01 God Cares

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DECLARATION:

Ephesians 2:20–22 (ESV)

20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

Our church family is built by God, upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, and with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone.

We are joined together by union with Christ, we are growing, we are a dwelling place of God by his Spirit, and we are missionaries.

Prayer for...

INTRODUCTION:

Review:

WHAT IS THE REASON WHY THIS MESSAGE IS BEING SHARED / WHAT IS THE PROBLEM THIS MESSAGE IS ANSWERING?…

Ruth 1 contains:

Famine

Death

Displacement

Emptiness

And God does not speak. The book opens with tragedy and no explanation.

Problem: When God is silent in suffering, we interpret silence as absence.

God may be silent, but He is not absent.

BIG IDEA FOR TODAY: God’s mission may be misunderstood, but He’s never absent.

This message solves the lie that God’s silence equals God’s absence.

WHAT IS THE PICTURE OR ILLUSTRATION FOR THIS BIG IDEA?

In winter, everything above ground looks dead. No leaves. No fruit. No color.

If you judged the tree only by what you could see, you would say: ‘It’s over.’

But under the surface… there is a root system still alive.”

…

“What if famine is winter, not death?”

Opening Scripture:

1. God Cares in Famine

Ruth 1:1–5 “1 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. 2 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. 3 But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was left with her two sons. 4 These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. They lived there about ten years, 5 and both Mahlon and Chilion died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband.”

Bethlehem (“House of Bread”) experiences famine.

Loss upon loss: land, husband, sons.

God is not mentioned as acting, but He is working.

Point: Silence does not mean absence.

2. God Cares Through Community

Ruth 1:6–18 “6 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. 7 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. 8 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. 9 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. 10 And they said to her, “No, we will return with you to your people.” 11 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? 12 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, 13 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.” 14 Then they lifted up their voices and wept again. And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her. 15 And she said, “See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.” 16 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. 17 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.” 18 And when Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more.”

Ruth’s covenant loyalty.

“Where you go I will go…”

God begins restoration through relational commitment.

Point: God’s care often comes through covenant community.

3. God Cares Through “Coincidences”

Ruth 2:3 “3 So she set out and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers, and she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the clan of Elimelech.”

Boaz just “happens” to be a kinsman-redeemer.

The redeemer had to be related by blood.

Jesus became our kinsman through the incarnation. He took on flesh (John 1:14). He was “made like His brothers in every respect” (Hebrews 2:14–17).

The virgin birth ensured: Jesus was fully human (true kinsman). Yet not born under Adam’s sin nature (Luke 1:35). He could represent us without inheriting our guilt.

Humanity owed a debt it could not pay. Jesus alone had the righteousness to cover our sin. The cross was the payment (1 Peter 1:18–19).

God’s care is often in others ordinary steps of obedience.

Point: What looks random is often redemption unfolding.

Conclusion/Reflection:

Application:

Where do you feel like God has gone silent?

Who might God be using as His provision in your life?

Are you taking faithful steps even without clarity?

As missionaries, we trust God’s care before they see the outcome.