The Sovereignty of God & the Joy of Man (04/03/2005)

We won't be having our Scripture songs today. So we're gonna go right into the message

Like for you to turn to Romans chapter 8 and Ruth chapter 1 this morning

Romans chapter 8 verse 26 and we're gonna be Ruth chapter 1 verse 1

I want to speak to you about the sovereignty of God and the joy of man this morning sovereignty of God and the joy of man

Romans chapter 8 Verse 26

Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities for we know not what we should pray for as we ought but the

Spirit Himself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered and He that searcheth the hearts knoweth

What is the mind of the Spirit because he maketh intercession for the Saints according to the will of God?

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God to them who are called according to his purpose

For whom he did foreknow And you have to know that this word foreknowledge when he says he knew us.

It means he knows us with love He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son

That he might be the firstborn among many brethren All things work together for good to them that love

God to them who are called according to his purpose That's a lot of people's favorite verse in the

Bible and Rightly so because as we live in this life, we run across tribulations

Don't we seems that way seems like they just come into our path The truth is they're designed to be in our lives

So that we might grow to be the very person. We're supposed to be when we meet Jesus face to face in those tribulations are probably

The most important part that we go through as far as the molding process, that's where the pressure comes from that the potter can use to mold the clay and This week it seems like we just had a lot of families that are going through things

I know Raymond and Sharon were very concerned They thought he was having a heart attack when they rushed him to the hospital this week

Brother Russell fortunately was there. I don't know how they even Now you found out about it and all that.

I was right getting in the Getting packed in the car to leave to go up to this wedding

And Russell was kind of keeping me informed and and I don't know that that information is right about that muscle leak

I think what they meant was a valve a leaky valve that you know How they do the blood test when you have a heart attack.

They've got about three of them and They read enzyme levels in your blood and they can tell if you've had heart damage muscle damage and so forth

But they're apparently one of those three can show if you have a leaky valve It's some kind of protein or or it probably is a protein and It showed one of the three showed up negative.

And so that's the one but anyway, they're Very concerned he was having some arrhythmias and so forth.

We know about that. Don't we miss B? First time you ever have those you think you're dying, don't you?

but And then the Rivera family over in Mahea. They had their children in our school when our school was first starting back in the early 80s wonderful Christian family

And very much in the word. In fact, mr. Rivera It pretty much is

Lay preacher he just has people around him in his home all the time teaching the Bible to to the

Mexican American people and And anyway, what Juanita had a stroke in February?

They thought a small stroke that she got over with pretty easily then in March She had another little one and then all of a sudden here about a week ago

She had another one and went in the hospital went on a ventilator for about a week and they took her off and she got pneumonia and she passed away last night and Very close to Paul and when my when

Paul was a little boy we were very much around that family quite a bit and And the kids were in our school and sometimes they would babysit.

They were a little older than our kids They'd come over to babysit our Children, so it's been very difficult for Paul to go through this.

Miss Juanita was very close to Paul and vice versa but Anyway, she was only like 53 or 4 years old,

I think and Then there was this Brian Bailey that that brother

Russell mentioned one of our first students in our school that's passed away back in the early 80s, he was a like an eighth grader in our school and So a lot of people going through a lot of things and then there's the

Pope's family I'm sure they're upset and he now I missed that but I heard that he passed away

We were sort of in the midst of preparing for this Wedding and everything so I haven't seen any of the stuff on TV if you want.

I'm sure it's just everywhere, isn't it? I'm sorry, I'm missing that. I really am sorry to miss some of it

I like to hear some of the things they say so what have you could some of you tell me some of the things are saying oh

Really it's gonna go on. Well, when is the burial gonna be? So they really stretch it out

Okay, so they don't even tell us when exactly Now have they selected the new one?

So the smoke goes up the chimney when they select him. Will that be this week too, or does that take a while?

I don't remember. It's been a while since I've Yeah, will that be this week or do you know?

50 they have to do it in 15 days. They probably oh Okay Well, the whole world is on hold now till we get our new

Pope now if he's Half Jew or something like that and get shot in the head and recovers.

We'll know We'll know we're close won't we? Really Wasn't a head injury was it?

Well, some people think that the Antichrist will be a Pope will be the Pope of that time

So to get to become it

Figured all of them That would be pretty you think pretty necessary for that position but Well, the whole world gets all excited about the

Pope Russell was telling me they didn't mention Jesus too many times They just mostly talk about him

Yeah, I would say the good

Wasn't he the first one to have a Pope mobile How about John Pope Paul the

Batman or something Oh Well, we laugh about it, but it's boy serious business with the demonic world they work through that so much well

Isn't it amazing that we live in a day where we have freedom and they're not killing us?

I was thinking about that while I was reading this verse. I Was thinking about the

Pope in the back of my mind and reading this verse and I was thinking, you know We have freedom to be a little small group like this meet together

Study the word together allow the Holy Spirit to be our teacher for most of the 2 ,000 years since Jesus time that the

Catholics have killed people like that because we don't come under the authority of the Pope and they Don't like that So we live in a little space of time here where we've been in a protected time in the

United States of America and Other third world countries, I know

Mexico you don't think of that a lot of people think of that as It's as far out there as some third world countries

But I guarantee you that there are some mountainous areas in Mexico If you went there as a

Protestant, they would raid you out in the street and kill you and Because you're not a

Catholic So it's an amazing power struggle And who knows how many of you think that the

Catholic Church is the great The great whore that it talks about in Revelation raise your hand

I want to see how many of you think that might be the Catholic Church Brother Otis had his hand up. So you might raise your hands

Well, I think the Roman Catholic Church easily could be I think it could include other things with it

But you know, they merge things into themselves. It could be the entire false religion hierarchy in the whole world and excluding only true

Bible believers Because there's a big move to bring everything under one so that Wow, is that what they're saying on TV?

A billion strong They'll only have about eight billion in the whole world only or is it six six to eight billion

Around around six. So one -sixth of every human is a Catholic Wow Amazing The biggest cult group in the world

Yes, he did And how they killed

Did he apologize for killing the Baptists? Or just the Muslims I don't think he's apologized for that one yet, but it's it's amazing history

Bush oh Well, they have they ever chosen an American for that I don't think they ever have never will it'll be some

European and you know if if the church if the Catholic Church is a

Role, which we it probably will be it will probably be what brings together the European nations, you know in that ten nation

Confederacy that Daniel talks about well, it gets interesting and So, let's get our minds off those things and let's talk about how

God is in control not the Pope So, I want to tell you a story this morning out of the

Bible about how God works all things together for good in our lives this story took place three thousand three hundred years ago and The customs of that day were a little different than they are now, but God has not changed

And this was about a thousand years before Jesus Christ was born and it happened in the same city

That he was born Bethlehem so let's look at Ruth chapter 1 verse 1

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

Now wouldn't you think think that a famine is a bad thing That's how we think isn't it

But God can use things like famines to move you to the place where you are supposed to be and This famine caused this family to move to another place

If they hadn't moved to this place, which means if it hadn't been for this famine

Jesus Christ would not have been born and We would have died in our sins.

So this was a very important famine Now what that teaches us is that the things that we consider to be bad are very important events

They are not bad from God's viewpoint This famine was in the whole land and a certain man of Bethlehem Judah Went to sojourn in the country of Moab he and his wife and two sons and The name of the man was a limeleck

And the name of the wife was Naomi and the name of the two sons were Mahalon or Mahalon and Chileon and They came into the country of Moab and they continued there and then a limeleck died in verse 3 and So they were rooted uprooted by this famine.

They made the trip over to Another land into Moab No sooner had they gotten there than the father died passed away.

And so Naomi is left with just her two sons Now the two sons marry

But before we go into that, let me tell you the Hebrew here behind their names if you you may remember have heard this but Does anyone remember what

Mahalon means this boy's name? His name means sickly and Chileon means whiny

So here her two sons are sickly and whiny and Her husband passes away.

So this we have the marks of a real tragedy and It really is a tragedy because of their physical appearance.

These were the names that were given these two boys and What a picture this presents and Here they're in a foreign land.

Well sickly and whiny find a couple of wives and They were women of Moab and the name of one was

Orpah and the name of the other was Ruth and they dwelled there about ten years and This is

Orpah not Oprah All right, make sure you know the difference Charlotte was telling me on the car on the way over here that Oprah Winfrey was really named

Orpah and they misspelled it And that's how she became Oprah but I'm glad it was not

Oprah because this is a tragedy enough as it is and Orpah Means the nape of the neck

So apparently Orpah might have been a bit stubborn in her nature Now Ruth on the other hand the name means friend

So the tragedy continues in verse 5 and Mahalon and Chilean died also both of them and The woman was left of her sons and her husband

Then she arose with their daughters -in -law that she might return from the country of Moab For she had heard in the country of Moab how that the

Lord had visited his people and giving them bread now see how Circumstances can play a role in the way that God moves us to the place where he wants us to be and To her it was just a matter of Necessity she had lost her husband.

She lost her sons. All she had left was two Moabitess The daughters -in -law and now the famine was over and There was bread in abundance.

The economy had turned for the good in the homeland So she sees that as an open door to head back that way

So as she leaves to head back to Judah with her two daughters -in -law She beseeches both of them to return to their mother's home

And she gave them her blessings to stay in their homeland with their own families and at first both of them said no, we'll go with you and They both of the daughters -in -law said they would go with Naomi but finally

Orpah consented and returned to the place of her family in Verse 15 and she said to Ruth behold thy sister -in -law is gone back

Unto her people and unto her gods Returned out after thy sister -in -law.

So Naomi turns to Ruth and says look Orpah went back to her family You should do the same.

She went back to her family and to her gods with a little G and that means they're idols the false gods and And then at this point comes one of the most beautiful poetic passages in the whole

Bible and I think perhaps in the entire literary world one of the most beautiful passages look at verse 16 and Ruth said and treat me not to leave thee or to return from following after thee

For whether thou goest I will go where thou lodges I will lodge

Thy people shall be my people and thy God my God Where thou diest will

I die and there will I be buried the Lord do so to me and more also if all but death part thee and me what a beautiful picture of faithfulness and Friendship her name meaning friend verse 18 when she saw

When Naomi saw that Ruth was steadfastly minded to go with her then she stopped trying to talk her out of it

What a beautiful statement this woman made, you know, thy

God shall be my God and So God is blessing

Naomi with the true friendship of Ruth and Her love and faithfulness, but there's more to this blessing

But first before we see that let's note the bitter pain that Naomi was in and This reminds me of us

Certainly, I can speak for myself not you but I assume we're similar in many ways

So look at this she's Dealing with this situation of losing her husband losing her sons in her mind.

She's lost everything that she has The only thing that she had left is this

Moabitess young woman who? Follows along tags along with her named Ruth and refuses to go back to her parents

Naomi who knows maybe she might have even seen that as a burden now. She's got to take care of this young woman

But she was believing that God had dealt with her harshly I Mean this is human nature

It's human nature sometimes to question God when we're going through trials And I'll say this if you're strong in your belief in the sovereignty of God like we are

You might have more tendency to do that than others because you know who's in control

So something bad happens to you, you know, who was ultimately in control

So we in our strong belief that God is sovereign When Tragedy strikes us if we're not careful

We may tend to shake the fist for a little while and say God. How did you do this to me? I know you could have stopped this

You could have made this where this didn't happen and you didn't This is exactly where she is.

Look at verse 19. You'll see this But I'll tell you what it teaches She did have a strong belief in the sovereignty of God now listen

This is biblical. Ladies and gentlemen, don't think ever for a moment that you're in some strange little church

Well, you probably do think that but you're in some strange little church Where we invented this idea of the sovereignty of God and how important it is

I'll take this opportunity to remind you that before the year 1900 in Europe in the in the

British among the Baptist in England before we they even I Didn't go back far enough, but you you go back about a hundred years but you go back even further than that before our nation was really a nation and They had two groups particular

Baptist and general Baptist the particular Baptist were about Three -fourths of everybody almost every

Baptist was called a particular Baptist Why did they call themselves that because that meant that Jesus died for a particular group of people the elect

They strongly believed in the sovereignty of God the general Baptist were a small group who believed otherwise

So it's historical but look how far back it goes now Look as you read about Naomi in verse 19 and see if you don't see in her

That she had the strength of believing that God was in control of everything.

Therefore It's his fault that this happened That's the downside of being strong in our belief

It's we if we're not careful when we go through tribulation We get a little bit bitter towards God So they too went until they came to Bethlehem and it came to pass when they were come to Bethlehem That all the city was moved about them and they said is this

Naomi? So she said so that the two women come back into the town the hometown

She's been gone for At least 10 years 10 or 11 years and she's changed a little bit

But they recognize her and they say is this Naomi is she back? and Her answer is interesting because she said of them

Call me not Naomi Call me Mara For the

Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me Mara means bitter The Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me

I went out full and The Lord hath brought me home again empty

What a statement Can't you just feel with her how she was feeling?

I Left full I came back with nothing Now whose fault does she think this is well who's running the universe

So she places it in the right place. It's just that her attitude is not right But we can't point the finger at her.

Can we? How many times in our lives if we had our caught our minds maybe for a brief second or two blaming

God maybe for a day or two The fortunate thing is if we're born again, the

Holy Spirit leads us back to the right thinking doesn't he? To realize he is a loving

God and a good God and all -knowing God So the best is what is happening? But it may take us a day or two to work through that and it did this this woman is flesh and blood like we are

So she was dealing with this heavy on her heart So the two women settle in back in the hometown territory around Bethlehem and as God's providence would have it

They returned at exactly the time of the barley harvest and so Ruth goes out into the fields to reap

Ruth chapter 2 verse 3 if you would look at that one and She went and came and gleaned in the field after the

Reapers and her hap wants you to underline that word hap was to light in a part of the

Field belonging unto Boaz who was the kindred of a limeleck.

He was kin to the father -in -law Now the word hap what does that mean in the old

English? Yeah, like it happened to go there happenstance or fortune

Now what's interesting is that's man's viewpoint, isn't it? Of course all the stories are told from man's viewpoint

It's interesting that you see the sovereignty of God in verses 19 through 21 But here you see man's viewpoint is from our viewpoint.

We just happened to have ended up right here in this church today Didn't we I? Mean we drove all the way from the moon practically last night and landed right here in this church today

Just happened to be here Well, she just happened to light On the part of the field that belongs to Boaz which happens to be a kindred Now this is the kind of hap that I like Because there's no real accidents or happenstance

Except from our viewpoint, but from God's viewpoint everything is orchestrated We should remember this when we're going through difficult times in our own lives

Everything is orchestrated even the difficulty of the times as Ruth goes out into the fields an

Extremely eligible bachelor named Boaz took note of her and I mean he took the kind of note of her that a man takes of a beautiful woman when

His eyes seem to be saying she's the one for me And if you go home you read the story truly, it's one of the most romantic stories in the whole

Bible So he told her to remain in his field.

He said you don't need to reap anywhere else You just reap right here in my field You can follow my workers.

In fact, he said I want you to stay right here with the young men and Reap with them. Well, actually this was a test

But what Boaz was testing her to see what she would do around these young strong men.

He was a little bit older Well Ruth's mother -in -law comes into play now.

She comes back tells the story to Naomi Now this is not a conniving mother -in -law at all

She's just wise and she's been around and she's going to give a little help to Ruth and Chapter 3 verse 1 and we'll see the advice that she gives her

Now Let me give you some background before we get into this. They had a law and this was part of God's law in these times of this dispensation of the

Old Testament Saints That if a woman lost her husband

That a kinsman in in the larger family could redeem her and the land of the original husband

Pay a price for that land and in the process purchase her as his own wife

So that you could raise up seed to that family and not have the family line die out

And this was part of God's law. So at that time, this is how it worked.

This was how God Instituted this for the Israelites. So that comes into play here.

It sounds a little bit strange because that's not our custom today But this comes into play

So there is nothing illegal or illicit going on here. And as you read this, you might think well, this is strange

Well, it's because It's a different dispensation God dealt with these people a little bit differently.

God didn't change but the way that he dealt with the people did So everything is above board here and everything is right

But look at how Naomi counsels Ruth chapter 3 verse 1 then

Naomi her mother -in -law said unto her my daughter Shall I not seek rest for thee?

That it may be well with thee She says look I want it to go well with you. I'm gonna give you some advice and Now is not

Boaz our kindred now, you see no Naomi was familiar with the law She was familiar with the law and she knew he is our kindred therefore he could become a kindred Redeemer, by the way, this is a picture.

This whole thing is a picture This kindred Redeemer idea is a picture of Jesus Christ. He is our kindred Redeemer so Is he not a kindred with whose maidens thou wast in other words you were out in the field with Servants of his and the young men and the young women you were reaping in their field

Isn't this man who owns this field? So he's a very wealthy man Isn't he our kindred?

Behold, he winnoweth barley tonight in the threshing floor wash thyself therefore and anoint thee and Put thy raiment upon thee and get thee down to the floor

But make not thyself known unto the man until he has done eating and drinking

She's given her specific instructions And and it shall be that when he lieth down that thou shalt mark the place where he shall lie and now shall go in and uncover his feet and lay thee down and he will tell thee what thou shalt do and And she said unto her all that thou sayest unto me

Ruth said I will do and She went down to the floor and did according to all that her mother -in -law

Bade her and when Boaz had eaten and drunk and his heart was merry he went to lie down at the end of the heap of corn and She came softly or quietly and uncovered his feet and laid her down And it came to pass at midnight that the man was afraid and turned himself and behold a woman lay at his feet

Now that's a real predicament, isn't it gentlemen? well Moab handled this as a gentleman ought to and It is good that he did because God was watching and planned on writing this story in a best -selling book

The best -selling book So young men remember this God may still be writing books.

He's watching you All of us are young men in here, by the way So he is watching us

So he says who art thou and she answered I am Ruth thine handmaid

Spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid for thou art a near kinsman

Now she was not doing or saying anything inappropriate. This was according to the law of their time

So she wasn't behaving badly here it was God's law about the kinsman Redeemer But look at verse 10 how he handles this and he said blessed be thou of the

Lord my daughter For thou had now he calls her daughter just because she's younger. She's a young woman and she is a kinsman it's not really her daughter, but she is a part of the larger family and He says for thou has shown more kindness in the latter than in the beginning

You've shown me more kindness tonight than you did when you came and you reaped in my field And as much as thou follow us not the young men whether poor or rich You see he had put her with his young men to test her and he noticed she didn't go after the young men

She's interested in him and he notices this and Now my daughter fear not

I will do to thee all that thou requirest You see this was a requirement of the law

For all the city of my people doth know that thou art a virtuous woman

Now Boaz had a way of seeking God's will and He went about to seek the

Lord's will with an honest process Despite what his heart was feeling that night so he told her lie down until morning and She lay at his feet until the morning and she rose up before one could know another in other words while it was still dark

And he said let it not be known that a woman came into the threshing floor

Now she goes back and tells Naomi the story and look at what Naomi says to her as she consoles her in verse 18 and Said she sit still my daughter

Until thou know how the matter will fall for the man will not be at rest

Until he had finished the thing this day and now she knew human nature, didn't she?

She seemed to know men very well, but she'd been surrounded by men the husband two sons That's all she had so she knew how men thought how they reacted and she said you don't need to worry

He won't take his mind off you till he figures out the end of this matter She was exactly right so Boaz goes out now.

It's interesting. He goes to the men of the city and some of the other family members

It says there's really a kinsman that's nearer than I am so the law would say he should have the first right

So he actually talks to this man and tells him about the situation It says you have the right to redeem this land and to marry this woman if you want to well

He turned it down said no no no probably because he knew his he was already married His other wife wouldn't have anything to do with this

No, no, no, it's not right for me. So that put it over back into Boaz's Side of the court so to speak so all of this took place and he was patient and he

Gave God a chance to close the door on this now Young men and the rest of us all of us listen to this

That is a good thing to do When you think you want to go out and do something pray and say

Lord if this is what you want me to do Open the door if you don't close the door He gave this an opportunity not to happen and God opened the door rather than closing it and That's a great way to pursue

God's will for our lives So verse 9 boy has said unto the elders and to do all the people

You are witnesses this day that I have bought all that was a limilex and all that was

Chileans and Mahalans of the hand of Naomi Moreover Ruth the

Moabitess the wife of Mahalon have I purchased to be my wife To raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance

That the name of the dead be not cut off from among his brethren and from the gate of his place

Your witnesses this day now the men of the city in their own way in the customs of their time

Gave their blessings and they gave a beautiful blessing in verse 11 and all the people that were in the gate and the elder said

We are witnesses the the Lord make the woman that has come into the house like Rachel and Leah which to did build the house of Israel and Do thou worthily in Ephratah and be famous in Bethlehem in?

verse 13 so boy has took Ruth and she was his wife and when he went in unto her the

Lord gave her conception and She bear a son now look at this and the woman senator

Naomi all the women of the city said to Naomi the mother -in -law Blessed be the

Lord which hath not left thee this day without a kinsman that his name may be famous in Israel and He shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life and a nourisher of thine old age

For thy daughter -in -law which loveth thee which is better to thee than seven sons

Hath borne him and Naomi took the child and laid laid it in her bosom so the mother -in -law became the nurse of the child and And verse 17 the women her neighbors gave it a name saying

There is a son born to Naomi and they called his name Obed He is the father of Jesse the father of David So now we see that Ruth actually becomes the great -grandfather of King David of Israel Who is the direct lineage of the

Lord Jesus Christ whom will sit on his throne? someday In the

Millennial Kingdom the Savior of all that will be saved And all of this took place because of the famine because of the deaths of the men the husband and the two young men sickly and whiny

God does have a sense of humor, doesn't he? So God always meets our needs

He always takes the trials we go through and works them together For the best in our lives, but also for his own purpose that we would be right in the middle of it and He has done this for Naomi and Ruth and Boaz and he will do this for each of us

He will do this for all of us who love him and are called according to his purpose

Well, that is the message today we're gonna get an early start on lunch and I think we will

Postpone our evening service today cancel it and just pick it up next Sunday when we have everybody back

If you don't mind, I think that would be a wise thing to do So we'll break for our fellowship time

Let's have a word of prayer father. We thank you for this beautiful story A wonderful story in the lives of these people your servants some 3 ,300 years ago

Thank you for how you bring this to life in our own lives and you teach us That as we go through times of trial and tribulation

To fight that Thought of being bitter towards you realizing that you love us and you're always working things for our best

But also according to your purposes so that when we meet you someday face -to -face we will be exactly who you know, we are supposed to be and Father, we thank you that you are in control because what fear we would have if man was in control

We thank you that you guide and you orchestrate not only our lives, but the lives of our children we can take peace in that as our children grow and Mature and so Lord we commend our children into your hands someday each of them will go out and You will be their direct

Father their parent and we will not be The responsible parties for the discipline any longer you will be and we know that that's where our children are going

And we take comfort in the fact that you will guide their steps just as you did these people In the

Bible and just as you do ours And so we thank you for that Lord. We ask you to be with us during our fellowship time bless the meal