Something Happened in Bethlehem

Announcements

Business meeting 8/24 6:30 PM

Culver’s today

Billy Graham Prayer and worship night sept, 23 6:30 PM Church of Hope

Sabbath Feast 28th

Call to Worship

Say: Let us now begin to worship the Father the Son, the Holy Spirit, Our Call to worship Comes to us from

Psalm 124 NKJV

A Song of Ascents. Of David. 1 “If it had not been the Lord who was on our side,” Let Israel now say— 2 “If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, When men rose up against us, 3 Then they would have swallowed us alive, When their wrath was kindled against us; 4 Then the waters would have overwhelmed us, The stream would have gone over our soul; 5 Then the swollen waters Would have gone over our soul.” 6 Blessed be the Lord, Who has not given us as prey to their teeth. 7 Our soul has escaped as a bird from the snare of the fowlers; The snare is broken, and we have escaped. 8 Our help is in the name of the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.

Introduction

300 Sermon Illustrations from Charles Spurgeon Our Husband Is the Physician (Ephesians 2:8)

A lady is the wife of the most eminent physician of the day. She is seized with a dangerous illness and is smitten down by its power. Yet she is wonderfully calm and quiet, for her husband has made this disease his special study and has healed thousands similarly afflicted. She is not in the least troubled, for she feels perfectly safe in the hands of one so dear to her, in whom skill and love are blended in their highest forms. Her faith is reasonable and natural; her husband from every point of view deserves it of her.

This is the kind of faith that the happiest of believers exercise toward Christ. There is no physician like him; none can save as he can. We love him, and he loves us, and therefore we put ourselves into his hands, accept whatever he prescribes, and do whatever he bids. We feel that nothing can be wrongly ordered while he is the director of our affairs, for he loves us too well to let us perish or suffer a single needless pang.

Text

Ruth 1:6 NKJV

6 Then she arose with her daughters-in-law that she might return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the country of Moab that the Lord had visited His people by giving them bread.

Background

Big Idea

Something happened in Bethlehem

God Moved

So What happened? God did.

Ruth 1:6 NKJV

6 Then she arose with her daughters-in-law that she might return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the country of Moab that the Lord had visited His people by giving them bread.

Naomi had lost everything husband, sons, she had no heirs, she was an alien in a foreign land, she had followed her husband into sinful disobedience and it had cost her everything.

Yet God still acted.

We don’t see that

EXPAND

He did the following 4 things

1) The good news spread

Ruth 1:6 NKJV

for she had heard in the country of Moab that the Lord had visited His people by giving them bread.

Now God had promised that when his people would call on his name and believe he would restore blessing to his people.

2 Chronicles 7:14 NKJV

14 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

James in the new Testament says the same, btw

James 4:10 NKJV

10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

So God was moving and the news is spreading.

Their is an implication here, something is happening in Bethlehem. Remember in Ruth 1:1

Ruth 1:1 NKJV

1 Now it came to pass, in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land.

Famine like a wild animal was stalking about the land destroying the crops from the lack of convental faithfulness to Yahweh.

But now something was happening in Bethlehem, does something show up in Bethlehem report on your radar when you hear that.

“what’s going on in Bethlehem? God’s doing something big!”

Today

Isn’t that how it works? You hear that God is up to something in someone’s life and it spreads like a fire, doesn’t it? Their is no coincidence. God is moving in our time. We are seeing it I believe on the edges. Bible sales are up, people are asking all the right questions. The world makes no sense, but then you see people turning to God for answers. He is doing something, you can feel it. I believe he is doing something here in our church.

Do you know that God is doing something, can you see it in the eyes of your faith, can you hear it

2) Provided Bread

Then

Provision We talked about at length last week so I won’t get into that to deeply again today but I need you to hear that Your God says to you

Matthew 10:29–31 NKJV

29 Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. 30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

We talked about provision for your daily bread, provision for your thoughts, let me talk about provision for your emotions.

Psalm 56:1–4 NKJV

1 Be merciful to me, O God, for man would swallow me up; Fighting all day he oppresses me. 2 My enemies would hound me all day, For there are many who fight against me, O Most High. 3 Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. 4 In God (I will praise His word), In God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me?

Psalm 56:8 NKJV

8 You number my wanderings; Put my tears into Your bottle; Are they not in Your book?

Your God collects your hurts personally in his bottle, He knows them personally. Your God is present in your hurts and sadness, he knows them all in his book.

He will end them as the word says

Revelation 21:4 NKJV

4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

In the Case of our verse. The famine would have brought much weeping and sadness, and yet God came to wipe away their tears. He will do that in full one day, never again a broken heart, a destroyed relationship, never an emotion that feels barely under control.

and Today a God who knows them!

3) His people

The next thing I want you to look at is “his people”

Remember the people of Israel Ex. 19:5-6

Exodus 19:5–6 NKJV

5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. 6 And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.”

This is for us btw

Jeremiah 31:31 NKJV

31 “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah—

Luke 22:20 NKJV

20 Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.

We are the Christian Israel. We are God’s chosen people, the royal priesthood, that Holy nation.

What makes the new Covenant better then the Old is that it includes everyone, Jew and Gentile. You are not God’s second draft pick you are his first choice. You are not the back up plan, the black sheep, the step-child, you are God’s own.

God made Abraham a promise to give him descendants, and he gave him everyone who believes in Jesus as that.

You are God’s people.

God’s has visited us in person, he came in through Bethlehem.

Today

Deuteronomy 5:3–6 NKJV

3 The Lord did not make this covenant with our fathers, but with us, those who are here today, all of us who are alive. 4 The Lord talked with you face to face on the mountain from the midst of the fire. 5 I stood between the Lord and you at that time, to declare to you the word of the Lord; for you were afraid because of the fire, and you did not go up the mountain. He said: 6 ‘I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

What you get for being God’s people

1. God will put his law into your heart

Deuteronomy 30:6 NKJV

6 And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.

Yes a benefit of being God’s people is that you will grow in your faith, this is called sanctification. The Hebrew people didn’t have the Holy Spirit in their heart, you and I do. How good is God that he is active in helping you be a Christian

2. You know God

You actually know God.

Jeremiah 32:40 NKJV

40 And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from doing them good; but I will put My fear in their hearts so that they will not depart from Me.

Ever watch the world and you can’t figure out how people can be so sinful, do something so wicked and they do it shamelessly. When you sin, and you know it you can feel God watching you.

That’s the fear of the Lord in your heart.

The best part is that the Holy Spirit will spiritual kick your butt, He will point out your sin specifically and clearly.

This is a blessing, God helps you keep short accounts with Him.

3. Forgiveness of Sin

Oh this is the best part of being God’s people.

Jeremiah 31:34 NKJV

34 No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”

Hebrews 8:12 NKJV

12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”

God doesn’t hold your forgiven sins against you. Forgivness is not something people really do anymore, people get cancelled, people pivot, people don’t forget.

But God does. You as God

4) God Intervened

Ruth 1:6 NKJV

the Lord had visited His people by giving them bread.

The word for visited could also be understood as an intervening on behalf of some-one. This is like a military intervention, the spirit of famine was stopped and God came down to intervene. The covenat that God made had stipulations that if his people repented then he would relent the curses of the law.

In Bethlehem a redeemer was present, sound fimaler? God had intervened with Boaz. He was a righteous judge, a good man., a man of great faith.

What is amazing is that God had planned for Ruth to be in the line of Christ, but He had to make a way, so when Elimelech sinned and left th promised land God did his thing.

God sent a man to Bethlehem to bring righteousness back to the house of bread.

Today

Why me is a question that I find we in the smallest part of our hearts ask?

Romans 8:28 NKJV

28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

Do you hear that?

He has a purpose, God is writing your story. I heard a pastor say once “god can draw straight line with crooked sticks” what you’ve been through God is using for his purpose. Do you believe that my friend? Naomi had lost everything, the people of Bethlehem had lost so much in the famine, But God, used it.

He used this moment to bring a redeemer to them, to Ruth, to give us Christ.

Your story may have so many bumps, but if you’re a Christian know that your God will intervene for you.

If you don’t know where you stand with God do you know that This God has come to know you.

The Bible says this

John 15:13 NKJV

13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.

Jesus considers you a friend, he came to intervene for you. I don’t know about you, but I want God to be my friend, I want God, who made everything, who is completely good to intervene for me.

Let me tell you something you already know.

Something happened in Bethlehem. Yes, God intervened for you. A one man invasion, Jesus broke into our stories, our lives. We where lost, adrift and a savior was born for you and me.

Luke says this:

Luke 1:68 NKJV

68 “Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited and redeemed His people,

Zacharias is saying this at the time of Christ’s birth.

We rightly say John 3:16

John 3:16 NKJV

16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

It wouldn’t be wrong for you to say (Put a name here)

Something has happened in Bethlehem.

GIVE THE GOSPEL

The Gospel

Sing

Benediction

Say: As we close our service of worship dear brother and sister please stand for our benediction and receive by faith this blessing from God

Hebrews 13:20–21 ESV

20 Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, 21 equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

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