IT'S GOOD TO BE BACK HOME AGAIN
Ruth 1:19-22
Often I will have a ministry related trip planned months in advance and I find myself eagerly anticipating the opportunity to get out of town for a while. Usually I am fine for about 3 days, and after that I begin to get a little homesick. On the final day of the trip I am typically up before the sun with my bags packed and the vehicle loaded. I get more and more excited the closer I get to home. I love it when I reach the state line and see that big green sign that says "Welcome To Sweet Home Alabama". The excitement builds as I pull into the driveway, park the car and unlock the door and walk in our home. The first thing I do once I arrive is to hug my wife and children. Then I go to my recliner, sit down, breathe a sigh of relief and say "boy, it sure is good to be back home again!"
It has been said that there is no place like home, and I would have to agree. The verses that we have read today chronicle a woman named Naomi's journey back home. During a famine in Bethlehem, her husband took his entire family to the land of Moab. For 10 long years Naomi dwelt in that wicked land, then after much tragedy and many hardships she returned to Bethlehem and began to rebuild her life. She was not the woman that she was when she left, but she would find that God had great plans for her future. Though she was back in Bethlehem, she was still in a desperate situation. She left wealthy and full but she has returned poor and hungry. The consequences of her sin were still very real. She had taken a great step in the right direction, and though she may not have realized it at the time, it was good for her to be back home in Bethlehem.
There are people under the sound of my voice who need to do what Naomi did, you need to take the proper steps to get back to the Lord. Like Naomi's husband Elimelech, you have made some foolish decisions. Life got rough and you took matters into your own hands instead of trusting in the Lord. Now you find yourself away from home and away from the Lord, and dealing with the consequences of your choices. I want to show you that you can return to God, in fact, it is His desire for your to return unto Him. As someone who has been away from God for a time and then returned, I can assure you that it is good to be back home again!
- I would like to walk with Naomi and Ruth from Moab to Bethlehem and preach on the thought "It's Good To Be Back Home Again".
These verses show us what we must do to get back home and they show us what we must do when we return. We must:
i. Return To The Lord
ii. Rest In The Lord
iii. Remain With The Lord
- It is my prayer that before we leave this place today that you can stand and testify that it is indeed good to be back home again! In order for you to get back home you must:
I. RETURN TO THE LORD v6-19
As a result of a famine in Bethlehem-Judah, Elimelech decided to move his family to Moab. In Moab this family was totally isolated from everything related to God. They walked away from the things of the Lord and began to dwell in the midst of wickedness and evil. They left the place of God, they left the people of God, and they left the presence of God.
Somewhere along the way you may have made a similar decision. For whatever reason you decided to take matters into your own hands. You thought that you knew better than God so you began to do what was right in your own eyes. You walked away from the things of the Lord and now you find yourself living in sin. You have left the place of God, you rarely (if ever) fellowship with the people of God and worst of all you have left the presence of God.
- If this describes you, I want you to know that you can return to the Lord. Notice:
A. THE OPPORTUNITY
Verses 6-18 tell us of Naomi's decision to return to Bethlehem. While she was in Moab she heard that God was blessing His people in Bethlehem. The famine had ended and the Lord was "giving them bread". Much like the prodigal son, Naomi came to herself and said "I think I will return to the Father". We may look at her story and ask 'why didn't she return much sooner than she did"? I can't say exactly why she waited, but I can tell you that sin will cause you to make some stupid choices.
As the old saying goes "sin will keep you longer than you want to stay!"
Somewhere along the way Naomi realized that there was nothing stopping her from going back to Bethlehem. When she came to this realization she began to take the proper steps to go back home again. If you are backslidden, I can assure you that you have the opportunity to go back home again! However I cannot promise you that this will be an easy journey.
- Now that we have seen that there is an opportunity to return to the Lord, let's take a moment and consider:
B. THE OBSTACLES
If you set out to return to the Lord, there will be obstacles along the way. Satan likes the fact that you are away from God. He is thrilled that you are not serving the Lord and he will do all that he can to keep you on the sidelines. The Devil does not want you to dwell with God in Bethlehem, he wants you to remain in the wicked land of Moab. He will throw anything and everything he can in your way. He will set up obstacles that would cause you to give up the fight and remain in your sinful condition.
Some of the obstacles that you may face are doubt, discouragement and regret. One of Satan's most favorite tools to use against us is discouragement. He would have you to think that it is impossible for you to return to the Lord. Satan also loves to make us doubt. He will tell you that you have been gone too far, that you have done too much and that the Lord will never forgive you for all that you have done. There are many different obstacles that you may face when you begin the journey back home. That is why you must resolve to return to the Lord no matter what may obstacles may come your way.
- This leads us to:
C. THE OBLIGATION
The obligation that I speak of is the fact that we must be steadfast in our mission to return to the Lord. This was not an easy journey for Naomi and Ruth. Walking from Moab to Bethlehem would have taken between 7 and 10 days. They had to cross the Jordan river and to climb over 2000 feet in elevation in order to reach Bethlehem. There may have been times when they considered returning to Moab. When they were faced with that mountain the thought may have crossed their mind to just give up and stay where they were. But these ladies did not give up! They continued until the reached Bethlehem. Naomi did not stop until she made back home!
It takes absolutely zero effort to remain where you are. Living a life of sin comes natural to us! But if you truly seek restoration, if you really want to be reunited with the Lord you must press on! You must be steadfast on your journey. Don't stop until you have made it all the way back to where you should be! Naomi was steadfast on her journey and she eventually made it back to her homeland. I pray that this is the day that you begin your journey back to the Lord. Like Naomi you will be able to say "It Is Good To Be Back Home Again"!
- I not only want to examine how to return to the Lord, I also want to see what we should do when we return. Verses 20 & 21 show us that after we Return To The Lord we must:
II. REST IN THE LORD
After a long trip or even a hard days work, there is nothing like walking into your own home and being able to sit down and rest. As God's Children we are able to rest in Him. We are able to rest in Him because of His power, ability and His care for us.
- I want you to see that you can:
A. REST IN HIS PLAN
God has a plan for us and we can trust that He will bring His plan to fruition. We may not understand His plan, sometimes we may not even like His plan but God has a perfect plan for our lives. God had a plan to bring Naomi home and she made it back to Bethlehem. However, even after returning to Bethlehem she still dealt with the consequences of her time in Moab. Verse 19 says that when Naomi arrived in Bethlehem, "all the city was moved about them, and they said, Is this Naomi?"
Notice the despair in her response - v20 And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me. 21 I went out full, and the LORD hath brought me home again empty: why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the LORD hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me?
Naomi recognized that it was the Lord who worked to bring her home. She made it back home but she lost a great deal along the way. She couldn't get back the 10 years that were wasted in Moab. She was home, but her husband and sons were still dead! Though she was back in Bethlehem, things would never be the same. But God still had a plan for her.
If you belong to God and you are away from Him, He has a plan to bring you home. He may use what you consider to be "drastic measures" to bring you back. Scripture tells us that God will discipline His rebellious children.
Hebrews 12:6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. 7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
The Lord will do whatever is necessary to bring you out of sin and back to Him. You will never be able to make up for the time that you wasted living in sin. You may deal with severe consequences as a result of your rebellion. The chastening of the Lord certainly hurts but it is evidence of His love for His children. But He can and will bring you back home and restore your relationship with Him.
- As His children, we can rest in God's plan. Naomi's story also shows us that we can:
B. REST IN HIS PATIENCE
In verse 21 Naomi said "I went out full, and the LORD hath brought me home again empty: why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the LORD hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me?
This is a verse that describes tragedy, hardships and the consequences of sin, but it is also a verse that describes God's grace, mercy and patience. Naomi says that "the Lord brought her home again". God did not cast her away... though she strayed from Him, He never gave up on her!
If you turn from the Lord you will face the harsh consequences of sin, but praise God He is merciful and patient and forgiving. Your Heavenly Father wants you to come back home again. In fact He wants this so much that He will do what it takes to bring you back unto Him!
- We can rest in His plan, we can rest in His patience and we can:
C. REST IN HIS PROVISIONS
Naomi returned to Bethlehem. Bethlehem literally means "house of bread". Verse 6 tells us that this was the place where God was blessing His people and giving them bread. Bethlehem was the place where Naomi would return to the Lord and where she could rest in His provisions. Naomi went out full (physically speaking) and she returned empty. But now that she had returned God would provide for her physical needs.
Verse 22 says that "they came to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest." This was also the time of the Feast of the Firstfruits. This was a time when the first of the barley harvest was offered in a wave offering to the Lord as an of gratitude for the harvest that would soon be reaped. When the priest made the wave offering, he was saying, "This is just the beginning, more is on the way!" God was going to provide for His people and Naomi could rest in His provision because she was one of His!
Some of you walked away from the Lord and when you did you were full, but now you are empty. If you return to the Lord today, you can rest in the fact that He can and will fill you, and supply all of your spiritual needs. The joy that you will experience when you return to Him is just the beginning...there is much more on the way!
- If you will return to the Lord, you can rest in the Lord and once you have done these things there you must take the proper steps to:
III. REMAIN WITH THE LORD
God had visited His people in Bethlehem but in Moab, Naomi was away from the Lord's presence! Now that she had returned home, she could begin the process of restoration. Her life would never be the same as it was before, but God was not finished with Naomi. God blesses His children in many ways. But if you are dwelling in sin you are away from the Father.
When you are out of fellowship with the Lord, you forfeit the blessings that are available to His children. If you return to Him you can experience those blessings once again. When you return, it is imperative that you remain with Him. Don't allow sin, self or Satan to draw you away from the Lord. That wicked land of sin has nothing to offer you! But the privileges, the benefits and the blessings of remaining close to God are innumerable!
There is an old saying that "you can't go home again'. That may be true in some cases and in certain places, but it is not true when it come to the wayward child of God, the Lord says that you can go home again. In fact, He will do whatever is necessary to bring you home once more. If you are dwelling in sin, let me encourage you to Return To The Lord, Rest In The Lord and Remain With The Lord.
If you will do these things, I am certain that you will say, "It Is Good To Be Back Home Again!"
