“No Bread In The House Of Bread”
Ruth 1:1-6, 22 Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehemjudah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons. [2] And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehemjudah. And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there. [3] And Elimelech Naomi’s husband died; and she was left, and her two sons. [4] And they took them wives of the women of Moab; the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they dwelled there about ten years. [5] And Mahlon and Chilion died also both of them; and the woman was left of 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 how that the Lord had visited his people in giving them bread.
[22] So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter in law, with her, which returned out of the country of Moab: and they came to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest.
Introduction
The priority of God’s presence has been lost in the modern church. We’re like bakeries that are open, but have no bread. It often seems like we’re not even interested in selling bread. We just like the chit-chat that goes on around cold ovens and empty shelves. In fact, I wonder, do we even know whether He’s here or not, and if He is here, what is He doing? Where is He going? Or are we just too preoccupied with sweeping out imaginary crumbs from bakeries with no bread.
Do we even know when He’s in town? The Pharisees were inside the temple praying for the Messiah to come, when He rode right by their temple on a little donkey. They missed their hour of visitation. We can be inside praying for him to come while He passes by outside. Worse than that, the insiders miss Him while the outsiders march with Him.
I. No Bread
A. Bethlehem means “House Of Bread”.
B. The reason Naomi’s family left Bethlehem to go to Moab is simple: There was no bread in the house of Bread. Its simple why people leave churches: there’s no bread. We must have more to offer than the world does.
1. Naomi and her family have something in common with the people who leave or totally avoid our churches today: They left “that” place and went somewhere else to find bread.
2. People are flocking to bars, clubs, and psychics by the millions in search of bread. They are trying to everything they can to fill their hunger because the church has failed them. They’ve looked, or know of someone that has looked to the church just to find that the spiritual cupboard was bare. There was no presence in the pantry. Just empty shelves and offices full of recipes for bread, but the ovens were cold and dusty.
3. We falsely advertise and hyped-up our claims that there is bread in the house. But when the hungry come, all they can do is scrounge through the carpet of yesteryear revivals and of modern programs, but they find no fresh manna. We talk so greatly about what He has done in the past, but can say very little about what He is doing today.
4. People have come to the house of bread time and again to find that there was too much of man and too little of God.
5. There is as much of God in most bars as there in most churches.
6. If there is no bread in the house, then who could blame the hungry for not going there.
C. Having to go Moab.
1. When Bethlehem, the house of bread, is empty, people are force to look other places. As Naomi was to discover, Moab is a cruel place. Moab will steal your sons from you. In the end, all that Naomi had left were two daughters in law.
2. In the days of Joseph, all of the land (Egypt and Canaan) was in famine. Egypt just had more to offer than Canaan because they prepared. Israel went to Egypt because they were the ones who could satisfy their needs in the time of famine; by doing so, they left the promised land and walked into over two hundred years of bondage.
3. Our constant cry of hot bread backed only by stale crumbs on a frayed carpet of man’s tradition have left countless generations hungry, homeless, and with nowhere else to go but Moab.
4. I’m tired of Just having crumbs.
5. Whatever happened to the bread? The sign is still up. We still take people into our churches and show them the ovens where we used to bake bread. The ovens are all still in place and everything is there, but all you can find is crumbs from last year’s visitation, and from the last great wave of revival.
II. Jesus, The Bread of Life
A. John 6:30-35 They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work? [31] Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat. [32] Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. [33] For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. [34] Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. [35] And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
B. John 6:48-51 I am that bread of life. [49] Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. [50] This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. [51] I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever…
1. In Bethlehem approximately 2009 years ago Jesus was born. The Bread of Life Came to the House of Bread.
2. Read the label on the last loaf of bread you bought. More than likely you’ll discover that it has been vitaminized, fortified, and pulverized. Bread is not the simple thing it once was. But how can you improve on the bread of life? More than that, it is unique. You can make physical bread from wheat, rye, rice, barley, corn, even potatoes. Bread for the soul can come from only one source. Jesus said, "I am the bread of life" (John 6:48).
3. The Bread of Life never becomes stale.
III. Where there is bread, the hungry will be there.
A. Naomi heard a rumor of bread back in the House of Bread.
1. No it’s not fake! It’s hard to believe, but this time it’s not hype or manipulation. No, it’s not just a trickle; it’s not just crumbs in the carpet. There really is bread back in the House of Bread! God’s is in the church.
B. Naomi and Ruth rushed back to the house of bread.
1. Two things happen when the bread of God’s presence is restored to the church. Naomi was a prodigal who left the house of bread when that table became bare. Yet once she heard that God had restored bread to Bethlehem, the house of bread, she quickly returned. The prodigals will come walking back into Bethlehem from Moab once they know there is bread in the house, and they won’t come alone. Those that have never been saved will come with them.
IV. There’s bread in the House. No more Crumbs.
A. Abraham was able to decline the offer of the King of Salem because Mephibosheth had given him bread and wine.
1. You will be able to decline Moab, because there is bread in the House of Bread.
B. Luke 4:4 And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.
C. Mephibosheth was lame and had been eating crumbs compared to what he could have had. David the king adopted him as a son and told him he was to always eat at the king’s table.
D. For to long, we’ve been content to comb the carpet for crumbs as opposed to having the abundant loaves of hot bread God has prepared for us in the ovens of Heaven! He has prepared a great table of His presence in this day, and He is calling to the church, “Come and Dine.”
E. There are those that aren’t content with crumbs anymore. A full loaf. We want Him.
F. If we were physically starving, we would act differently.
G. ************Distribute Bread*****************************
H. He is not the God of crumbs and lack. He is waiting just to dispense unending loaves of His life-giving presence, but our problem was described by James, “Ye have not because ye ask not.” Yet David sings through the tunnel of time that “I once was young, but am now old, yet I’ve never seen the righteous forsaken or His seed begging for bread.”
I. What we really need is Him. And the way to get Him is to get hungry.
J. Matthew 6:11 Give us this day our daily bread.
K. Matthew 7:9 What man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?
