 00:00:38.280 --> 00:00:43.579 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. 00:00:44.120 --> 00:00:50.460 The man's name was Elimelech, his wife's name was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Malon and Kilion. 00:00:50.460 --> 00:00:55.820 They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem, Judah, and they went to Moab and lived there. 00:00:56.380 --> 00:01:00.219 Now Elimelech, Naomi's husband, died and she was left with her two sons. 00:01:00.780 --> 00:01:04.799 They married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth. 00:01:05.460 --> 00:01:09.240 After they had lived there about ten years, both Malon and Kilion also died, 00:01:09.799 --> 00:01:12.400 and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband. 00:01:13.420 --> 00:01:18.859 The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever. 00:01:18.859 --> 00:01:19.920 You can take your seats. 00:01:20.420 --> 00:01:21.959 I'm going to invite up our guest preacher. 00:01:22.099 --> 00:01:23.200 His name is Gabe Garcia. 00:01:23.340 --> 00:01:27.480 He pastors out at a church called New City Church in Oakland in Jack London. 00:01:28.000 --> 00:01:33.560 We are a church that is so glad about what God is doing in the kingdom of God here in the Bay Area, 00:01:33.560 --> 00:01:37.239 and we are happy as a church also to be supporting New City Church. 00:01:37.379 --> 00:01:41.819 And I was just chatting with Gabe this morning and glad to hear that they're growing, looking for a new space. 00:01:41.819 --> 00:01:46.859 So Gabe, we're really thankful for you and excited for what God's up to at your church 00:01:46.859 --> 00:01:50.780 and all the people that you'll reach that we will never meet here at Christ Church. 00:01:50.859 --> 00:01:52.799 So thanks for bringing the word to us this morning. 00:01:53.059 --> 00:01:54.639 Thank you so much for having me, Christ Church. 00:01:54.699 --> 00:01:55.039 Good morning. 00:01:55.099 --> 00:01:55.919 How are you guys doing today? 00:01:58.199 --> 00:02:03.479 Our church, New City, we meet at 4 p.m., so I'll be preaching a different sermon later on this afternoon 00:02:03.479 --> 00:02:08.519 and thinking about a hundred details to make church happen, to make our service happen. 00:02:08.520 --> 00:02:13.820 So it really is a gift to me just to be here with you all and to worship with you all. 00:02:13.880 --> 00:02:16.180 So thank you guys for having me. 00:02:16.380 --> 00:02:17.140 And thank you guys. 00:02:17.920 --> 00:02:21.760 Christ Church has generously supported us in the past. 00:02:22.300 --> 00:02:26.620 So as we're seeing new people come to know Jesus and we're seeing disciples built up, 00:02:26.760 --> 00:02:30.680 it's in part because of your guys' faithfulness and your guys' generosity 00:02:30.680 --> 00:02:33.280 and your guys' commitment to the gospel. 00:02:33.520 --> 00:02:35.100 So thank you guys so much. 00:02:35.099 --> 00:02:38.900 Here's my question to get us started this morning. 00:02:39.859 --> 00:02:46.340 What do you do and how do you respond when life does not turn out as you expected? 00:02:47.299 --> 00:02:54.000 All of us in this room, we have hopes, dreams, and desires, even in the third, fourth, and fifth graders, 00:02:54.379 --> 00:02:56.659 and I'm so glad you guys are here today. 00:02:57.419 --> 00:03:01.799 And maybe it's good for us to just name some of those hopes, dreams, and desires. 00:03:01.800 --> 00:03:08.580 Maybe you're here today and you're really thinking about that promotion and that new job that you're looking for. 00:03:09.219 --> 00:03:14.900 Maybe you're here and you're dreaming about retiring earlier and traveling the world. 00:03:15.400 --> 00:03:16.760 I have three kids. 00:03:17.300 --> 00:03:22.000 My dream, my greatest desire is that I would just get a good night's sleep. 00:03:22.000 --> 00:03:26.919 I used to have big dreams, but now my dreams are a little bit low or just a good night's sleep. 00:03:26.979 --> 00:03:28.080 That's all I'm looking for. 00:03:28.639 --> 00:03:36.680 Our ability to dream and think about a better tomorrow is actually a part of the human experience. 00:03:37.039 --> 00:03:42.319 There can be something good and beautiful about these hopes, dreams, and desires. 00:03:42.319 --> 00:03:48.900 But we can get into real trouble if these dreams turn into expectations. 00:03:49.699 --> 00:03:53.579 We can get into real trouble if these dreams turn into expectations, 00:03:53.579 --> 00:03:59.280 and then we lay these expectations at the foot of God, 00:04:00.039 --> 00:04:06.459 expecting and demanding that God would make our fairytale life come true. 00:04:06.460 --> 00:04:11.060 I experienced this during my sophomore year of college. 00:04:11.120 --> 00:04:16.040 I went to junior college, and I had a dream to go to USC or UCLA, 00:04:16.340 --> 00:04:18.920 and I worked hard during my junior college years. 00:04:19.560 --> 00:04:20.960 I did extra credit. 00:04:21.220 --> 00:04:22.379 I showed up to office hours. 00:04:23.180 --> 00:04:24.720 I got straight A's. 00:04:25.259 --> 00:04:28.920 I had internships and volunteer hours. 00:04:29.079 --> 00:04:34.199 I did everything I could to put together the world's greatest application. 00:04:34.199 --> 00:04:39.879 And this was also during a time when I was growing spiritually in my walk with God. 00:04:39.959 --> 00:04:41.839 So I think in the back of my mind, 00:04:42.199 --> 00:04:46.800 I believe because I was pursuing God in a new way, in a real way, in a fresh way, 00:04:47.240 --> 00:04:50.919 God was going to grant me the dreams that I had put before him. 00:04:51.419 --> 00:04:55.300 I quickly realized God does not work that way, 00:04:55.879 --> 00:04:57.899 and I was devastated. 00:04:57.899 --> 00:05:05.039 Again, we're all going to experience disappointment and unmet expectations. 00:05:05.959 --> 00:05:11.579 And I think disappointment and unmet expectation can be an invitation from God 00:05:11.579 --> 00:05:16.599 to draw closer to him or can also lead to bitterness. 00:05:17.599 --> 00:05:20.299 Today, I'm going to read through a lot of Scripture, actually. 00:05:20.379 --> 00:05:23.500 We're going to read through the whole chapter of Ruth chapter 1. 00:05:23.500 --> 00:05:29.000 And I hope it's maybe an encouragement for you to dig into this beautiful little book 00:05:29.000 --> 00:05:30.839 throughout the rest of this summer. 00:05:31.500 --> 00:05:35.300 And in this book, we're going to see, in this first chapter, 00:05:35.459 --> 00:05:38.459 we're definitely going to see some disappointment and unmet expectations. 00:05:39.360 --> 00:05:42.220 And we're going to see how those disappointment and unmet expectations 00:05:42.220 --> 00:05:44.560 for one family and specifically one woman 00:05:44.560 --> 00:05:48.360 didn't lead her necessarily running to God, 00:05:48.920 --> 00:05:51.180 but led her to a bitter heart. 00:05:51.180 --> 00:05:55.280 Now, I know Andrew just read Ruth chapter 1, 1 to 5, 00:05:55.400 --> 00:05:56.840 but if you guys will allow me, 00:05:57.180 --> 00:06:00.379 I'm going to read that portion of text one more time, 00:06:00.439 --> 00:06:03.319 and then we'll continue in our Word together. 00:06:03.800 --> 00:06:07.980 If you guys have a Bible, you guys can open them up to Ruth chapter 1. 00:06:08.439 --> 00:06:09.780 You can keep them open, 00:06:09.899 --> 00:06:12.160 because we're just going to keep coming back to the text. 00:06:12.240 --> 00:06:13.720 I hope that's an encouragement to you. 00:06:14.480 --> 00:06:16.100 Ruth chapter 1, 1 to 5, again, 00:06:16.160 --> 00:06:19.040 In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land. 00:06:19.040 --> 00:06:22.900 So a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, 00:06:22.980 --> 00:06:26.660 went to live for a while in the country of Moab. 00:06:27.600 --> 00:06:29.100 The man's name was Elimelech. 00:06:29.140 --> 00:06:30.280 His wife's name was Naomi. 00:06:30.640 --> 00:06:33.600 And the names of his two sons were Malon and Kilion. 00:06:33.820 --> 00:06:36.680 They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem, Judah. 00:06:37.320 --> 00:06:39.540 And they went to Moab and lived there. 00:06:40.320 --> 00:06:42.280 Now Elimelech, Naomi's husband, died, 00:06:42.360 --> 00:06:44.200 and she was left with her two sons. 00:06:44.199 --> 00:06:48.060 They married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth. 00:06:48.819 --> 00:06:51.120 After they lived there about 10 years, 00:06:51.300 --> 00:06:53.659 both Malon and Kilion also died. 00:06:54.379 --> 00:06:58.279 And Naomi was left without her two sons and without her husband. 00:06:58.379 --> 00:06:59.920 Again, the question I put before us, 00:07:00.360 --> 00:07:04.439 what do you do when life doesn't turn out as you expected? 00:07:05.240 --> 00:07:08.120 Now here's the first principle I would love for us to grab onto. 00:07:08.240 --> 00:07:10.240 I don't know if you guys are a note-taking church, 00:07:10.680 --> 00:07:12.120 but you can maybe write this down. 00:07:12.120 --> 00:07:15.340 There are no promises of a life without pain. 00:07:16.199 --> 00:07:18.579 And I think many of us know this intuitively, 00:07:18.819 --> 00:07:20.459 but still in the back of our mind, 00:07:20.600 --> 00:07:25.800 we are almost expecting God to kind of go before us 00:07:25.800 --> 00:07:27.959 and make life easy and comfortable. 00:07:27.959 --> 00:07:31.000 But there are no promises of a life without pain. 00:07:31.579 --> 00:07:33.860 And I think this is really important for us to think through 00:07:33.860 --> 00:07:39.120 as we imagine and think through what it means to journey with God, 00:07:39.120 --> 00:07:45.079 especially if you're here and you're investigating what it might look like to follow Jesus. 00:07:45.860 --> 00:07:49.459 God, nowhere in his word, promises a life without pain. 00:07:50.259 --> 00:07:52.980 We see in our text, it says this, 00:07:53.439 --> 00:07:55.340 in the days when the judges ruled. 00:07:55.920 --> 00:07:59.980 The days of the judges were some of the darkest days in Israel's history. 00:07:59.980 --> 00:08:04.100 It comes after God had led his people into the promised land, 00:08:04.259 --> 00:08:05.800 but before the monarchy. 00:08:05.980 --> 00:08:10.100 So it's before King Saul, before King David, and before King Solomon. 00:08:10.240 --> 00:08:13.759 The days, these days, the days of the judges are marked by 00:08:13.759 --> 00:08:18.060 everybody doing what was right in their own eyes. 00:08:18.560 --> 00:08:21.840 Now if you go and you actually start reading through the book of Judges, 00:08:21.939 --> 00:08:25.240 you will see the cyclical pattern that takes place. 00:08:25.240 --> 00:08:29.460 Let me just walk through this so we can really get a good sense 00:08:29.460 --> 00:08:32.039 of when the book of Ruth is taking place. 00:08:32.379 --> 00:08:34.419 In the book of Judges, this is what we see. 00:08:34.879 --> 00:08:37.860 We see God's people rebel against God. 00:08:38.200 --> 00:08:42.779 Even though God shows himself to be a loving God, a kind God, a just God, a merciful God, 00:08:43.279 --> 00:08:45.879 God's people will turn against him. 00:08:46.399 --> 00:08:48.360 As God's people turn against him, 00:08:48.500 --> 00:08:51.399 God then gives them into the hands of their oppressors. 00:08:51.580 --> 00:08:52.960 Again, dark days. 00:08:52.960 --> 00:08:55.860 Eventually, God's people will repent, 00:08:56.600 --> 00:09:02.500 and then God will send a deliverer or a judge to give their people temporary rest. 00:09:03.060 --> 00:09:04.820 If you've ever read through the book of Judges, 00:09:05.160 --> 00:09:07.860 when you see God's people experience this rest, 00:09:08.040 --> 00:09:10.100 you almost kind of, you take a deep breath, 00:09:10.180 --> 00:09:13.460 and it's like, oh, finally, something good is going on. 00:09:13.920 --> 00:09:16.340 But these days of rest don't last long. 00:09:16.440 --> 00:09:17.100 What happens? 00:09:17.800 --> 00:09:19.460 God's people rebel against him. 00:09:19.460 --> 00:09:23.060 Even though God shows himself to be a kind God, a loving God, a just God, 00:09:23.120 --> 00:09:24.240 God's people rebel against him. 00:09:24.340 --> 00:09:27.840 God's people, God then gives them into their hands of their oppressors, 00:09:27.980 --> 00:09:30.800 and it's this cyclical pattern that takes place. 00:09:31.360 --> 00:09:34.820 Again, these are some of the darkest days in Israel's history. 00:09:35.660 --> 00:09:39.460 It's a time of violence, idolatry, moral depravity, 00:09:39.460 --> 00:09:44.440 and again, it's during this time that the book of Ruth takes place. 00:09:45.040 --> 00:09:46.639 But it's not just spiritual darkness. 00:09:46.840 --> 00:09:50.780 We also see in our text that there is a physical famine. 00:09:51.660 --> 00:09:54.120 And oftentimes for the people of Israel, 00:09:54.740 --> 00:10:00.280 it's their spiritual waywardness that can lead to something like a famine. 00:10:00.920 --> 00:10:05.340 In fact, the famine can be used by God as a form of judgment for their unfaithfulness. 00:10:05.340 --> 00:10:11.540 Now, a famine could be used by God in a way to draw God's people back to him, 00:10:11.899 --> 00:10:14.220 that if they would repent and turn to him, 00:10:14.399 --> 00:10:17.740 God would show himself to be their provider. 00:10:18.340 --> 00:10:20.160 But what does this family do? 00:10:20.519 --> 00:10:22.840 The family of Elimelech and Naomi. 00:10:23.620 --> 00:10:27.360 Instead of running towards God, they run away. 00:10:28.040 --> 00:10:31.200 They run away to the land of Moab, 00:10:31.200 --> 00:10:34.820 though Moabites were seen as enemies of God. 00:10:34.820 --> 00:10:37.020 And maybe we would do the same thing. 00:10:37.360 --> 00:10:39.280 And we see people all over the world. 00:10:39.379 --> 00:10:41.460 I mean, they're just trying to survive. 00:10:41.660 --> 00:10:45.980 And maybe they're just fine looking for sources of clean water and food. 00:10:46.060 --> 00:10:48.040 And maybe they move from one place to another. 00:10:48.800 --> 00:10:50.160 But these people were different. 00:10:51.040 --> 00:10:52.460 These were God's people. 00:10:53.420 --> 00:10:56.000 God had entered into a covenant with them. 00:10:56.260 --> 00:11:00.060 God had made a promise that he would be their provider. 00:11:00.059 --> 00:11:04.799 God was the one that led them into the land flowing with milk and honey. 00:11:05.659 --> 00:11:10.419 And instead of running to God, this family, they run away. 00:11:11.219 --> 00:11:14.779 They take the situation into their own hands. 00:11:15.439 --> 00:11:18.079 And I wonder for us, if we just think about our own lives, 00:11:18.599 --> 00:11:23.559 I wonder if there's any particular area of our life where we've given up on God's ways, 00:11:23.559 --> 00:11:26.839 God's wisdom, and God's word. 00:11:27.879 --> 00:11:32.199 We've tried to take a particular situation into our own hands 00:11:32.199 --> 00:11:36.619 and tried to demonstrate control. 00:11:36.620 --> 00:11:40.580 I wonder if we've given up in any particular area. 00:11:40.740 --> 00:11:41.779 Maybe it's our finances. 00:11:42.639 --> 00:11:43.799 Maybe it's our relationships. 00:11:44.820 --> 00:11:45.740 Maybe it's sexuality. 00:11:47.120 --> 00:11:52.740 Maybe it's our home life where we've given up on God's word, God's wisdom, and God's way. 00:11:53.779 --> 00:11:58.460 At the end of these five verses, talk about unmet expectations. 00:11:59.899 --> 00:12:01.279 Naomi loses her husband. 00:12:02.519 --> 00:12:04.940 Naomi loses her two sons. 00:12:04.940 --> 00:12:12.120 I'm not sure what her ten-year vision was, but I'm sure it wasn't this. 00:12:13.000 --> 00:12:14.340 Let's continue with God's word. 00:12:14.840 --> 00:12:15.500 Verse 6. 00:12:16.940 --> 00:12:22.660 When Naomi heard in Moab that the Lord had come to the aid of his people by providing food for them, 00:12:23.600 --> 00:12:27.580 she and her daughters-in-law prepared to return home from there. 00:12:28.440 --> 00:12:32.060 With her two daughters-in-law, she left the place where she had been living, 00:12:32.059 --> 00:12:37.979 and she set out on the road that would take them back to the land of Judah. 00:12:38.619 --> 00:12:41.000 Here's the next principle I want us to be thinking about. 00:12:41.539 --> 00:12:45.359 We must always be on the lookout for God's kindness. 00:12:46.319 --> 00:12:49.379 We must always be on the lookout for God's kindness. 00:12:49.659 --> 00:12:56.259 If we want to fight against bitterness, we have to be on the lookout for God's kindness. 00:12:56.259 --> 00:13:00.939 Over the last couple years, I've developed a passion for fishing. 00:13:01.120 --> 00:13:02.220 It's like one of my hobbies. 00:13:02.720 --> 00:13:05.879 At age 40, I finally realized I needed a hobby. 00:13:05.980 --> 00:13:07.679 I needed a friend, and I needed a hobby. 00:13:07.779 --> 00:13:10.120 So I found a friend, and I found a hobby. 00:13:10.580 --> 00:13:12.639 Last week, I got to take my three kids. 00:13:12.679 --> 00:13:13.519 We didn't get any sleep. 00:13:13.600 --> 00:13:20.279 But last week, I got to take my three kids on this little fishing trip up in Northern California near Mount Shasta. 00:13:20.279 --> 00:13:23.980 And for five days, we're on the Upper Sacramento River. 00:13:24.500 --> 00:13:25.699 We're at the McLeod River. 00:13:26.100 --> 00:13:33.319 And as their father, I want to do everything I can so they can experience the joy of catching a fish. 00:13:33.679 --> 00:13:37.360 So I'm leading them on the way, and I'm doing everything I can. 00:13:37.480 --> 00:13:44.759 I am on the lookout, searching and seeking for the perfect spot so they can catch fish. 00:13:45.059 --> 00:13:46.759 I'm slipping on rocks. 00:13:46.860 --> 00:13:48.079 I'm cutting myself. 00:13:48.080 --> 00:13:49.700 I'm falling into bushes. 00:13:50.060 --> 00:13:57.360 My family looked at me multiple times in horror because my face and neck were covered with mosquito bites. 00:13:57.820 --> 00:14:03.259 But whatever it took, I was on the lookout for the perfect fishing spot. 00:14:04.020 --> 00:14:10.400 I think we need to constantly be on the lookout, seeking and searching every single day, 00:14:10.460 --> 00:14:14.879 no matter what is going on in the midst of pain, tragedy, and hardship. 00:14:14.879 --> 00:14:19.059 We need to be on the lookout for God's kindness. 00:14:19.600 --> 00:14:21.639 It's not one or the other. 00:14:21.980 --> 00:14:23.379 It's not either or. 00:14:24.000 --> 00:14:26.939 It's not unmet expectations or God's kindness. 00:14:27.939 --> 00:14:31.720 Oftentimes, it's both at the same time. 00:14:31.720 --> 00:14:42.840 So while Naomi's off in a distant land in the land of Moab, somehow and in some way, she gets a text message that the Lord has provided for his people. 00:14:43.340 --> 00:14:46.920 Again, this is God's kindness. 00:14:46.919 --> 00:14:55.139 And the author of this little book wants us to see everything under the sovereign hand of God. 00:14:55.199 --> 00:15:00.399 This food comes not just because the rain came and the crops grew. 00:15:00.959 --> 00:15:04.919 This food came because of the kindness of the Lord. 00:15:04.919 --> 00:15:15.139 I wonder how many times we missed out on God's kindness because we've simply rationalized our way out of acknowledging God. 00:15:16.519 --> 00:15:18.899 Every single day, I think we have to be on the lookout. 00:15:19.599 --> 00:15:24.120 The book of James says that every good gift comes from the Father above. 00:15:25.199 --> 00:15:33.899 Does your home, does your family, do your children, do you guys have a practice of seeing and acknowledging God's kindness? 00:15:33.899 --> 00:15:41.100 If we want to fight against bitterness, we have to be able to acknowledge God's kindness. 00:15:41.299 --> 00:15:43.019 Let's jump back in the text, verse 8. 00:15:44.220 --> 00:15:46.120 Then Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, 00:15:46.559 --> 00:15:48.840 Go back, each one of you, to your mother's home. 00:15:48.939 --> 00:15:54.220 May the Lord show you kindness as you've shown kindness to your dead husbands and to me. 00:15:55.179 --> 00:15:59.360 May the Lord grant that each of you will find rest in the homes of another husband. 00:15:59.360 --> 00:16:04.460 Then she kissed them goodbye and they wept aloud and said to her, 00:16:05.080 --> 00:16:08.700 We will go back with you to your people. 00:16:09.700 --> 00:16:12.399 Again, this is more of God's kindness. 00:16:12.740 --> 00:16:17.740 And this doesn't minimize the pain and the suffering that Naomi has experienced. 00:16:18.500 --> 00:16:26.740 But God shows her kindness through two faithful and loyal daughter-in-laws that want to stay with Naomi. 00:16:26.740 --> 00:16:30.180 And they are making this life-changing decision saying, 00:16:30.320 --> 00:16:31.820 We're going to stay with you. 00:16:32.860 --> 00:16:35.379 Your people will now be our people. 00:16:36.159 --> 00:16:39.100 I mean, think about how radical of a decision that was. 00:16:39.180 --> 00:16:44.700 They're leaving their communities, their culture, their family, their customs. 00:16:44.879 --> 00:16:50.500 They're saying, Naomi, we want to stay with you and your people will now be our people. 00:16:50.500 --> 00:16:59.259 Again, that faithfulness that's demonstrated to Naomi is a gift or a demonstration of God's kindness to her. 00:16:59.840 --> 00:17:01.620 Again, back in the text, verse 11. 00:17:02.500 --> 00:17:05.920 But Naomi said, Return home, my daughters. 00:17:06.599 --> 00:17:08.099 Why would you come with me? 00:17:08.920 --> 00:17:12.440 Am I going to have any more sons who could become your husbands? 00:17:13.079 --> 00:17:14.339 Return home, my daughters. 00:17:14.339 --> 00:17:17.000 I am too old to have another husband. 00:17:17.539 --> 00:17:20.500 Even if I thought there was still hope for me. 00:17:20.859 --> 00:17:24.799 Even if I had a husband tonight and then gave birth to two sons. 00:17:25.019 --> 00:17:27.279 Would you wait until they grew up? 00:17:27.819 --> 00:17:30.019 Would you remain unmarried for them? 00:17:30.159 --> 00:17:30.899 No, my daughters. 00:17:31.500 --> 00:17:33.859 It is more bitter for me than for you. 00:17:34.099 --> 00:17:38.220 Because the Lord's hand has turned against me. 00:17:38.220 --> 00:17:48.700 Here we see Naomi turning away the love and loyalty of her daughter-in-laws. 00:17:49.079 --> 00:17:50.660 She says, Enough is enough. 00:17:50.799 --> 00:17:51.940 Stop following me. 00:17:52.559 --> 00:17:53.319 Go home. 00:17:54.279 --> 00:17:56.039 Go look for your own husband. 00:17:56.980 --> 00:18:02.180 See, culturally it is customary for a childless widow, like Orpah and like Ruth, 00:18:02.180 --> 00:18:08.380 to marry their husband's brother in order to have a child and carry on the family name, 00:18:08.460 --> 00:18:09.600 the name of the deceased. 00:18:10.140 --> 00:18:11.299 And what is Naomi saying? 00:18:11.380 --> 00:18:14.980 She is saying, I have no other sons and I don't even have a husband. 00:18:15.900 --> 00:18:21.060 And if I miraculously got married tonight and miraculously gave birth to two sons, 00:18:21.180 --> 00:18:24.720 are you really going to wait around until they grow up? 00:18:24.799 --> 00:18:25.740 She says, Leave. 00:18:25.880 --> 00:18:26.560 Go home. 00:18:26.740 --> 00:18:27.440 Start over. 00:18:27.440 --> 00:18:31.759 Forget about me and forget about our family. 00:18:32.180 --> 00:18:34.900 She's missing out on God's kindness. 00:18:35.080 --> 00:18:38.200 She's turning away God's kindness. 00:18:39.340 --> 00:18:44.060 And now this bitterness is starting to take root in her heart. 00:18:44.779 --> 00:18:47.720 And more than this bitterness starting to take root in her heart, 00:18:48.259 --> 00:18:54.400 this bitterness is spilling over towards Ruth and Orpah. 00:18:54.960 --> 00:18:57.380 And I think that's important for us to know. 00:18:57.380 --> 00:19:03.120 But as we think about different areas of our lives, different areas of our heart that maybe 00:19:03.120 --> 00:19:08.580 are calloused and hard and have become bitter, it's not just a bitterness between us and God. 00:19:08.720 --> 00:19:13.800 Oftentimes that bitterness spills over to the people that are closest to us, 00:19:14.500 --> 00:19:16.980 to the people we love the most. 00:19:16.980 --> 00:19:19.620 Verse 14 says this. 00:19:19.880 --> 00:19:24.000 At this, they wept aloud again. 00:19:25.140 --> 00:19:27.279 Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye. 00:19:27.680 --> 00:19:29.779 She says, Enough, enough with my crazy mother-in-law. 00:19:29.900 --> 00:19:30.539 I'm going home. 00:19:31.640 --> 00:19:34.299 But Ruth clung to her. 00:19:36.380 --> 00:19:37.319 Orpah says goodbye. 00:19:37.319 --> 00:19:44.079 In contrast to Orpah saying goodbye, Ruth clings to her mother-in-law. 00:19:44.519 --> 00:19:49.039 And I just love this as we think about, I know that Christ Church, I know that New City Church, 00:19:49.119 --> 00:19:55.939 we have a vision not to just build up the people of God, but to reach those who seem far from God. 00:19:56.500 --> 00:19:58.519 I love seeing Ruth's example. 00:19:59.220 --> 00:20:01.480 Because there's people all throughout the Bay Area. 00:20:01.480 --> 00:20:07.440 There's people all throughout East Bay, Berkeley, and Oakland that are experiencing so much pain. 00:20:08.079 --> 00:20:13.519 And oftentimes when people experience pain, they want to push us away. 00:20:14.440 --> 00:20:21.980 I wonder how God might bless or reward our courage to cling to those people in the midst of their pain. 00:20:22.500 --> 00:20:24.599 To say, I'm not going anywhere. 00:20:25.120 --> 00:20:28.099 I'm going to stay and stick with you. 00:20:28.099 --> 00:20:40.879 I think our presence and I think our good and healthy clinging, I think God can use that to help people see and understand the hope we have in Jesus. 00:20:41.679 --> 00:20:46.199 So maybe I'm just encouraging you to think about a Naomi you might have in your life. 00:20:46.279 --> 00:20:49.279 Someone who's experiencing great pain and great hardship. 00:20:49.959 --> 00:20:56.799 How can God use the power of your presence to maybe rewrite their story? 00:20:56.799 --> 00:20:58.639 Verse 15. 00:20:58.639 --> 00:21:04.940 Look, said Naomi, your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. 00:21:05.519 --> 00:21:06.759 Go back with her. 00:21:07.799 --> 00:21:11.700 But Ruth replied, don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. 00:21:11.779 --> 00:21:13.039 Where you go, I will go. 00:21:13.539 --> 00:21:14.899 Where you stay, I will stay. 00:21:15.000 --> 00:21:16.919 Your people will be my people. 00:21:17.099 --> 00:21:18.659 Your God, my God. 00:21:19.419 --> 00:21:21.299 Where you die, I will die. 00:21:21.500 --> 00:21:22.680 And there I will be buried. 00:21:23.599 --> 00:21:24.960 May the Lord deal with me. 00:21:24.960 --> 00:21:26.420 Be it ever so severely. 00:21:26.960 --> 00:21:30.059 If even death separates you and me. 00:21:31.019 --> 00:21:36.920 When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her. 00:21:37.519 --> 00:21:43.180 Now again, I'm hopefully going to encourage you to study and read the book of Ruth throughout this summer. 00:21:43.180 --> 00:21:49.880 And if chapter one is kind of scene one, this is definitely the climax of scene number one. 00:21:50.500 --> 00:21:54.759 Earlier, Orpah and Ruth had made a commitment to the people of Naomi. 00:21:56.160 --> 00:21:59.620 Here, Ruth makes a commitment to the God of Naomi. 00:22:00.740 --> 00:22:02.460 Ruth says, don't urge me to go. 00:22:02.820 --> 00:22:03.980 Where you go, I will go. 00:22:04.080 --> 00:22:05.660 Your people will be my people. 00:22:06.299 --> 00:22:08.660 Your God will be my God. 00:22:08.660 --> 00:22:10.660 Again, remember who Ruth is. 00:22:10.779 --> 00:22:12.800 She is a Moabite widow. 00:22:13.140 --> 00:22:16.120 Somebody who's seen as an enemy of God. 00:22:16.180 --> 00:22:27.460 For the people of Israel, as they're reading this story, they would definitely pick up on this most unlikely convert here in Ruth chapter one. 00:22:27.880 --> 00:22:30.180 This Moabite widow. 00:22:31.860 --> 00:22:35.620 The most unexpected person to turn to the Lord. 00:22:35.619 --> 00:22:39.479 And again, I wonder about those people in our lives. 00:22:39.899 --> 00:22:44.599 Maybe there are people in our minds that are too far gone for God. 00:22:44.959 --> 00:22:50.719 Now, I don't know what went into Ruth's conversion, but I know God was doing something. 00:22:51.559 --> 00:22:54.139 And maybe we would think about those people in our lives. 00:22:54.140 --> 00:23:03.600 Maybe we would have confidence and trust that God is there and God is working. 00:23:04.040 --> 00:23:09.840 That we might see more and more unlikely converts at Christ Church and New City Church. 00:23:10.480 --> 00:23:12.780 God is already going before us. 00:23:13.960 --> 00:23:16.700 I wonder what it might look like for us to partner with God. 00:23:16.700 --> 00:23:21.059 If God is there, will we join God in that work? 00:23:21.720 --> 00:23:23.779 Pursuing the Ruth's of our lives. 00:23:23.940 --> 00:23:25.660 Loving the Ruth's of our lives. 00:23:25.799 --> 00:23:33.100 And believing and having confidence that God is in the business of drawing unlikely converts to himself. 00:23:34.460 --> 00:23:38.000 I also want you to see something about the commitment of Ruth. 00:23:38.480 --> 00:23:42.500 We live in a culture of a FOMO culture, right? 00:23:43.019 --> 00:23:44.559 Fear of missing out. 00:23:44.559 --> 00:23:49.139 And because of this FOMO culture, we are reluctant to make commitments. 00:23:49.139 --> 00:23:54.000 Because if I commit to one thing, it means I'm going to miss out on other things. 00:23:54.720 --> 00:23:59.019 But I think God oftentimes blesses and rewards our commitments. 00:23:59.879 --> 00:24:05.559 When we are committed to our marriages, committed to our children, committed to our neighborhoods and city, 00:24:05.980 --> 00:24:12.879 I think God uses and blesses our steadfastness in those particular relationships. 00:24:12.880 --> 00:24:18.180 As we look at Ruth, she is making this declaration, this commitment. 00:24:18.940 --> 00:24:20.340 Your people, my people. 00:24:20.520 --> 00:24:22.020 Your God, my God. 00:24:22.500 --> 00:24:27.420 She is making a commitment to the God of Israel and the people of Israel. 00:24:27.840 --> 00:24:32.620 Yes, she loves Naomi, but this love for Naomi is now spilling over. 00:24:33.720 --> 00:24:36.500 She makes a commitment to God and the people of Israel. 00:24:36.500 --> 00:24:45.200 What might it look like for us in a new and fresh way in 2024, even in the summer, even in July, 00:24:45.880 --> 00:24:50.259 to make a commitment to God and to make a commitment to God's people? 00:24:51.119 --> 00:24:57.559 How might God show up in our lives, challenging us, encouraging us, pushing us forward, 00:24:57.559 --> 00:25:03.659 as we remain steadfast, just as he has been steadfast to us? 00:25:04.879 --> 00:25:05.619 Verse 19. 00:25:06.679 --> 00:25:08.960 So the two women went on until they came to Bethlehem. 00:25:09.440 --> 00:25:12.919 When they arrived in Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them. 00:25:13.359 --> 00:25:18.799 And the women exclaimed, this is like the women of the city, of the neighborhood, of Bethlehem. 00:25:19.119 --> 00:25:20.359 Can this be Naomi? 00:25:20.359 --> 00:25:20.519 Naomi? 00:25:21.159 --> 00:25:24.319 She says, don't call me Naomi, she told them. 00:25:24.439 --> 00:25:29.240 Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter. 00:25:30.000 --> 00:25:33.419 I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. 00:25:34.119 --> 00:25:35.319 Why call me Naomi? 00:25:35.699 --> 00:25:37.419 The Lord has afflicted me. 00:25:37.979 --> 00:25:40.479 The Almighty has brought misfortune upon me. 00:25:41.019 --> 00:25:41.500 Verse 22. 00:25:41.500 --> 00:25:47.039 So Naomi returned from Moab, accompanied by Ruth the Moabite, her daughter-in-law, 00:25:47.039 --> 00:25:51.639 arriving in Bethlehem as the barley harvest was beginning. 00:25:52.319 --> 00:25:55.559 My last little principle that I want us to hold on to is this. 00:25:55.619 --> 00:25:58.619 To fight bitterness, we must always be rejoicing. 00:26:00.139 --> 00:26:06.980 When disappointment are laid at the feet of God, oftentimes that disappointment turns into bitterness. 00:26:07.980 --> 00:26:14.659 Bitterness keeps us from seeing who God is and all his beauty and glory and his unchanging character. 00:26:14.660 --> 00:26:21.380 And bitterness keeps us from seeing all the good things that God is doing around us. 00:26:22.080 --> 00:26:25.279 Bitterness keeps us from joy. 00:26:26.040 --> 00:26:28.259 Listen to what Paul says in 1 Thessalonians. 00:26:28.820 --> 00:26:29.580 He says this, 00:26:29.860 --> 00:26:30.880 Rejoice always. 00:26:31.620 --> 00:26:32.380 Pray continually. 00:26:32.620 --> 00:26:34.460 Give thanks in all circumstances. 00:26:35.200 --> 00:26:39.600 For this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 00:26:39.599 --> 00:26:47.099 A daily practice of rejoicing is a punch in the face to bitterness. 00:26:48.599 --> 00:26:56.039 If we want to fight against bitterness, we have to master the art of being a rejoicing people. 00:26:57.079 --> 00:27:08.779 Rejoicing is giving God praise, honor, and glory for who he is, what he has done, what he is doing, and what he will do. 00:27:09.599 --> 00:27:22.980 And again, this is not to minimize the pain, the questions, the doubt, the frustration, the tragedy that you might be experiencing right now in this moment. 00:27:24.619 --> 00:27:27.539 See, rejoicing is not the antidote to lamenting. 00:27:28.339 --> 00:27:34.259 Lamenting can be good and beautiful when we bring our hearts, our pain, and our sorrows to God. 00:27:34.259 --> 00:27:37.240 God welcomes those cries. 00:27:38.819 --> 00:27:41.180 Rejoicing is an antidote to bitterness. 00:27:43.000 --> 00:27:47.259 Naomi comes home and she tells everyone that she has changed her name. 00:27:48.240 --> 00:27:49.940 Naomi means pleasant. 00:27:50.619 --> 00:27:55.319 She has changed her name to Mara, which means bitter. 00:27:56.059 --> 00:28:01.039 Again, her pain and resentment has now turned towards God. 00:28:01.039 --> 00:28:07.599 I wonder if I just gave us a little bit of time, a little bit of space to just think and reflect if we're honest with ourselves, 00:28:08.059 --> 00:28:12.440 if there's any areas of our lives where we've become bitter. 00:28:13.500 --> 00:28:19.599 And not bitter with somebody or frustrated at somebody, but ultimately bitter towards God. 00:28:20.379 --> 00:28:26.039 I want us to fight that bitterness by learning how to live in this tension of always rejoicing 00:28:26.039 --> 00:28:29.639 rejoicing and, at some level, always lamenting. 00:28:30.740 --> 00:28:36.920 If we're a people that are always rejoicing and not lamenting, I think we're missing out on the pain that's in our world, 00:28:37.059 --> 00:28:41.259 the pain that's in this room, and maybe even the pain that's in our own lives. 00:28:41.259 --> 00:28:50.879 If we're always lamenting, we're missing out on who God is, all that God has done, all that God is doing, and all that God will do. 00:28:51.559 --> 00:28:58.299 Again, we have to master this art of living within this tension of always rejoicing and always lamenting. 00:28:58.640 --> 00:29:02.140 Maybe you're here today and you're like, I really don't know what I can rejoice in. 00:29:02.140 --> 00:29:08.120 Let me just remind us, as those who believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus, 00:29:08.320 --> 00:29:13.740 the gospel is this endless well of resources to give us reason to rejoice. 00:29:14.800 --> 00:29:18.000 We rejoice that God so loved us that he sent his one and only Son. 00:29:18.880 --> 00:29:24.300 We rejoice that Jesus stepped into the brokenness of this world and lived a perfect life. 00:29:24.960 --> 00:29:29.960 We rejoice that Jesus, because of his love for us and the joy set before him, went to the cross. 00:29:29.960 --> 00:29:37.960 We rejoice that Jesus has defeated sin, death, and Satan, and risen from the grave and sits at the right hand of God. 00:29:38.019 --> 00:29:43.140 We rejoice that Jesus is coming back one day to make all things new. 00:29:43.740 --> 00:29:52.819 And we could do that every single day, even as we experience pain, suffering, and unmet expectations. 00:29:53.980 --> 00:29:54.980 Verse 22, 00:29:54.980 --> 00:30:05.360 So Naomi returned from Moab, accompanied by Ruth the Moabite, her daughter-in-law, arriving in Bethlehem as the barley harvest was beginning. 00:30:06.460 --> 00:30:08.079 Bethlehem means house of bread. 00:30:08.220 --> 00:30:11.180 So at the start of chapter one, there is no bread in the house of bread. 00:30:12.000 --> 00:30:15.240 And at the end of chapter one, there is a harvest. 00:30:15.819 --> 00:30:17.700 There is bread in the house of bread. 00:30:17.700 --> 00:30:23.100 And as chapter one comes to an end, I think it's a foreshadowing of what's to come. 00:30:24.100 --> 00:30:34.220 Even in the midst of great spiritual darkness, God is behind the scenes doing something and accomplishing something that goes beyond our wildest expectations. 00:30:34.480 --> 00:30:45.880 Many of you guys know, in the book of Ruth, there's this love story that begins between Ruth the Moab, right, the Moabite, and her elder, this older gentleman named Boaz. 00:30:45.880 --> 00:30:48.800 And from Ruth and Boaz will come a son named Obed. 00:30:50.000 --> 00:30:51.380 Obed will give birth to Jesse. 00:30:51.520 --> 00:30:54.340 Jesse will give birth to King David, right? 00:30:54.400 --> 00:30:59.660 This takes place in the time of the judges when there was no king and everybody was doing what was right in their own eyes. 00:31:00.220 --> 00:31:06.820 And through Ruth would come King David, one of the great kings of Israel's history, a man after God's heart. 00:31:06.819 --> 00:31:16.200 And from David, generations later, will come the ultimate king, the true hero of every story, King Jesus. 00:31:17.299 --> 00:31:20.960 So what do you do when life doesn't turn out as you expected? 00:31:21.759 --> 00:31:26.200 Remember, disappointment is an opportunity for us to draw closer to God. 00:31:26.200 --> 00:31:35.580 For the Christian, let me just remind you that you possess the Holy Spirit, the great comforter, who's there to comfort you as you walk through life's pain. 00:31:36.240 --> 00:31:40.740 We also have a Savior who's been through everything that we've experienced. 00:31:41.400 --> 00:31:49.080 So in the midst of our questions or our anger or our frustration, Jesus moves towards us with compassion. 00:31:50.019 --> 00:31:55.140 Life might get real hard for us, just like it did for Naomi, just like it did for Ruth. 00:31:55.140 --> 00:31:57.380 Life wasn't easy for Ruth. 00:31:57.759 --> 00:31:59.180 Ruth lost a family. 00:32:00.500 --> 00:32:01.540 Ruth lost her husband. 00:32:02.520 --> 00:32:03.680 Ruth lost her community. 00:32:05.080 --> 00:32:14.100 And the hardness of our lives can lead us to a hard heart, or the hardness of our lives can lead us to God. 00:32:15.200 --> 00:32:21.720 So as we prepare for future trials, I pray that we would learn from this story, 00:32:21.720 --> 00:32:28.539 and we wouldn't run away from God like Naomi did, but we would run to God like Ruth did. 00:32:29.079 --> 00:32:30.339 Let's pray, Christ Church. 00:32:33.240 --> 00:32:35.339 Heavenly Father, I'm thankful for this community. 00:32:35.539 --> 00:32:36.860 I'm thankful for the history here. 00:32:36.980 --> 00:32:39.440 I'm thankful for the gospel that is proclaimed here. 00:32:39.440 --> 00:32:45.400 There's so many good and beautiful things about this church, and yet I know, just like my church, 00:32:46.259 --> 00:32:53.440 the people of our churches, including myself, we oftentimes walk through life burdened 00:32:54.000 --> 00:32:57.940 by disappointments, tragedy, and unmet expectations. 00:32:57.940 --> 00:33:07.000 Lord, I pray that we would continue to be a people that run to you because you are a God that has run towards us 00:33:07.000 --> 00:33:08.980 in your Son, Jesus Christ. 00:33:09.140 --> 00:33:16.320 We are so thankful for the true hero, the true King, our Savior, Jesus. 00:33:17.140 --> 00:33:24.259 May we continue to look to Him in all circumstances, find life, hope, and joy in Him. 00:33:24.259 --> 00:33:25.900 It's in Jesus' name we pray. 00:33:26.299 --> 00:33:26.559 Amen. 00:33:26.980 --> 00:33:27.339 Amen. 00:33:27.339 --> 00:33:27.539 Amen.