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#November 14, 2010
Morning Worship
Text: Ruth 1:1-19
Subject: Relationships
Title: You Can’t Do This Alone
I want to start out today by telling the whole congregation how happy I am to have you here. I’m happy to see those who have been here forever. I’m happy to see those who are new. I’m happy to see those of you who have been Christians all your lives and I’m happy to see new Christians or those who have recently rededicated themselves to the Lord. I’m just happy!
Now one of the reasons that I’m so happy is this; what kind of church would this be if I was the only one who showed up on Sunday mornings or Sunday nights or Wednesdays? What kind of church could we have if I didn’t have anyone to preach to? There was a pastor that said it didn’t matter if 100 showed up or if 1 showed up – they were going to have church. The only difference would be this – if 100 showed up his message would be considered a sermon. If only 1 was there it would be a conversation. The truth is I can’t do church by myself. I need you. I need t see your nods of approval when the Holy Spirit brings revelation to you as I preach. I need to hear vocal approval from the congregation as I begin to preach under the anointing. I need to know that there is a church that is praying for their pastor. And I need to know that there is a congregation whose agenda is to help me attain the God given vision that I have for the church and not to have your own agenda. I need to know that there is a spirit of unity among us. You know the difference between union and unity, don’t you? If you take two cats and tie them together by their tails and then throw them over a clothesline, those cats are in union but I can tell you for sure they are not in unity.
Let’s move forward a bit. As much as I need you, you also need me – or at least you need a pastor. And going one step further, you need each other. And that is where we want to go today. I want to share with you about the importance of having meaningful relationships within the church. Hebrews 10:24-25 addresses that fact, 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
So as we look at this passage from the book of Ruth let’s keep in mind, “You can’t do this by yourself.”
Read Ruth 1:1-19a.
Everybody say, “Lord, open my eyes to see and my ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to the church.
I. PEOPLE ARE UNITED IN THEIR RELATIONSHIPS BY THEIR CONNECTIONS.
Let’s begin this morning by looking at some background to the book. Ruth takes place during the last years of the period of the judges. This was a 400 year period when judges ruled Israel. You probably remember the pattern of behavior that is prominent in the book of Judges. Israel would walk with the Lord for a period of time. Then they would turn away to other gods and would be given over to political oppression or military dominance because of their sin. When God’s people rebel there are always the consequences of judgment that will come. It is like that the famine mentioned in verse 1 was God’s judgment on Israel following a time of rebellion. 1 In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land, and a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of Moab. 2 The man’s name was Elimelech, his wife’s name Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to Moab and lived there. If you consider that the famine that had come to Judah was God’s judgment on a rebellious people then it appears that this family was running from God. They wanted to avoid the judgment that was coming. It is interesting to do a study on the meaning of the names of the males that were in the story. The father was named Elimelech. The name means, “God is king” or, “my God is king”. Funny, isn’t it, that his name reflects just the opposite of his actions. His name said, “God is king” but his actions were shouting out, “I don’t trust Him, I don’t care about Him, I don’t want to turn back to Him”! Now, add to that the meaning of the sons’ names. Mahlon means “sickness”. Kilion means, “death”. Listen to me; all people are united by something. People who live without Christ are united by the world system. Christians are united by their faith. Romans 6:16, Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? You are in the same boat as others. You’re either in the boat that is sinking and leading to death or in the boat sailing to the Promised Land. Elimelech and Naomi along with their sons, were in the boat running from God. They were connected in their family relationship. Look at verse 3. 3 Now Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, died, and she was left with her two sons. 4 They married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth… Did you know that relationships are at the very core of who we are as human beings? We are created in God’s image right? Genesis 1:26, 26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness…” When God said, “in our likeness” what did He mean? That is a reference to the trinity – God the Father, God the son, and God the Holy Spirit – always in unity in their relationship with one another. So if we are created I God’s image what does that say about us? We are created to be in a unified relationship. Back to our passage. Two Moabite women, Orpah and Ruth now have come into a covenant relationship with a family that is trying to escape judgment. They may have been good innocent young women, but by association they are now united with “sickness” and “death”. After they had lived there about ten years, 5 both Mahlon and Kilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband.
II. PEOPLE CAN ESCAPE THEIR RELATIONSHIPS BY DISSOLUTION AND SEPARATION
6 When she heard in Moab that the LORD had come to the aid of his people by providing food for them, Naomi and her daughters-in-law prepared to return home from there. As long as the men of the family were still alive, the wives were bound to their wills. We learned at our Wednesday night bible study that Paul, in writing to the church in Rome, addressed that very thing. He equated being born again with a woman who is bound to her husband as long as he is alive, but if he dies she is now longer bound to him. Mankind is in bondage to the law of sin and death, but when one is born again that marriage is dissolved. When you die to self, you are set free from your previous life. Naomi and her two daughters-in-law are still connected to one another but they are no longer bound by their husbands. The same holds true to our old friendships. We never have to stop being friends with people that we knew before we are saved. We just don’t need to be associated with them. 6 When she heard in Moab that the LORD had come to the aid of his people by providing food for them… seems to refer to a time of God’s blessing that has come to His people in Judah – they have turned back to Him. Naomi and her daughters-in-law prepared to return home from there. The time of rebellion for Naomi is over. Is it now time for her to return to her home, to her people, and to her God? 7 With her two daughters-in-law she left the place where she had been living and set out on the road that would take them back to the land of Judah. Here is where we begin to see the maturity of faith that is in Naomi. It would have been very easy for her to stay in her comfort zone- in the relationships that had been forged in her life with her two daughters-in-law. But she sees that it is not her call. She cannot make them go with her. If their hearts are not set for that how wrong would it be to force them to go with her? 8 Then Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go back, each of you, to your mother’s home. May the LORD show kindness to you, as you have shown to your dead and to me. 9 May the LORD grant that each of you will find rest in the home of another husband.” We’re talking about our human relationships. Look at what right relationships will do for you. 1) friendship with a Christian will invite you 6 When she heard in Moab that the LORD had come to the aid of his people by providing food for them, Naomi and her daughters-in-law prepared to return home… A Christian’s life should be an echo of their words. It would have been very easy for Naomi (I expect that she did this often) to talk about how wonderful her hometown was and how great her God was and then just stay put. But she didn’t, and her actions were an invitation to Ruth and Orpah. 2) right relationships will challenge you… Naomi gives the girls an option – instead of going with me why don’t you do what makes sense? Do what seems to be right (in the natural sense) and go back to your families. At the end of his life, Joshua did that very same thing for the Israelites – he gave them a choice. Joshua 24:14-16, “Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. 15 But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” 3) a Christian friend will reason with you. Then she kissed them and they wept aloud 10 and said to her, “We will go back with you to your people.” 11 But Naomi said, “Return home, my daughters. Why would you come with me? Am I going to have any more sons, who could become your husbands? 12 Return home, my daughters; I am too old to have another husband. Even if I thought there was still hope for me—even if I had a husband tonight and then gave birth to sons— 13 would you wait until they grew up? Would you remain unmarried for them? No, my daughters. It is more bitter for me than for you, because the LORD’s hand has gone out against me!” Have you ever needed someone to counsel you? Sometimes we just need a sympathetic ear. A friend doesn’t have to talk or give advice. Sometimes they just need to listen. But they aren’t afraid to ask the hard questions when it is necessary. By bringing to their attention the difficulties of the life that they were about to choose, Naomi is saying, “Look, you need to be sure about this. Have you considered all your options?” And most importantly, “Do you think this is what God is saying to you?” In Luke 9:62 Jesus tells us how important it is to stay the course if you choose to follow Him. 62 Jesus replied, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”
III. PEOPLE WHO ENTER INTO RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHER CHRISTIANS SHOULD BE COMMITTED
14 At this they wept again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law good-by, but Ruth clung to her. Orpah did what seemed right to her. Was it a bad choice? I guess we’ll find out when we get to heaven. What she did do, though, was to separate herself from a godly influence in her life in order to go back to her old life. Proverbs 14:12, There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death. Orpah did what seemed right but Ruth did what was right. Turn over to Titus chapter 2. In this letter to a young pastor that Paul had developed a relationship with, he says this about the importance of relationships. 3Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted too much wine, but to teach what is good. 4 Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God. In other words people need to be in relationships with other Christians to help them grow in maturity. It’s not about age as much as it is about spiritual maturity. Mature Christians need to help train young Christians. Now, whose responsibility is it to begin that kind of relationship? Jesus told the disciples to “go and make other disciples”. So it appears that the responsibility lies with those who are mature. But according to our story in Ruth it was Ruth’s choice to align herself with Naomi. The truth is that the responsibility lies on both parties. One must be willing to take the time to guide, and be a friend. The other must be willing to be discipled and have a teachable spirit. One more time Naomi challenges Ruth. 15 “Look,” said Naomi, “your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back with her.” One more time she sticks to her guns. 16 But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Look at the three commitments that are made. 1) Ruth is committed to Naomi’s direction … Where you go I will go… 2) She’s committed to Naomi’s family … Your people will be my people… 3) she’s committed to Naomi’s God… and your God my God… Take note of this; for ten years Naomi, because of the choice of her husband, compromised and lived in a land where pagan God’s were worshipped. Though she never gave up on her God, in the ten years that she was there Ruth was never converted. Yet as soon as she makes a stand to return to God, in spite of all the tragedy that had come into her life, Ruth says, “I want your God to be my God.” If you think you might ever convince your friends to become Christians by compromising think again. Only by standing boldly for Christ will they ever be convinced. Ruth’s commitment was for life. 17 Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me.” 18 When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her. 19 So the two women went on until they came to Bethlehem.
Now, in the immortal words of Paul Harvey, “Here’s the rest of the story.” Ruth places her trust in Naomi’s wisdom and does exactly what she tells her to do and she ends up marrying Boaz and becomes the Grandmother of king David.
According to Jewish tradition, the two girls followed Naomi for four miles before she instructed them to go back to their families. Orpah went back to her family and God repaid her for the four miles she went with Naomi by giving her four sons, one of them being Goliath, the enemy of Israel.
The daughter-in-law who did what seemed right in her eyes and so aligned herself with idol worshippers, found destruction. The one who aligned herself with a God chaser brought blessing and it was through her that the seed of David came into the world to save us.
We can live only in relationships. We need each other. A rather crude and cruel experiment was carried out by Emperor Frederick, who ruled the Roman Empire in the thirteenth century. He wanted to know what man’s original language was: Hebrew, Greek, or Latin? He decided to isolate a few infants from the sound of the human voice. He reasoned that they would eventually speak the natural tongue of man. Wet nurses who were sworn to absolute silence were obtained, and though it was difficult for them, they abided by the rule. The infants never heard a word -- not a sound from a human voice. Within several months they were all dead.
Joe E. Trull.
That’s the danger of trying to be Christian on your own. With no interaction with other believers you just wither and die on the vine. That’s how mature Christians stay Christians. They keep coming back to church. They maintain relationships.
There’s an old Simon and Garfunkel song from 1968 that glorifies a life of aloneness. Let me read the lyrics to you.
A winter’s day
In a deep and dark December;
I am alone,
Gazing from my window to the streets below
On a freshly fallen silent shroud of snow.
I am a rock,
I am an island.
I’ve built walls,
A fortress deep and mighty,
That none may penetrate.
I have no need of friendship; friendship causes pain.
It’s laughter and it’s loving I disdain.
I am a rock,
I am an island.
Don’t talk of love,
But I’ve heard the words before;
It’s sleeping in my memory.
I won’t disturb the slumber of feelings that have died.
If I never loved I never would have cried.
I am a rock,
I am an island.
I have my books
And my poetry to protect me;
I am shielded in my armor,
Hiding in my room, safe within my womb.
I touch no one and no one touches me.
I am a rock,
I am an island.
Older Christians, would you be willing to mentor a young Christian? Mentoring doesn’t mean telling them what to do. It means leading them in the right direction so they can make right choices. It means being there for them when they fall – staking yourself beside them to support them till they grow strong enough to support themselves. I’m not talking about coming to church and shaking hands or giving a hug and a smile and saying, “hope things are going good for you” or, “I’m praying for you.” I’m talking about making a commitment to raising up new church leaders and Sunday school teachers and, who knows, maybe even a pastor or evangelist or prophet or apostle.
Younger Christians, are you willing to be connected to someone who is mature in the Lord – someone you can go to when you have questions, someone you can trust to be a guide and a prayer warrior with you? Someone you are willing to seek wisdom from so that you can grow in the Lord to become the man or woman of God that He has called you to be?
You can’t do it alone.
