Sermon – “True Devotion”

1 Now it came to pass, in the days when the judges [a]ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem, Judah, went to [b]dwell in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. 2 The name of the man was Elimelech, the name of his wife was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion—Ephrathites of Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to the country of Moab and remained there. 3 Then Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, died; and she was left, and her two sons. 4 Now they took wives of the women of Moab: the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth. And they [c]dwelt there about ten years. 5 Then both Mahlon and Chilion also died; so the woman survived her two sons and her husband. 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[d] His people by giving them bread. 7 Therefore she went out from the place where she was, and her two daughters-in-law with her; and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah. 8 And Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return each to her mother’s house. 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 in the house of her husband.” So she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept. 10 And they said to her, “Surely we will return with you to your people.” 11 But Naomi said, “Turn back, my daughters; why will you go with me? Are there still sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands? 12 Turn back, my daughters, go—for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have hope, if I should have a husband tonight and should also bear sons, 13 would you wait for them till they were grown? Would you restrain yourselves from having husbands? No, my daughters; for it grieves me very much for your sakes 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, “Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.” 16 But Ruth said: “Entreat[e] me not to leave you, Or to turn back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever 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. The Lord do so to me, and more also, If anything but death parts you and me.” 18 When she saw that she [f]was determined to go with her, she stopped speaking to her.

30 Then Lot went up out of Zoar and dwelt in the mountains, and his two daughters were with him; for he was afraid to dwell in Zoar. And he and his two daughters dwelt in a cave. 31 Now the firstborn said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man on the earth to come in to us as is the custom of all the earth. 32 Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve the [f]lineage of our father.” 33 So they made their father drink wine that night. And the firstborn went in and lay with her father, and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose. 34 It happened on the next day that the firstborn said to the younger, “Indeed I lay with my father last night; let us make him drink wine tonight also, and you go in and lie with him, that we may preserve the [g]lineage of our father.” 35 Then they made their father drink wine that night also. And the younger arose and lay with him, and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose. 36 Thus both the daughters of Lot were with child by their father. 37 The firstborn bore a son and called his name Moab; he is the father of the Moabites to this day. 38 And the younger, she also bore a son and called his name Ben-Ammi; he is the father of the people of Ammon to this day.

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.

It is so good to be back in the house of the Lord the Sabbath morning I’d like to welcome all those that are joining us on the Web We know that we have some people that watches from Switzerland from Kenya from many parts of the world we welcome you into our home this morning Full Gospel 7 day Baptists it’s good to worship with you to work with brothers and sisters in Christ around the world because we are joined by the sacrifice of Christ a meme that one course said Close me in white clothes ME I’M WHITE How does he clothes us and white by the precious blood of Jesus Christ a man by the precious blood of Christ our sins are washed whiter than snow it says whiter than snow we are forgiven through Christ that white piece of cloth hanging on the cross to signal a signal of that or significance symbolism of that that because of the blood that he said we can be made white Our sins are gone washed away man again the has probably been here last week you might not have been able to hear me because I was had a very bad sore throat and had no head to chest so might have been here but it might not sound too good so anyway so anyway good the Baucus morning for going to receive the messages morning that you didn’t get last week I titled it true devotion we’re going to be reading from Ruth chapter one verse is one to 18 it’s going to be the New Living Translation this morning probably going to at least have one more sermon from Ruth said so amazing wonderful story of God’s love and God’s provision that we find in the Book of Ruth So hear the word of the Lord. In the days when the judges ruled in Israel a severe famine came upon the land so a man from Bethlehem in Judah left his home and went to live in the country of Moab taking his wife and his 2 sons with him the man’s name was a limb a leg and his wife was Naomi their 2 sons were Milan and killing on they were effort tights from Bethleham in the land of Juda and when they reached Moab they settled there then the limit Lech died and Newman was left with their 2 sons the 2 sons married Mo bite women now in that day that was not looked upon with favor for an Israelite to marry one of a foreign nation they didn’t God didn’t want their sons to marry the women of the foreigners but they did one married a woman name or POA and the other a woman named Ruth. But about 10 years later both Milan and killing on died this left Naomi alone without her 2 sons or her husband then they only heard in Moab that the Lord had blessed his people in Judah by giving them good crops again so I know so Naomi and her daughters in law got ready to leave Moab to return to her homeland with her 2 daughters in law she set out from the place where she had been living and they took to took the road that would lead them back to Judah but on the way they only said to her 2 daughters and all go back to your mother’s home and May the Lord reward you for your kindness to your husbands and to me it’s kind of sees. A way of thinking she’s praying a prayer over May the Lord reward you for your kindness thank you for the way that you’ve treated my sons thank you for the way that you have treated me for your love for my sons and your love for me with I thank you for that and May the Lord bless you with the security of another marriage then she kissed them goodbye and they all broke down and wept No they said we want to go with you to your people but Naomi replied Why should you go on with me can I still birth 2 other sons who could grow up to be your husbands know my daughters return to your parents’ home for I am too old to marry again and even if it were possible and I were to get married to night and bear sons then what would you wait for them to grow up and refused to marry some one else no of course not my daughter’s things are far more bitter for me then for you. See sayin you have used on your side look at me I am old I am old I’m beyond the years because a Lord Himself has raised his fist against me and again they wept together in or POA kissed her mother in law good bye but Ruth clung tightly to NY Omi Look Naomi said to her your sister in law has gone back to her people and to her gods you should do the same but Ruth replied Do not ask me to leave you and turned back where ever you go I will go where ever you live I will live your people will be my people your God will be my God wherever you die I will die there I will be buried May the Lord punish me severely if I allow anything but death to separate us when he saw that Ruth was determined to go with her she said nothing more may god add his blessings to the here and in reading of His Holy Word let us pray Heavenly Father we thank you and praise you for the many stories you have given us in the in your word to reveal your relationship with mankind to reveal your love for man into reveal your love or their love for you and father the love that your people had for one another in Father I pray that we would just walk in your Grace that we would walk in your love Father that we would share your love with all those that we me father may your spirit be present today Father’s you would give us the words that you would have us to receive Lord in as that one song said listen to our hearts father may our hearts be true to you May our hearts be devoted to you father may we serve you faithfully in Jesus’ name amen the story of Ruth begins with many facts there’s a lot of facts given in this 1st chapter. The 1st fact the judges ruled the land in that day and that there was a famine in the land that there was a certain man a Bethleham that went to Moab with his wife and his 2 sons they were ever tights and the fact that a limb Aleck and his 2 sons both passed away are all 3 passed away leaving Naomi with only her daughters involves. Orphan and Ruth and they dwelt there for about 10 years it’s the fact that it was during that period when the judges rolled in Israel meaning that they did not yet have a king they had not yet called on Saul to be the king so there was rule by judges that were appointed to watch over if you remember if you’ve read the story when Moses and the Israelites came out of Egypt in as a encamped that Moses set to judge the people remember and he would set there before the people and he would be their judge with their disputes or whatever they had going on and remember how many came out of Egypt over a 1000000 so there were Moses would set in Judge the people from they like took dark it was too much for one man in Jethro’s his father in law went to Moses and says this is a bronze paraphrase this is crazy you cannot continue with this it’s too much for you you need to appoint judges you need to have judges over 50 and judges over hundreds and bring only the most difficult cases to you but let the judges rule over the people so this continued in for many years so Israelite was still under that period of judges where they ruled the land or they was you know making decisions for the people. It was considered a very dark period in the history of Israel very dark it was a time where there was much division there was much cruelty there was apostasy there was civil war there was national disgrace and Karen kind of took a little bit of what I was going to but I’m going to go there anyway because there are some judges in this nation that have made some horrible decisions as you just spoke of in New York City or New York state rather I’m sorry the state of New York we’re going to call them judges leaders in that state have made some decisions that may bring the wrath of God upon that state and if you don’t think God can send his wrath upon a state there was the little town of Bethlehem known as the city of bread had a famine but 40 miles away they had bread 40 miles away in Moab they had bread that’s why his family went there so God will punish a nation they will one day answer for the decisions that they have made it is hard to imagine that a woman can be pregnant she could be scheduled to give birth tomorrow morning have a Syrian give birth to our morning but on the way decide I don’t look this baby and go the other direction to an abortion clinic it kill that child That’s how extreme it is in New York because a decision made there this past week. The day before that child could be born the mother could kill that child it is outright murder I’m sorry I just had to go there get it should your aid us it’s a through 8 every Christian upon the this in this nation or upon this planet it’s a fury to us that they have done something like this it is this outright murder as Scott has said it is murder in it if you are soft on abortion we need to get anybody this soft on abortion to call themselves a Christian they better ask God to forgive them because it is murder as Karen said so far as I’m concerned and I hope you too that from the time of conception it is life and that life is in God’s hands not man’s hands all abortion is wrong whether it is it the 1st month or the 9th month it is murder in a life it is God’s decision when a life should end not manes some of the judges that wrote in that time included men like Gideon Deborah Samuel Sampson we know what kind of life Sampson lived so tells you what kind of judges and how far they had declined there was a famine as I said God can decide that I’m not going to send rain on the land I’m going to dry up the. Plants I’m going to dry up their trees I’m going to dry up the river beds nothing’s going to flourish why because of their unfaithfulness God doesn’t bring judgment upon the land because they are walking faithful faithfully with him it’s because of their unfaithfulness in the Vivek It’s 2617 through 21 God says I will set my face against you and you shall be defeated by your enemies those who hate you will reign over you and listen he says and you will you shall flee when no one pursues you they are going to be so fearful that they will flee when no one is pursuing them and after all this if you do not obey me then I will punish you 7 times more for your sins I will break the pride of your power I will make your heavens like iron and your earth like bronze and your strength shall be spent in vain for your land shall not yield It’s produce God can cause this to happen your land shall not yield its produce nor shall the trees of the land yield their fruit my friends that is what brings forth the famine there is no bread to eat there’s no vegetables no for fruit to eat because God can bring forth a famine he says then if you walk contrary to me and are not willing to obey me I will bring when you 7 times more plagues according to your sense God may send the plague upon a state or a nation because of their unwillingness to obey him because of their unwillingness to walk in their ways the famine was brought upon Bethlehem upon the land of Juda because of unfaithfulness I’m not saying that a limb Alaca Naomi and her sons were unfaithful. But the famine or the judgment that comes upon a land affects the right says and the unrighteous the judgment that could come upon this land will affect the righteous and the and right says if God chooses to send the judgment but they had to leave they needed to survive if you’re livin in a city or a town that is so economically depressed that you can’t even afford to buy food what are you going to do you’re going to do what many people have done they’re going to pack up and are going to move to another city they’re going to move to another town many people today you know they have lost jobs their factory has closed down or they get for whatever their cause they had no means to support themselves they had no finances to be able to go to the grocery store what are they going to do they’re going to move to another area where they hear that there are many jobs or good jobs where they’ll be able to support their family. Many years ago back in the early eighty’s or mid eighty’s I should say the railroad closed down a couple where is a couple of occasions and they transferred men in why because they was already living in an area economically depressed so there was no jobs there so they came with their jobs to Cumberland Maryland because they there was a famine in their area if you will a type of famine Yeah maybe the rain was still coming but there was a type of famine in their lives they no longer had the means to support their family who were the people of Moab Who were these people that they went to live with your essay where they were the most fights ya know that they were the most but who were the way they were that sentence of Abraham’s nephew lot. In Genesis 193338 says then Lot went up out of Zoar and wealth in the mountains and his 2 daughters with him for he was afraid to dwell in store and he and his 2 daughters dwelt in a cave. Now the firstborn said to the younger Our father is old and there is no man on the earth to come into us as is the custom of all the earth come let us make our father drink wine and we will live with him that we may preserve the lineage of our father so they made their father drink wine that night and the firstborn went in to Rafah other and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose and it happened on the next day that the firstborn said to the younger indeed I lay with my father last night let us make him drink wine tonight also and you may go in and live with him that we may preserve the lineage of our Father then they made their father drink wine that night also and the younger also rose and went into him and he did not know when she lay down with him or when she arose Thus both the daughters of lot were with child by their father the firstborn bore a son and called his name Moab he was the father of the mobile to this day or is the father of the mobile to this day the younger also bore a son and called his name been a MA and he is the father of the people of Amman to this day so there is where the descendants of the people of Moab came from the descendants of lot the daughters of lot they believe that the world in their eyes had come to an end the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah if you remember what happened to Lot’s wife she looked back he turned into a pillar of salt because God told them leave and don’t look back she disobeyed. So was a lot of parents as I probably would have to a lot in his 2 daughters so they wanted to preserve their father’s lineage he said were the only ones left Moab had been a constant thorn in the side of Israel they were always at odds with one another how humbling how it would have been to have to flee your nation and go to live in the land of Moab if you was an Israelite how humbling to go into that country and live among them those people that you really did not care for in your heart but while they were there the story tells you know oftentimes I have a number of illustrations but today a story I mean you really read that story could it could happen to anybody it could happen today in today’s society in our lives today it’s things that happened to the normal typical family tragedy struck didn’t tragedy star struck while they were living in Moab Elimelech passed away it doesn’t say that he was unfaithful to God struck him down it doesn’t say that his sons were unfaithful and God struck him down you know some may be tempted to say why did God allow this to happen why did God allow this to happen to know me in our family some may even say why did he cause it to happen it doesn’t say that God caused their death it just simply says they died it could be that they had heart disease I mean they were human just like us right some men or some women have things that happened there have heart disease or whatever they may die young and sometimes it’s hereditary so maybe his sons had the same thing maybe they had heart disease I don’t know it doesn’t say that God caused them to die or struck them dead they just simply died right. You know there’s a little bit of resemblance to the story you just find in Ruth to the one you find in job it may not be quite as severe We know that in Job’s account he lost all that he had but his wife in one day in one day he loses all of his children in. Dun Sautter daughter and son in law though but that is given when we’re all in one day they were having a party they were celebrating and they were all killed by one disaster lost all of his livestock in his Herb’s everything in one day now Naomi might disagree with me because in her eyes I’m sure that that was an extremely severe tragedy to strike her and her family missing your husband and both of her sons she had no means of support because all the men in her life were gone she would have been left to begging whenever some people are struck with a tragic loss in their lives spiritually they may get to the place where they even deny God claiming that if there was a god he wouldn’t let this happen to me just be honest that’s the way some people feel why God if you were really there why would you have let this happen to me of course oftentimes anger sets in yeah we may even get mad at God for allowing this to happen though many got angry inversed warning after she returned says Don’t call me Naomi she responded instead call me Mara for the Almighty has made life very bitter for me I went away fool but the Lord has brought me home empty why call me no me when the Lord has caused me to suffer and the Almighty has struck such tragic sent such tragedy upon me you know what if you’re angry with God you Maz Well tell him right. Because he already knows he knows our heart so you must want telling and then help him or ask him to help you get over it that’s what we want to do but you know even though she was angry I do not believe that she had given up on God I do not believe that she did not God I do not believe that she was unfaithful I believe that she took God very serious I believe that there was a great presence of God in their lives I believe that she still believe that he was a creator of the sustainer of life I believe that she prayed and probably fasted I believe this she to read the words I believe she lived a faithful life and I believe that Ruth and or papa witnessed their mother in law living before God I believe they saw her praying to God I believe they saw her reading to his words I believe they experience the love of God Through know me I truly believe that why else would they have oh why would they have broken down in tears when they only said turn go home go back to your own family I will not bear more children go home to your families go to your families in your gods why else would they have wept bitterly if they had not loved her experience the love from Wyoming Ruth an orca was at a crossroads in their lives as I said they have witnessed one serving the one true God Now they had to make a decision for themselves they were traveling down that road they’re going with their mother now they’re heading back to Jude and she stops says turn and go home they were to point they were back crossroads if you will had to make a decision are you going to go on with Naomi or are you going to listen to know me and go back. Or but decided to go back but Ruth chose God Praise the Lord that Ruth chose God I believe that no means life impacted Ruth in such a way that she saw the love of God she witnessed God through her mother in law isn’t it amazing that we have a foreigner a mole bitis that says to her mother in law in treat me not to leave you or to go back from following you for wherever you go I will go wherever you lodge I will lodge your people will be my people and your God will be my God my friends that’s the day that Ruth chose God when she said your God the One True God that created the universe will be my God see was so devoted that is true devotion so devoted this he says where you die I will die my friends that’s to devotion that we need in marriages today and people met that proclamation but how often that they stray from that proclamation that’s what we should be saying to our spouses till death do us part I will be faithful to you I will live with you were you go I will go to a Death Do Us Part and NASA devotion that we need to God Also till death do us part we need to be faithful true devotion where you die I will die Webster’s Dictionary says devotion is to take a vow to make a pledge to remain true to a partner or one that you make that bow into to uphold the law to honor the Word of God Nish be no surprise that devotion is related to a verb it’s to act to act taking a vow Ruth is an example of how God can change a life and take it in a direction that he is for Dayne. We see God working out His perfect plan in Reuss life will get the more some of that next week but God will do the same thing for all of this children Romans 828 says and we know that all things work together for good to those who love God to those who are called according to his purpose my friends I believe you know that I only and Ruth and all of them may have thought at some point in their lives when they were going through all this tragedy that house things ever going to work out but they trusted God they were faithful to God and we know will get into that more next week how God work things out for the good of Ruth and they owe me and their family. What to turn to Matthew I didn’t put this will in there so you won’t have it up on the screen and this is just a guess a preview of what we get into next week in the 1st chapter of Matthew when speaking of the genealogy of Christ Jesus beginning with through verse 5 salmon the got Boaz course we all know that Ruth goes back with her mother in law when goes with Boaz Mary’s Boaz but Solomon Big got Boaz by Ruth by Rahab Boaz Big got obit ed by Ruth obit B. got Jesse and Jesse B. got David the king Ruth was the great grandmother of King David imagine that a mole bitis who chose God when the road back to Bethlehem was blessed to be the great grandmother of King David through whom the Christ would come God can work all things out together for good to those who are truly devoted those who are faithful. Faithful to walk in His ways faithful to serve him faithful to trust in Him whom we are devoted we will trust Ruth had no idea what lay in her future but I believe she followed the path of God I believe that God was drawling her and I believe she answered faithfully to devotion are we that devoted in our walk with God are we so devoted that no matter what happens no matter what tragedy may strike no matter what it may look like financially physically or whatever may come are we so devoted we say Lord I just trust in the that you will work these things out or will we get angry when we deny Him We turn from him I pray that we would all continue to say Yes Lord I will follow I will be devoted Amen.