Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

What is Hope?

Americans try to define hope in several different ways.

Some talk about hope in a wishful sense as if they are wishing that something good would happen.

I hope that I get a bonus.

I hope that we get a white Christmas.

I hope that I get an A in my class.

Other people talk about hope as though it is a positive mindset.

I hope that tomorrow is better than today.

You see a lot of churches use this slogan, “The best is yet to come.”

It’s the same idea of having a positive mindset that tomorrow will be better.

Others use hope as though it’s based on probability or statistics.

This player is a 35% shooter from 3, I hope that they have a good game.

I hope that we have enough people sign up for our mission trip so that we get locked into a cheaper flight.

These aren’t necessarily wrong definitions of hope - but they’re not the way that hope is used in the Bible.

The word hope (elpis) is found 53x in the New Testament and it often carries with it a confidence not in oneself but in God’s power and redemption.

Here is a working definition of Biblical hope: The expectation of experiencing God’s goodness through God’s power and presence in the present and future.

This definition of hope is different because Christians not only wait for the future to experience God’s hope - they can experience it today!

In this season of Advent, we look in two directions.

We look back at His first coming and we look ahead to His second.

Today, though, we find ourselves living in this already but not yet period.

Christ has already come, but He has not yet exterminated sin as He one day will.

He has already saved those who have repented of their sins, but He has not yet given us our glorified bodies.

We’re in this period of tension.

While we wait, it’s so important for us to do so with hope, love, joy, and peace.

These are the main themes of Advent and this year we’re going to celebrate this season of the year by studying through the book of Ruth.

Maybe you’re wondering how we can study about Jesus from an Old Testament book that takes place long before King David?

That’s a good question.

The book of Ruth reminds us that God works and moves in sometimes obvious ways and other times in mysterious ways… But He’s always at work!

The book of Ruth reminds us that God doesn’t stop working after a tragedy strikes our life.

The book of Ruth reminds us that God uses ordinary people to accomplish His extraordinary purposes!

As we begin this study, we’re going to dive into the land of Israel some 900 years before Jesus Christ.

Emphasize what has taken place within the Kingdom here - the people of Israel are in despair as the victories have dried up and now they are being oppressed by their enemies such as those in Moab.

In the midst of this darkness, God will provide hope as only He can do.

From this darkness, God will send forth His chosen king: King David.

God will make a promise with King David that from his offspring will come a king who will rule forever and be called the Son of God.

This Christmas season as we study this somewhat forgotten character and book, may we be reminded of our God’s faithfulness to save and use sinners to accomplish His glorious plan of redemption!

As we begin this study in Ruth 1, we’re going to look at the Hope that God provides in difficult times and how the Christmas season is the one of ultimate hope!

We’re going to see how this book in particular points us to Jesus - the source of eternal hope.

Even in the Darkest Moments of Life, God is at Work (1-6)

Every year around Christmas time the days seem to get shorter and shorter.

For us in the Northern Hemisphere, December 21st is the day whenever we get the least amount of sunlight.

We will have less than 9 and a half hours of sunlight on that day which means that we’ll have more than 14 hours of darkness.

Darkness has a way to change the way that we feel and more people express feelings of sadness, depression, and loneliness during this time of the year because of the shortness of sunlight that we experience.

Darkness often clouds our feelings and judgments - it makes us think that we’re alone.

Darkness has always been something that society has sought to avoid.

In the ancient world people believed that light and darkness were at war with one another and that each morning when the sunlight pokes over the horizon, darkness and its chaos are avoided at least for 1 more day.

In the middle of dark times, it can be hard to see what is really around us.

Whether it be you walking to the bathroom in the middle of the night and stepping on a toy or stubbing your toe on the edge of your bed frame, we fail to see well in the darkness.

What must we do?

We must look for the light.

Light allows us to see in the darkness.

Light gives us perspective to understand what’s around us and how to best move and act.

We look around our world and we see much darkness - in this world we must also look for the light because the light is our only hope.

Where is the light in the opening section of Ruth?

We see that there is a famine in the land and Elimelech and Naomi and their sons leave Bethlehem to go to Moab.

This is ironic - do you know what Bethlehem means?

The House of Bread… God’s Word tells us that the house of bread had no bread - we see darkness here.

Times are hard.

This family leaves and goes to a foreign land and while they are there the 2 sons marry foreign wives who worshiped different gods.

We see more darkness here.

Fast forward and Elimelech dies and 10 years later Mahlon and Chilion die as well.

We see more darkness.

In this world if a woman lost her husband, her sons would have the responsibility to care for her and for 10 years this is what happens… but what about whenever they pass away too?

This is bad news!

This appears to be the darkest, most hopeless moment of all.

Where will they turn for aid?

No place other than the place that she previously left - verse 6 tells us that they set out to return to Bethlehem because the House of Bread had been restocked by the Bread of Life Himself.

The Bible tells us that God had paid attention to His people’s needs by providing them with food!

In the middle of the darkness - God is at work.

God hasn’t left His people.

He hasn’t abandoned Naomi.

He is still present and with them.

He is at work!

During this Christmas season where darkness is abounding, it can be difficult at times to see God’s handiwork but if you look closely, you can’t miss it.

Just a few days ago we celebrated Thanksgiving and maybe you’re in a situation this year where it was hard to give thanks because of sickness, sorrow, or suffering.

Let’s do a personal inventory this morning of some ways that God is at work in your life right this very minute!

God is at work because you are still breathing

God is at work because you are here this morning

God is at work because your basic needs are provided for

See, in the middle of loss and suffering it can be so easy for us to be overcome by the darkness around us and ignore God’s amazing work and providence in our life.

What we find in Scripture, and especially what we see whenever we look at the birth of Jesus Christ, is that darkness doesn’t get the last laugh - darkness might last for a season but God isn’t absent… He’s still there, He is still at work, He wins in the end!

Not only is God working something good here for Naomi, but His goodness will extend to her daughter’s in law as well!

He will bring about something good from this darkness and this is true in our world today as well friends.

The God of the Bible is at work - even when it can be hard.

Charles Spurgeon once put it like this

Our longest sorrows have an ending, and there is a bottom to the profoundest depths of our misery.

Our winters shall not frown forever; summer shall soon smile.

The tide shall not eternally ebb out; the floods must retrace their march.

The night shall not hang its darkness forever over our souls; the sun shall yet arise with healing beneath its wings.

Charles Spurgeon

Sorrow has an ending.

God will see to that.

It will either end in this life or it will end in eternity to come with our Savior - either way, He is at work and He wins!

Therefore

Even in the Confusing Moments of Life, God is to be Trusted (7-18)

Think of the things that we trust in in this life that sometimes we don’t even think about.

Whenever you go to bed, you trust that your brain and heart will keep your body alive until the morning without you actively telling your body what to do - that’s a scary thought!

Let’s get a little more lighthearted.

Whenever you got here this morning you, I pray, said hello to several other people and got to visit but eventually you made your way to where you find yourself at right now and you did something remarkable without even thinking of it.