Midst of the Mess - Week 1 - St. Peter - Pastor Tim Glende
In The Midst of the Mess
Week 1 - St. Peter
Pastor Tim Glende
Welcome to week number one of our new sermon series on the book of Ruth, In the Midst of the Mess.
Like our world. Is a mess. I'm probably getting disagreement from those of you who hear headlines stories about natural disasters. It's earthquake and there's earthquakes around our world. We're now in hurricane season here in the United States, you can look at the world news and hear of typhoons that have hit Guam.
The world which we live is a mess. Other school shootings, the church, and, in general, is declining in attendance and membership around the world. The one with me live is a mess.
When you think of all, the different things that we hear and see taking place in life, you would say that. The world is making my life a mess.
Like, I just looked at this last week's news headlines from last week, in Memorial Day, the number of shooting incidents in the city of Milwaukee was, like, 15 different shooting events. And I know some of you’re like, well, that's Milwaukee that happens. Yeah, it's not that far, and people are dying. And those who lost loved ones as a result of those shootings are in the midst of a mess.
The last weekend in Davenport Iowa, a six-story apartment building the backside of it collapsed. One person was under that wreckage for 24 hours, thankfully, all seven people who were able to get out of the wreckage survived. Could you imagine though, being in that apartment and having it fall on you? Literally in the midst of a mess.
I mean, the news headlines are, filled with tragedies, perhaps one of the biggest ones in our area that stuck with me from a few weeks ago. Was that of Emily Loveranz. I believe, if I want to get that right. The DC Everest senior. Who was the valedictorian in her class was weeks away from Graduation and speaking with her family and friend, but tragically died in a car accident. Only weeks before she got to walk the stage. I got families in the midst of a mess.
And that's what this series is going to reveal: people who lived thousands of years ago in the midst of a mess.
And what I want you to think about over the course of the next four weeks is not other people in the midst of the mess, but I want you to see the story through the lens of dealing, with life, of living life, of having to literally be in the midst of a mess.
How you respond? How you act? What would God have me do? Hold on to it. When either, I'm in the midst of a mess, right now or will be in the future.
Because you know what happens? Often times in the midst of a mess, we literally become a mess. Like physically, emotionally, and, sadly, spiritually.
I guess today we get into chapter one or see the main character Naomi and be introduced to the other main character in the book, who bears the name of it Ruth, in the midst of a mess. And we're going to see how they responded, how they reacted and the goal for you and for me is to just really think through how do we handle, how do we live, how do we deal in the midst of the mess? Like what questions, do we ask of God? What struggles do we have with God? And sometimes in the midst of the mess, we often times wonder or question, if God's there. If God sees, if God cares. And I pray that the takeaways we find over these four weeks will reveal to us exactly that. That he is present. He does care. And he's at work, oftentimes in the darkest of days.
So each and every week. When I take a Chapter at a time, each and every week, I hope I can give you a few takeaways at the end called Ruth's truth or truths. That you might see from, in the midst of the mess of our God would have us, learn, and apply and remember. So let's journey through route chapter one today and Ruth, chapter one begins with the setting in the scene and the introduction to some of the main characters of the book. In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah together with his wife and two sons went to live for a while. In the country of Moab, the man's name was Elimelech, his wife's name was Naomi and the names of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion. They were Eprathites from Bethlehem in Judah and they went to Moab and live there.
We're introduced to our main characters. This family from God's people who lived in the city of Bethlehem and I know most of you probably know the city of Bethlehem. You might even know where it is on a map. You've you here every year at Christmas time is the city that Jesus was born in. But at this time, this city was probably a blip on the radar. Very insignificant only known perhaps by God's people because of a mess that it happened there hundreds of years earlier.
Like the first time we are introduced to the city of Bethlehem is when Jacob lost his wife. Rachel. And it's where he buried her Bethlehem.
And at this time, during the period of the Judges, Elimelech and his family were in the midst of a mess, a physical one that the ability to provide was not there in Bethlehem there was a famine in the land, and it's ironic because Bethlehem itself means House of Bread, but there was no bread. So Elimelech took his family to Moab to find some to be able to provide for them to take care of them physically.
But that wasn't the only mess in a little Elimilech’s world. Like this is the time of the judges is about 400 BC to 1050, BC. It's the time after Joshua, the season of the judges. There's a whole book about the judges, the Book of Judges can best be summed up like this. Basically, it was a mess in those days. Israel had no king everyone did, as they saw fit. Like, if you've ever read the Book of Judges, you might remember a guy named Samson is one of the judges, the Israelites rebelled against God, they sin. The Israelites for then punish they. There was an invading Army.
Came in and was in charge of them, they were enslaved so to speak. The Israelites called out for help, God Deliver Us and God sent a deliver a judge and then, he delivered them in. There is a season of security and peace. Like this happens over and over and over again and it. So that season spiritually for the Israelites was a mess, this, the landscape of which The Book of Ruth is taking place is literally a spiritual nightmare in mess, like, God's people are a mess. But this family wasn't. Like the their names alone, Elimelech is has the name God in it. And the name Naomi is one, who is Pleasant? Elimelech took his family there as a believer, but the text tells us his plan was to come back. He wasn't like running away, he wasn't leaving his homeland, he was just providing for his family.
But that wasn't the extent of the mess. Like, as bad as having to move to find food was as spiritually as bad as the scene of Israel was MOA. Would have been no better. In fact, it would've been worse because there were false gods. They're in the midst of all that mess. It wasn't just the physical that became a reality because in the midst of that mess, it got worse for for Naomi. Now I want to look, their husband died and she was left with her two sons. Elimelech, sadly his plan to go and come back. Did not take place instead. God called him home to Heaven. Those two sons in the only remained in Moab and they married moabite women. One named Orpah and the other named Ruth. After they lived there about 10 years, both Mahlon and Chilian also died. Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband like the facts of the story. Not come across on the page, but they don't give you the depth.
The mess. But I think anyone who is here, can understand the pain and the heartache. And the hurt.
Of being in midst of that mess.
Like, I've never faced loss of a family member in my life, outside of my grandparents who were in their 90's.
But some of you lost a spouse and you know how painful it is in the midst of that mess.
Never lost a child. But I know some of you have, I've actually been at the funeral, some of them.
And I know how much pain and hurt there is in the midst of those kind of messes.
And yet, I don't know, I've heard any stories like that mess where her husband dies, her Sons, die. And you're all alone. In a foreign land.
Truly for Naomi. She was in the midst of the mess.
And I just want you to think about, if that was you, what would you say?
What emotions would you have?
What questions would you? Ask of God. How would your faith be? Like in the midst of the mess, everything that's taken place. So far, the reality is because we live in a sinful world where there's natural disasters, we live in a sinful world where tragedies and mass shootings take place because we live in a sinful World, there are famines and life is hard in the midst of mess. We lose people that we love, like that's what we're seeing. That's the story that's being told. How do you handle it?
When the midst of that mess now, Naomi has another mess. How am I going to survive?
Thankfully, she hears news that things have changed in Bethlehem when Naomi heard Moab that the Lord had come to the aid of his people, by providing food for them. She and her daughters-in-law prepared to return home from there 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. Two quick items in that verse bread has returned the famine is over to Bethlehem. Well what's was what was what not able to take place 10 years ago, is now taking place. So, Naomi has at least a plan. She at least has some hope in the midst of the mess. She can go back home, she will return home, where God's people had clearly been given a very clear description of what it looked like to take care of a widow. So, the land that her husband had owned would could eventually be bought by somebody. She could provide for her cell, take care of herself and at least deal with living in the midst of the mess. And her daughters-in-law.
We're leaving with her. Like, in the midst of the mess, they were going along side of her.
It's kind of tells you gives the impression to you that they were actually going to go back with her to Bethlehem, the text itself actually in Hebrew would tell you Naomi made a decision to go back and her daughters-in-law walked alongside of her as she left town. Like back in that day and age, I may be in this specific case. They were coming along for a little while to maybe see her across the border like River. She's a foreigner and she's a widow and there's strength in numbers. Like maybe they're actually walk her all the way back to Bethlehem to get her there but but in reality it's pretty clear and understood by what takes place next in our text that in the midst of the mess that the custom and intention of what they were carrying out was not to go back with her. Like in that day and age when someone left your home, after being there, for some time of a family member was moving somewhere else, you would go along with them for a while and then you would return back, like, we act a little bit differently today, right? My kids were here this weekend when they left, while I was at home, my wife probably gave him a hug, and she met went outside, and wave to them as they were driving off. But as they drove down the road, and, and, and we're going around the corner. We did quick, jump in our car, and follow them all the way out to the interstate and drive down with them to Oshkosh before turning back like we just wave and Say Goodbye. And so it appears that they were coming along and Naomi understood what they were doing. And yet she in the midst of the messed didn't want to make their lives more of a mess. And so she said, this Naomi said to her two, daughters-in-law go back each of you to your mother's homemade, a lord show you kindness. As you shown kindness to your dead husband's in to me, may the Lord grant that each of you will find rest. Shalom, peace in the home of another husband. She wished the best for them. She called on God. To bless them. She she was praying for them in in in in in with these words. And then she was offering them an out. She was encouraging them to go back. She wanted what was best for them to have something change about the mess that they were in. So she kissed them goodbye. They wept aloud and said to her we will go back with you to your people like Naomi's. Request was met with a push back. Like Naomi wanted them to go home, to be, get to get remarried, don't leave the land. You're from your parents can take care of her. You have a place where you can find security in the midst of this mess, you have people who can surround you and love on you and God willing my prayers. That you find a new man, a new husband and you are blessed.
This is best. The lady said, no, we're going to go. To, which Naomi said no. Returned home my daughters. Like, why would you come with me? Am I going to have any more sons? Who could become your husband's kind of customary, of a child who lost a sibling, but was younger? If that sibling of theirs who died, left, a wife behind and, and you did not have one often times, you wouldn't marry them and you'd have a child so that that person's family tree could go on, but Naomi recognized an issue. Like I'm older, I don't have any younger children. Even if I go back and even if I'm lucky at the age that I'm at, is the implications that I could have one more son. There's probably not likely to having two more kids and and even then would you wait around like her the next 18 years? But the hopes of marrying one of them. No. Don't make it more of a mess. Go home. And it's Messier for me than it is for you. It's more bitter for me than for you because the Lord's hand has turned against me.
Like the blessing that Naomi had probably heard before her worship life, the Lord make his face shine on you, look on you with favor turn toward you. Naomi literally says, the Lord hand has turned against me.
In the midst of the mess, Naomi was struggling.
But you didn't want it to get worse for anyone else. And at that invitation, Orpah, kissed her goodbye. But Ruth clung to her. Like Orpah said, I love you gave her a hug, gave her a kiss and went back. But, Ruth instead hung on and would not let go. Like literally the word in the Hebrew is the same. As those found in Genesis chapter 2, when God talks about and describes what marriages, then a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife. Like he'll leave and husband and wife cleave is the Hebrew word. They cling together. They're stuck together, literally the visual and image is that very thing. That's what Ruth was doing. She was holding on stuck to Naomi, not going to let her go. She was not going to go back.
Noemi again, encourage you like go your sister-in-laws down the road, follow her. Go back to your people. She's gone back to hers. Go back to your God. Like she's gone back to hers. To which Ruth replies. Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go, I will go. Where you stay. I will stay your people will be my people and your God, my God, where you die, I will die. And there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely even in if death if even death separates you and me.
But Naomi realize that Ruth was determined to go with her. She stopped urging her.
Like there's something different about Ruth and Orpah.
Like Ruth was not thinking rationally. She was not making the smart decision. This was not logical and in her best interest. But this was a God choice. But do you notice in all her words, the word Lord has spoken over and over and over again in the vow that she made is literally very similar to vows that people make on a wedding day. So when she was clinging to Naomi, In the same way as husband and wife on their wedding day, make promises and vows she is promising and making vows that till death do us part. I will not leave your side. God wants me to be a part of your world in a part of your life. I am a part of your family, literally, but even more importantly, we see on the inside of Ruth is that she understood that she was a part of God's family, something in her life had changed even in the midst of the mess, something great and good had come out of it.
Elimilech’s move to Moab from Bethlehem wall. It caused Naomi to be in a huge mess relationally, physically spiritually emotionally. While she was in a great deal of pain in the midst of that mess. You know what? God had done with the Holy Spirit had worked faith in the heart of a Canaanite.
Like a lady named Ruth heard about God. She got God, she understood who the Lord was. And she was not going to let go of Naomi because God had taken a hold of her heart.
Another couple things that are in here, they're gonna be part of the truth and we're going to come back to, but I want you to see how the chapter 1 ends. Because right now as you're listening to all this that's going on, you know, who's name we've heard many times, but you probably have wondered. Where's God in all of this?
The next few weeks we are going to see a whole lot of God at work behind the scenes, but for right now, I want you to see how the chapter ends. The two women went on until they came to Bethlehem, when they arrived in Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them and a woman, exclaimed, can this be Naomi like 10 years had done a number? No doubt on Naomi like you know, when you're in the midst of a mess and you go through a lot, how it affects you physically. It wears you down.
Maybe from the sleepless nights maybe from the difficult journey back that they could see it in her face.
But it was more than that, maybe, why they ask can this be Naomi because she left with three other people and she came back with one and it was different than the three she left with like, can this be Naomi? Like I can understand maybe her husband died, but both of her sons die like she lost all of them and then she's here with this woman who looks different than us. It's definitely not one of her children and its a foreigner.
Some insight, like, don't call me Naomi. She told me, call me Mara, because the almighty has made my life. Very bitter. I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back. Empty why call me Naomi the Lord has Afflicted me. The almighty has brought Misfortune to my upon me in the midst of the mess. It takes a physical toll often times in the midst of the mess it's due to the loss of relationships. Roots of its relational, pain and hurt. But here we get the inside of the spiritual and the emotional and what happens in the midst of the mess. Like the Lord has afflicted me like I know who God is. He is Almighty, but he's made my life bitter, like she understood that the word Providence. When we talk about God, who is Almighty and in control of all things, like she understood that God is in control of all things, and God was allowing this to happen. That God hadn't stepped in and stopped it from happening. That God was present.
But he hadn't done anything about the pain. In fact, she says change my name. Like the one who is the pleasant one is now the bitter one. Like if the Israelites would have known, remember the Passover was something they had started celebrating shortly before, getting into the promised land, they started in Egypt. They practice it for 40 years. Were probably 100 years removed every year they were celebrating the Passover. As a part of the Passover. They had something called bitter herbs. You know why they had bitter herbs of the Passover meal? Because God wanted them to remember how painfully hard how much they went through, how much of a mess they were in the midst of when they were slaves in Egypt.
Like, that's how Marah. Naomi's, heart was in the midst of the mess. Struggling. So Naomi return from Moab accompanied by Ruth, the Moabite, her daughter-in-law arriving in Bethlehem, as barley Harvest was beginning. Hold on that last verse, the timing of it is significant were in the season of the judges in the midst of a mess. There's Anarchy In the Land, there's been a famine in the land. I mean, he only has lost just about everything. And now, these two ladies 2 widows, one, a foreigner, have to figure out how to survive.
Like, in the Vied for. Her daughter-in-law who owns nothing has nothing will probably never meet a guy because she's a Moabitess. It's that huge Point Israelites we're not to intermarry with Moab people, from Moab in fact people from Moab were excluded for ten Generations from gathering with God's people in the place of worship because of what they had done along the way in the desert. So if you're some dude who sees this babe and you hear, she's from Moab, you're going to say hit the road. Like, is there hope? Come back for that for next week. But before we do this story, as you hear it unfold in the midst of the mess. What are some takeaways? What are some truths that I would think God would want you to hold on to what can we learn from the story of Ruth, apply to our life, some truths that we can take away and remember that matter in the midst of the mess. So if you're in a mess in the middle of it right now or in the future, I want you to remember these truths. We see it in Ruth, we find it for Naomi truth. Number one, is this when you're in the middle of the mess, A community is a must. Like Naomi kept trying to get rid of Ruth and Orpah. But Ruth said, no. Like over the next few weeks are going to see this play out. You know, where we’re led often times in the midst of the mess? Like when it's really hard in your life, when when things are breaking, when you're hurting when you're struggling, you know what I like to do? You know what a lot of people do? In the midst of the mess? They isolate they withdrawal. You know what happens when you isolate you ruminate, like you think about things and you know, at least what rumination leads to bitterness.
And in the midst of that mess, you know what Naomi needed more than anybody more than anything? Community. She needed somebody and Ruth was that somebody. Ruth was not.going to let go of her. She knew the importance of of sticking to her and promising her, she would do life with she would do life with her and be there for her. And I want you to remember the same when you're in the midst of the mess. Learn something from Ruth, the person who said I will not let you go. Community is a must while we talk about the importance of life group. That's why we want to surround ourselves with godly people because they'll speak into it. They'll stand alongside they'll help us in the midst of a mess. They don't have to fix it. They might not have the solution to it, but you'll be blessed in the middle of it.
If you do come in a community with others doing life together, is better than doing it alone. God calls us to living and one another. In each other community is a must in the midst of the mess. Hold on to that. Remember that we learned that and see Ruth model that truth number two, when faced with a major choice, Follow God's voice.
Ruth did not make this Choice by chance.
Ruth did not make the choice to stick to Naomi to stay with Naomi to go back to Bethlehem and be an outsider in a foreigner by chance. She did it because she followed God's voice. She no longer considers herself a Moabite. As she considered herself, a child of God, a believer in the one true Lord. Like, in life, when you're in the midst of the mess, when you're dealing with difficult decisions, when you have to make a choice like Ruth made or when you're just struggling and dealing with the mess that it is and you have to figure out a path forward and you're not sure which one follow God's voice. He might not give you like a clear out outward answer. I understand that. But you know how you find God's voice, you know where you find the ability to listen to God's voice by being in his word. My crew is no doubt heard those words, maybe from her husband or at family gatherings, they talked about the Lord. They talked about, Jesus, they talked about the truth of who God is the one who saves. Like she knew the voice of God, she had listened to the voice of God. So in that moment, She did what God. And his voice would have encouraged her to do.
Stay. It was a choice of faith. In the midst of the mess it's important to know God's voice. It's important to listen to God's voice. It's important to hold on to the voice of God, in the promises of God, that will never leave you or forsake you that he'll be with you always that they don't provide a way out. When temptation occurs like be in the word, grow, gather regularly so that you know, the voice of God. So that when you're in the midst of a mess, when you faced losses, like like Ruth and Naomi had, You can follow God's voice. Able to him.
Number three, last one, when life leaves you bitter, Remember, hold on, to the hope that you have the promise that God gives I got promises to work it for better.
Elimilechs death meant a mess for Naomi but it meant heaven for him.
Moving to Moab brought about tragedy after tragedy, but it brought about an amazing amazing gift for Ruth, the gift of faith. That if they had never come, she may have never known.
Like in the midst of a right now, Naomi's looking at it. I left full but I have come back empty. My life doesn't seem like it's worth living. There could be nothing good. That could possibly come from a 90 in the midst of the mess. If you go through some of those kind of messes, I'm not saying that they go away. I'm not saying that you should celebrate them. It, it's painful. It's hard. It's difficult. It's challenging. But God does make a promise to work it out.
For good for some good purpose. Like I truly believe that we're going to see that the Book of Ruth is all about this when life leaves you bitter. God promises to work it for something better. You might never experience it. This side of heaven the loss might stay with you for the rest of this life, but maybe it's For the purpose of strengthening your faith, bringing you closer to God. Maybe it's the opportunity that you have to witness to someone else who brings them into a relationship to God. Maybe it's going to bless a generation that you will never see but God does make this promise. When there's suffering, when there's pain, we know that. In all things, God works for the good, the spiritual Eternal, good of those who love him, who have been called, according to his purpose, which is to get you and me to heaven. And the story of Ruth is littered with reminders of that truth have been called according to his purpose. Like those three truths, I pray that you can be blessed with today. And blessed by knowing and holding on to In the midst of the mess. So, what's next? Two widows, one bitter, probably both broke.
How are they going to survive the mess? Next week, week 2 to come on back so we can hear more of the story and see God in the midst of the mess.
