How a Sovereign God Loves

Lord’s Supper

Invitation:

This morning, through our celebration of the Lord’s Supper, we proclaim the death of Christ. These elements, which represent the body and blood of Christ, are a visible sermon to us; they are the gospel in tangible form. They proclaim to us the great drama of redemption in Christ: salvation in the present (“for as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup”), salvation in the past (“you proclaim the Lord’s death”), and salvation in the future (“until he comes,” 1 Cor. 11:26). In light of such a salvation, the apostle Paul warns us, “Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord” (v. 27). Before we partake of the Supper, let us examine ourselves this morning, recognizing both the gravity of our sin and the weight of Christ’s glorious sacrifice.

As we get ready to partake in the Lords Supper I want to remind you that we believe this is reserved for those that have placed their faith in Christ. If you haven’t placed your faith in Jesus we ask that you sit in as we observe the Lord’s Supper and contemplate the significance of his sacrifice.

For believers I encourage you to spend time with God confessing any unrepented sin in your life and asking him to prepare your heart for taking part in this special remembrance of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross as he gave his body and spilled his blood on our behalf.

Prayer…

Scriptural directives for Bread & Juice:

[Jesus] said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this is remembrance of me.” (1 Cor. 11:24)[Jesus] said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” (Matt. 26:26)

Eat the Bread

Jesus said, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matt.26:27–28), and, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me” (1 Cor. 11:25).

Drink the Juice

Benediction

The 1662 Book of Common Prayer has a beautiful benediction I’d like to speak over us:

The peace of God, that passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge of the love of God, and of His Son Jesus Christ our Lord; and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be upon you, and remain with you always. Amen. Intro & Background to Ruth:

Introduction:

Life in student ministry is always eventful. I don’t know what Shane’s experience has been or maybe others here that have volunteered in student ministry before, but I know when I was a part-time youth pastor back in Florida I had some memorable experiences and some interesting characters that were a part of our ministry.

One story I’ll never forget was when we did a study that centered on the importance of family and one of the examples was Ruth. Now everything was going really good…we had a large group, for us around 20-30 on a Wednesday night and we had good volunteers there, had a great time of worship and an ice breaker type game, and we were just settling in to doing our bible story. I had one of the teenagers read the passage of scripture for us and that’s where things went off track a little bit.

A girl named Hailey was doing a great job reading and everyone was tracking along until she got to the names. I’m reading along and all of the sudden I hear the name Oprah. Now it’s one of those things that happened so fast and she read it with such confidence that you didn’t really have time to say anything so she kept on going. At that point she had already said it once without anyone saying anything so she kept on chugging along telling us all about Naomi, Ruth, and Oprah. Once she said it about the 3rd or 4th time everyone was starting to laugh so we paused to tell her that it was Orpah and we had a good time with it, but I’ll never forget that time Oprah was in our bible study.

Well today we will jump into the book of Ruth and now we won’t have Oprah saying “you get a car, you get a car, and you get a car” but instead we will look at a remarkable group of ladies, in particular Naomi and Ruth, that trust in God and we will see that despite their misfortunes in Moab, God has a big plan in place for their lives and will accomplish his purposes even in the midst of pain and suffering.

The book of Ruth is narrative literature so it will play out like a story filled with real life characters and historical facts surrounding their story and how God worked in their lives. Based on the first verse we know this took place during the time of judges, but scholars believe it was written during the time kings ruled Israel or even possibly in exile as it refers to Obed as the grandfather of David so to fit in that timeline it would have to have been written later. So let’s dive into Ruth Chapter One and see how God’s sovereign grace unfolds in this story!

Ruth 1:1–22 ESV

In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land, and a man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. The name of the man was Elimelech and the name of his wife Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They went into the country of Moab and remained there. But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was left with her two sons. These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. They lived there about ten years, and both Mahlon and Chilion died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband. Then she arose with her daughters-in-law to return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the fields of Moab that the Lord had visited his people and given them food. So she set out from the place where she was with her two daughters-in-law, and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah. But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return each of you to her mother’s house. May the Lord deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me. The Lord grant that you may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband!” Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept. And they said to her, “No, we will return with you to your people.” But Naomi said, “Turn back, my daughters; why will you go with me? Have I yet sons in my womb that they may become your husbands? Turn back, my daughters; go your way, for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have hope, even if I should have a husband this night and should bear sons, would you therefore wait till they were grown? Would you therefore refrain from marrying? No, my daughters, for it is exceedingly bitter to me for your sake that the hand of the Lord has gone out against me.” Then they lifted up their voices and wept again. And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her. And she said, “See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.” But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.” And when Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more. So the two of them went on until they came to Bethlehem. And when they came to Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them. And the women said, “Is this Naomi?” She said to them, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went away full, and the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi, when the Lord has testified against me and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me?” So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabite her daughter-in-law with her, who returned from the country of Moab. And they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest.

1. When Life Seems Unfair v. 1-5

The Story of Ruth opens with the declaration that is occured “in the days when judges ruled there was a famine in the land…” We go on to learn about Elimelech an Israelite who sojourned into Moab with his wife Naomi and his two sons Mahlon and Chilion. We see right off the bat that this is going to be a story filled with hardship as the family relocated due to the famine.

One thing we learn about God’s people in this opening text is that they longed for a king. We know this as later we will see them choose Saul as their first king and then transition to David admits turmoil, but during this time of judges we see a people desperate for a king that would bring peace…which will finally come under David. We also know it was a period of time that resulted in great spiritual, social, and political unrest for God’s people. “Judges summarizes this era’s spiritual and moral atmosphere: “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judg. 21:25). Spiritual and moral anarchy seemed to prevail.”

The famine was ultimately a driving force for God to work and orchestrate his will and we see this play out in Ruth’s family in a similar way to Joseph and his brothers during the famine that leads him and then the whole family to Egypt. Like any good story we see a bit of foreshadowing here as God will ultimately fulfill Israels desire for a king and do so by working through this family.

We see this period played out in the book of Judges and the general cycle is God’s people rebel against the Lord, often through idolatry, the Lord judges his people, often by handing them over to a foreign oppressor, God’s people cry out to the Lord for deliverance, the Lord graciously raises up a deliverer, often a judge; after being delivered the Israelites rebel agin often more defiantly.

We know things must have been bad for Elimelech, Naomi and the two sons as they sojourned, today we might say fled, to Moab which was a country across the Dead Sea from Judah (where Bethlehem was located) and happened to be on of Israels enemies. You can imagine that they were desperate to survive for them to leave Bethlehem, which ironically was nicknamed the “house of bread” because it usually was known for an area that yielded good crops, and head across the Dead Sea to their enemies the Moabites.

Now you might be wondering if there was a prohibition for Israelites against marrying Moabites, but God had only warned them from marrying Canaanites, yet it was still discouraged because Moabites worshipped other gods including Molech. For Mahlon and Chilion they didn’t have much of a choice as their family relocated to Moab making finding an Israelite spouse a difficult task.

You can imagine that they were desperate to survive for them to leave Bethlehem and head across the Dead Sea to their enemies the Moabites. In Old Testament times a women without a husband, in particular a husband with no brothers, and having both of her sons die left Naomi and by proxy Ruth and Orpah in real danger with no long-term financial support. In short they were about to journey back to Bethlehem with the hope that the community would rally around Naomi and help her.

So all of that takes place for Naomi to get to a spot were she feels despondent, and thinks God has disfavor on her because of live’s difficulties. She couldn’t possibly imagine that God was using her story, and sorrow, to one day bring the Savior of the world to humanity and with that the promise of one day Jesus making all things good and new. Her circumstances clouded her vision of how mighty God is.

So what do we learn from this first section of Ruth?

First, God’s providence is on display even when we don’t see him at work

Two, God’s timing and God’s plans are always better than our own

Third, God doesn’t require the “perfect situation” to accomplish is will

2. The Importance of Loyalty to God and Family v. 6-18

In this next section we see the story progress and Naomi set her sights on a return to Judah because she has heard that God has blessed his people with provision. Of course we see her encourage Ruth and Orpah to stay and presumably remarry so they can start a new life for themselves. She realizes that even if she were to remarry herself and have children that they wouldn’t want to wait around for them to grow up (clearly they did things differently back then…there was something called a kinsman redeemer that we will look at closer later, but basically it was the closest male relative that could step in and provide for the widow.

Naomi encourages her daughters, don’t you love how she calls them this even though technically they are her daughter-in-laws, to return their families as they will have much better prospects of remarrying and starting a family. In this she is essentially saying that they return to their pagan gods as well.

One of the touching scenes of this book is the genuine love that seems to exist between Naomi and Ruth and Orpah. They seem heartbroken about the situation they are in and are clinging to one another to see themselves through this. It’s easy to judge Orpah for not going with them to Judah, but you can tell from these verses that she is heartbroken about this seemingly impossible decision she has to make and is genuinely sad about returning to her family and leaving Naomi’s side.

Ruth of course has this strong reaction and doubles down on following Naomi:

“Ruth decides to “cling” to Naomi despite the grim prospects awaiting her in Judah. Such clinging typifies the unyielding devotion of covenant relationships, such as in the marriage union (Gen. 2:24) or in Israel’s relationship with the Lord (Deut. 10:20). By clinging to widowed Naomi in loyal love, Ruth embodies the essence of God’s law (cf. Rom. 13:8–10). Indeed, Boaz calls Ruth’s devotion to Naomi “kindness” (or “loving kindness”; Ruth 3:10; cf. 2:11), and the Bethlehemite women call it “love” (4:15). Ruth may merely be Naomi’s daughter-in-law (and a Moabite!), but Ruth’s kinship to Naomi is thicker than blood.”

Ruth knows what she’s signing up for:

“The fact that Ruth’s emphatic declaration culminates in images of death rather than of prosperity may indicate Ruth’s acquiescence to Naomi’s grim outlook about a widowed sojourner’s life in Judah.14”

This type of sacrificial love is to be commended and looked at as a great example for us to follow. We see that although Ruth doesn’t know what lies ahead she feels a bond with Naomi and seemingly some kind of responsibility to care for her mother-in-law as she returns to her homeland to try to make things work.

Big takeaways from this section:

We should cherish the people God puts in our lives and love them sacrificially

Even when others don’t see it, or things seem insignificant to others, God recognizes our love for others

3. Trusting God for Provision v. 19-22

Our trusting the Lord does not mean that there are not times of tears. I think it is a mistake as Christians to act as though trusting the Lord and tears are not compatible.

Francis August Schaeffer (Evangelical Missionary)

The plight of Naomi brings to mind the heartaches that Job endures. In a similar fashion Naomi calls out that she feels like God “has dealt bitterly with me”.

It is so important to remember that God desires to be close to us, even in the difficult circumstances when it seems like he is far away:

“When famine strikes Bethlehem, Elimelech seeks respite for his family outside the Promised Land. He does not seem to prioritize the privilege of living in close proximity to the Lord’s presence among his covenant people. Likewise, sometimes Christians seek satisfaction outside of Christ and his regular means of grace. We sometimes forfeit regular, intimate fellowship with God and his covenant people, perhaps by not attending corporate worship or communing with God in his Word or prayer. Taking for granted our special privileges in Christ eventually leads us to wander from him. Sometimes our wandering is visible, while other times our external religious performance momentarily conceals our heart’s distance from God (cf. Isa. 29:13).”

ESV Expository Commentary: Deuteronomy–Ruth by Iain M. Duguid

Hope even when we can’t see it…the last verse Ruth 1:22 “So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabite her daughter-in-law with her, who returned from the country of Moab. And they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest” was an indicator of how God was about to provide:

“The tangible evidence of the Lord’s benevolence, which ought to have refreshed Naomi’s sense of his mercy, appears not to have alleviated her misery. Naomi’s despondency so dominates her field of vision that she cannot appreciate these signs of the Lord’s loving kindness. She seems to have returned home devoid of hope for meaningful personal restoration. But as the unfolding drama will establish, this scene’s raw portrait of Naomi’s despair sets the stage for the Lord’s merciful renewal of his beloved daughter.”

Often times we are so caught up in our trials that we only can see the negative not realizing that God is actually at work even in our struggle. I also want to acknolwedge here that many times we can feel like Naomi in that God has forsaken us or we are forgotten. It is important to remember that God is with us even when it doesn’t feel that way.

I’ve shared the story of having a miscarriage while on the mission field and I don’t want to speak for Jess, but there is definitely times where I got in a negative head space and wondered where God was in the middle of all of that. I mean we gave up everything to go serve HIm. We were there doing ministry for His glory…this wasn’t supposed to happen to us. But even though that is still a painful memory and even though the Lord graciously blessed us with Ellie and Emmitt it doesn’t negate the loss we experienced. It still hurt. I think that’s one of the big lessons we learn from Naomi in the book of Ruth and when we think of characters like Job. We don’t always get the perfect ending, it’s not always the fairy tale Hollywood ending, sometimes the bow doesn’t get wrapped on our story….sometimes people hurt us, sometimes we loose ones we love, sometimes we don’t get that promotion or into our dream school, or our health gives us challenges that seem more than we can handle…even in all of this God is still present…God’s love doesn’t leave us or forsake us even in the struggle.

Romans 8:39 ESV

nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Eric Redmond is the author of the Christ Centered Commentary on Ruth and he experience the loss of his son Eric Jr. as a child and brings a unique perspective to this. I love this quote and think it really nails the sufficiency of Christ:

“When it comes to walking with God, we must think in terms of an open-ended journey rather than a closed system with commonsense outcomes. Closure is just not promised, if by “closure” you mean you must have a neat bow on the package of life and everything gets to make sense according to our relative sensibilities. That’s not promised. Yes, Proverbs 3:5–6 is true: if you trust the Lord completely, he will direct your paths. Yes, Matthew 28:20 is true: he will be with us always, even to the end of the age. But neither Proverbs 3 nor Matthew 28 promises us that we will be able to see the outcomes we desire. They only promise the Lord’s guidance and presence, which should be enough for us.

-Redmond, Eric C. 2023. Exalting Jesus in Judges and Ruth.Closing

The Lord is faithful to be there during our trials and afflictions. It’s our role to look to him during these moments. Even when we feel neglected or far away from God as Naomi did, we can trust that God is present and working in our lives. We must fully trust him. This is one of the dangers we see in the prosperity gospel that is often preached in churches around the world, in particular some on TV including a pretty prominent one right down the road from us. The reality is in a fallen world we will experience difficulties.

The only thing we are promised in this world is that death awaits us. Yet, we serve a loving God who promises eternity and will one day make all things right. If you look through the scriptures you won’t find that we are promised blessing after blessing and that if we give enough or pray enough, or are good enough that we somehow deserve blessings in this life. I would say the opposite is true. You see Jesus say we have to pick up our cross daily and a theme we see over and over again in Job, Ruth, the prophets and then in the NT with the disciples and Paul is that suffering is to be expected. Why do we as Christians today expect any different?

It is grace at the beginning, and grace at the end. So that when you and I come to lie upon our death beds, the one thing that should comfort and help and strengthen us there is the thing that helped us in the beginning. Not what we have been, not what we have done, but the grace of God in Jesus Christ our Lord. The Christian life starts with grace, it must continue with grace, it ends with grace. Grace, wondrous grace. By the grace of God I am what I am. Yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

David Martyn Lloyd-Jones (Welsh Preacher and Writer)

What can we learn from this section?

We can trust in the sovereignty of God.

Ultimately he is in control…wether we see it or not God is working in our lives and present despite the challenges life gives us

If you are in the middle of one of these seasons, cling to the word of God and know that he is good and loves you no matter what you face

Closing:

God used Ruth to turn Naomi’s bitterness into gratitude, her unbelief into faith, and her despair into hope. One person, trusting the Lord and obeying His will, can change a situation from defeat to victory.

Warren W. Wiersbe

In our last sermon series we dove into James and he kicks things off in chapter one with this great reminder…James 1:2 “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,”

Though there is much pain and difficulty in this opening chapter of Ruth there’s also a great redemption story unfolding, not just for Naomi and Ruth but for all of God’s people…Naomi’s plight makes it clear that God’s people want a king, but beyond that they want a Messiah and through God’s great mercy he provides that and because he’s loving God does it in the most unique way using Naomi’s family to first bring a kind but then a Messiah and these are his words:

John 16:33 ESV

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

I don’t know what you walked in here with that’s weighing on you but I hope that as we walk through the book or Ruth together you will be encouraged to cling to God even when you feel forsaken or fogotten. Trust that God is at work in ways that we don’t even realize and look to him in your trials. There’s also something beautiful in this story of how when Naomi returns to be surrounded by God’s people the Lord begins to unfold his grace on her life. Perhaps you need to be committed to the local church to let God’s people come along side you and encourage you. As a church my prayer is that this place would be a place where people can come to be encouraged…to find hope…to be reminded of the great God that we serve who loves us so so much even when the weight of this world and the effect of sin seems to much.

Let’s pray…