God Always Has a Plan

Introduction

It is good to see everyone out tonight

I hope you have had a good week

We finished our series through Timothy last week so we are changing gears tonight!

I want us to take a look at the book of Ruth tonight

Ruth is a book of hope

It is a book of encouragement

It is a book that does a great job showing the grace of God

We all need grace

And we all need encouragement

And in these days of uncertainty a little encouragement can go a long way

Ruth is strategically placed in the Bible

Before Ruth is the book of Judges

Before Judges is Joshua

Before Joshua is Deuteronomy which was the end of Moses’ life

God gave Israel some of the finest leaders

God said Moses was the most humble man on the face of the earth

Joshua came after Moses and was a strong and courageous leader

But after these two leaders Israel went downhill

They worshiped idols

They played the harlot with other gods

Then they began mistreating each other

Sin had become their god

God raised up judges to deliver them but they returned to their old ways

And the final words of the book of Judges is, “Everyone did what was right ion his own eyes”

Application

When things are at their worst in the lives of God’s people this statement will always be true

Everyone does what is right in their own eyes

The most tragic times in the Bible is when the people no longer follow God

And this is exactly where Israel was

God gave them exactly what He promised

They had a land flowing with milk and honey

They had God as their King

God fought their battles and made provisions for them

ALL THEY HAD TO DO WAS OBEY HIM

But they kept going back into their old ways

And God let enemies come in and defeat them

He let enemies come in and enslave them

Over and over all throughout the book of judges

And when you reach the end of Judges you think of here is comes, “The book of Judgement!”

God is going to judge them!

God is going to bring curses on them!

God is going to do what He warned them of!

But thats not what happened!

Instead He wrote Ruth in the middle of chaos

Ruth is a story of hope

A story of redemption

A story of encouragement

And it is a story for us in difficult times

The title of the message: “God always has a plan”

Ruth 1:1-5

God uses difficult situations to guide people into his purposes

A famine came upon the land of Israel

I am a firm believer in the Sovereignty of God

Sovereignty: supreme ruler

It just means God is in complete control

And in His Sovereignty God sometimes withholds good things to bring about His perfect purpose

Could God have sent rain and stopped the famine?

Could God have made the crops grow to feed everyone?

Could God have brought rain to water the fields?

Could God have given someone a dream about a famine to come so they could prepare?

ABSOLUTELY!

Job 5:10 NASB95

“He gives rain on the earth And sends water on the fields,

But God let this famine come into the land to drive Elimelech and Naomi into the land of Moab.

The Scripture does not tell us why all three men died

We can make assumptions but we would only be guessing

Heres what I think: God destined them to die in Moab

Elimelech means: ‘My God is King’ signifying religious convictions or a Godly man

Mahlon means: ‘sick’ or ‘to be weak’ suggesting the child was sickly

Chilion means: ‘failing’ or ‘annihilation’

All three names mean together mean “disaster”

Names meant things back then

People were named according to characteristics or events

After Jesus died I doubt anyone named their kids Judas

And their names are significant because I believe it was God’s divine will that they all perish in Moab!

And it was not because they left Judah

It was because it was their destiny

Application

Not every difficult situation is a punishment

We often think when bad things happen to us we are being punished

Now, God does chastise us at times when we are stubborn!

God bends us over His spiritual knee when we need it

But difficulty does not mean necessarily mean punishment

And we need not be discouraged every time difficulty arises

We must never forget that God is still in control

We must never think God is not doing something when He brings difficulty into our lives

verses 6-13

The Goodness of God is always visible if we will just recognize it

Naomi has two daughters in law

She hears that God has removed the famine

She hears there is bread in Judah

She decides to go back to her homeland

And she does so because she has lost everything in her life

She says in verse 21, “I went out full, and the Lord has brought me home again empty”

Now she has every right to be upset

She lost her husband

She lost both of her sons

And even though she has gained two daughters she cannot see the good in it

Aren’t we just like that?

When things don’t go well with us we have such a hard time seeing anything good in our lives

We could have one bad day and claim a whole week as terrible

We could have one bad hour and say it ruined the whole day

Naomi experienced what I hope none of us ever do

But here is God’s goodness staring her right in the face and she doesn’t recognize it

He has given her two daughters (in-law)

Both love her

Both are ready to leave Moab with her

AND she refuses them both

Application

We must never let despair overshadow God’s goodness

We must never let our minds believe the lie that God is not good!

Ashley and I took a little trip a couple weeks ago

And it began to storm while we were driving

And as it began to pour the sun shined down and some of the most awesome rainbows appeared

And I told Ashley it is the sun that is making those rainbows and she said no its God!

Well about a week ago the same thing happened at home

Rain came in a big way and the sun was shining bright!

And I said Im going to see the rainbow!

We I went outside and it wasn’t no where to be found

She thought she was right until I saw a picture a friend of mine had posted on FB of a big rainbow from that storm

The rainbow is there if we just look hard enough

God’s goodness is always in the picture!

We must never let the despairs in life blind us to the goodness of God all around us

Job never gave up

Jeremiah never gave up

Daniel and his friends never gave up

And we should never give up either

If we will look for it, we will see the rainbow

verse 14

The Grace of God is greater than all of our failures

Naomi was upset

She was broken

She was hurting

And what God was trying to give her she didn’t want!

Go home Orpah! Go home Ruth!

Let me be!

Let me wallow in my sorrow!

Let me lay here and die!

Let me enjoy my self pity!

v 14 “But Ruth clung to her!”

I just love that statement

Sometimes the things in our lives we are trying to get rid of are the very things we need most!

Sometimes we think we know exactly what we need and it’s not even close

Because of the grace of God Ruth clung to her!

God wouldn’t let her leave!

God placed it deep within the heart of Ruth to stay and hold on to Naomi despite her direct statements “Turn back and go!”

And thank God for us Ruth clung to her!

Application

Aren’t you glad God is God and we are not?

Aren’t you glad that even when we make mistakes God’s grace is sufficient

Never think God is going to let you mess up if you are trying to serve Him

Never think God will let you fall if your eyes are on Him

Trust Him when it doesn’t make sense

There are going to be times in your life when you really mess up and do stupid things

And the grace of God is sufficient for us

Thank God that even despite our failures he does not turn His back on us

Even when we get made at Him, and blame Him for things, He still gives us the very best for our lives

Verses 15-22

The plans of God hold eternal significances

These verses hold one of the most beautiful statements in all the Bible

I love the words God gave her

Ruth basically said to Naomi I’m not leaving you

“For where you go I will go”

“Your people shall be my people”

“Your God shall be my God”

“Where you die, I will die and be buried there”

“The Lord do so to me, and more so if anything but death parts you and me”

What God gave this bitter, sad, broken woman was a forever gift

God is in the eternal business

Everything He does He does so with eternity in mind

His gifts last a lifetime

His gifts are timeless

God has a plan for every person in this room tonight

There is something much greater than this little life we live in

Naomi had no idea what would happen with her daughter in law Ruth

If she did then she would have encouraged her to come with her from the beginning

Ruth is the mother of Obed

The father of Jesse

The Son of David

From whom would come Christ

God took a Moabite, pagan, woman and had her cling to a bitter Israelite woman to bring about the Savior of the world

Little things matter

Always be attentive to the things God is doing in your life

Don’t miss the rainbows in the storms

And know God does things for eternity

~PRAYER~