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[0:55] Thank you.
[1:25] Hi, I'm Julie Maciejewski. Most Sundays, you can find me right here at the Welcome and Information Desk in Mission Central. If you would like more information about our church, please feel free to pick up a welcome folder at the back of the sanctuary at the Connection site or from the Welcome and Information Desk.
[1:44] And for everyone, we would like for you to fill out a friendship card. If you would like to receive our newsletter, be sure to fill in your address. On the back, you can put down prayer concerns, blessings, or notes to the staff.
[1:58] Welcome to Pendleton Center Church and have a good day. Good morning. This is the day that the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad.
[2:09] This is the day.
[2:20] This is the day. This is the day. That the Lord has made. That the Lord has made. Let us rejoice. Let us rejoice.
[2:32] And be glad in it. And be glad in it. This is the day. This is the day. That the Lord has made. Let us rejoice.
[2:43] And be glad in it. This is the day. This is the day. That the Lord has made.
[2:56] Let us pray. Holy Lord, we come here today to glorify you, to praise you. We pray that you will find this service of worship a blessing. We pray that you will give to us your presence, an incredible encounter with your spirit.
[3:12] That we will draw closer to you and know your will and your way. That we may praise you even more and love you even more in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. I invite you all to stand if you're able as we sing together.
[3:25] Joyful, joyful, we adore thee. God of glory, Lord of love.
[3:50] Hearts on bold, light flowers before thee, opening to the sun above. Melt for proud, for sin and sadness.
[4:04] Drive the dark of doubt away. Giver of immortal gladness. Fill us with the light of day.
[4:18] Thou art giving and forgiving. Ever blessing, ever blessed. Well spring of the joy of living.
[4:33] Ocean, death, of happy rest. Thou our Father, Christ our brother. All who live in love are thine.
[4:47] Teach us how to love each other. Lift us to the joy divine. Mortals, join the mighty chorus, Which the morning stars began.
[5:07] Love divine is waiting for us, Hiding all within its span. Heaven singing, march the outward.
[5:21] Victors in the midst of strife. Joyful music lifts us onward. In the triumphs of life.
[5:36] The Lord be with you. And also with you. Please be seated. Joyful music lifts us onward. Hi, I'm Eugene from Hearts and Hands. We're a volunteer organization that uses volunteers to drive senior citizens places where they need to go.
[5:53] We had a gentleman once get picked up by a volunteer who drove a convertible. And when he came outside she was raising the convertible and he said, Why are you doing that?
[6:04] Why are you doing that? I want to drive in your convertible and I want my hair to fly all over the place. So she took him to the doctor's office and his hair flew all over the place. But when people in the doctor's office asked him, Is that your car?
[6:19] He said yes. Because he had not been in a convertible for a long time and had that volunteer not picked him up, he would not have had that wonderful experience. And everyone at the doctor's office loved him.
[6:32] So if you want to find out more about Hearts and Hands and how you can help seniors get places where they need to go, come and see us at our table and we'll talk to you about volunteering and meeting other seniors just like him.
[6:47] Good morning. Good morning. Good morning. And there is a table for Hearts and Hands out in the fellowship hall. And you are welcome to go and stop by and chat with Heidi, who is going to be available to answer your questions and give you some info about this wonderful and helpful and important ministry where neighbors are helping neighbors out.
[7:06] You will also notice that there are a couple of clipboards going around. One of them is for support of our Niagara Falls dinner. Wonderful outreach to the community. A service of worship. We feed their bodies.
[7:17] We feed their souls. We feed their spirits and point them to Jesus. Amen? Amen. That is an important thing to be doing. And to support all of those ministries, to invoke God's presence and God's will and God's wisdom into our ministries, we have a prayer vigil coming up.
[7:35] And you are going to notice a clipboard going around for that as well. You can sign up for a time to pray here in the sanctuary or to pray from home. Next week we will have prayer guides available that will help guide you in prayer as we are continuing on in that and in your pew or pew in the seats in front of you somewhere in the pockets.
[7:56] Either orange or we ran out of orange so we made some white ones up. You will find a prayer request card that is specifically for the prayer vigil. And if you are interested, if you have a prayer need or you know of someone with a prayer need, you are welcome to write that request on that card.
[8:14] You can either put it in the offering plate as it is going by or if you don't think of it until later in the service, you can drop it in one of the locked wooden boxes that are in various places around the church.
[8:25] And we will make sure that we get a hold of those and get them all put together for the vigil so those requests can be prayed over. I am joyful to be with you here this morning and I know that you have joys as well.
[8:39] What joys do you have to share this morning? Becky? Becky is going to share a God moment. Becky is going to share a God moment. Stand up, stand up. Here you go. Wait, here. Oh dear.
[8:50] It has everything to do with the Christ Healing Hands Ministry. We are having a health fair and we had tried to get units to come here for a blood drive. We had requested this way back early spring.
[9:03] Connecting with them again, they said, sorry, you are not on our calendar. But, okay, give us a couple weeks. This week they called back and said, oh, on this day and this time we have an opening.
[9:18] And they had none prior. I think that is God working in the mix. Amen. Amen. If we are needing God to be out here to have that particular kind of work represented as part of our ministry, then we need to have them here. And God has provided for that.
[9:34] Any other joys? Yes. How about Kelsey? Is he engaged to Marty Lloyd? So, he's from church too. And that would be very polite to you. Amen. Kelsey is engaged to Marty Lloyd. That is a blessing. Praise God.
[9:48] Any others? Yes. Carol. I would like to thank you for the prayers for Chet. We had a couple of cardiac diseases these last few weeks. And we came through the Chet's disease.
[10:00] We were all in the past. We were all in the past. We were all in the past. Thank you for your support. All right. Thanks for prayers for healing ongoing and for Chet's continued recovery.
[10:13] Amen? Amen. Any other joys to share this morning? I know that we are overflowing because God blesses us to overflowing so we can be a blessing to others. Let's return some of that blessing back to the work of the Lord in our gifts, our tithes, and our offerings.
[10:38] Well, I woke up this morning feeling fine. I woke up with heaven on my mind. I woke up with joy in my soul.
[10:50] Cause I knew my Lord had control. Well, I knew I was walking in the light. Cause I've been on my knees in the night.
[11:03] And I prayed till the Lord gave a sign. And now I'm feeling mighty fine. Well, I'm feeling mighty fine. I'm feeling mighty fine.
[11:15] I've got heaven on my mind. On my mind. Don't you know I want to go? I want to go. I'm feeling mighty fine.
[11:26] I've been walking with Jesus all the time. I'm feeling mighty fine. Now it shines down inside this heart of mine.
[11:38] Now I've got heaven on my mind. Now I'm feeling mighty fine. Yes, I'm feeling fine. I've been walking with Jesus all the time.
[11:55] We're walking and talking as we climb. We're climbing a road to the sky. Where I know I'll live when I die.
[12:08] He's been telling me all about that land. And he tells me that everything is red. And he says that a home will be mine.
[12:21] And now I'm feeling mighty fine. Well, I'm feeling mighty fine. I've got heaven on my mind.
[12:33] Don't you know I want to go? Yes, I want to go. Where the merry and money flow. There's a light that always shines.
[12:45] Down inside this heart of mine. Hank! I've got heaven on my mind. On my mind. Now I'm feeling.
[12:57] Feeling mighty fine. Yes, I'm feeling fine. I've got heaven on my mind. Heaven on my mind. And now I'm feeling. Feeling mighty fine.
[13:07] Mighty fine. Mighty fine. Mighty fine. Feeling fine. Thank you.
[13:45] Praise the Lord, love me and the host. Praise the Lord, Son, and Holy Ghost.
[14:00] Amen. Dear Heavenly Father, what a blessing it is to be with you this morning, to offer up our songs of praise and worship to you, to offer our thanksgivings before you.
[14:15] Knowing that all good things that we have come from you. We just ask that you would bless this offering this morning, Lord, in Jesus' name. Give us wisdom to know how to use it for the furtherance of your kingdom, that many would come to faith in Jesus Christ and would be helped in whatever circumstances they find themselves in.
[14:36] To the glory of your name. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen. So let's turn to the Lord in prayer. Gracious God, we are so grateful for your presence in our lives, that you have called us into your presence, that you have called us into your kingdom to live with you, to be your servants, to be your hands and your feet, your words of encouragement and comfort in this world.
[15:23] Father, we pray in Jesus' name right now for all of those who are sick and infirm. We pray that they would receive a touch of healing from you in their spirits, their souls, and their bodies, Lord, that they may be made whole in you.
[15:44] Help them, Lord, each one to be well equipped to be a blessing to those they encounter because you have blessed them abundantly.
[15:59] Whoever it is that they may be, Lord God, whoever it is that they may come in contact with, that they would show your grace and your mercy because of their witness, the witness of your presence in their lives as you bring about healing, comfort, and peace in their spirit.
[16:22] We pray for all of those who are facing surgeries, those who are facing tests of all kinds, those who are in pain, Lord God. Let them all be well.
[16:35] We pray, Lord God, for those who are grieving, who have experienced loss in their lives, those in particular who are feeling it intensely right now.
[16:53] We just pray in Jesus' name for your spirit to bring them comfort, that they would be surrounded by your presence, and that words of love and encouragement and comfort would come through your people for them in Jesus' name.
[17:13] Pray, Lord God, that you would prepare us, equip us, Lord God, to be well able to minister in this world.
[17:28] We just pray in Jesus' name, Lord God, that you would show us what to do, where to go, what to say, how to be, as we witness for you.
[17:43] Help people see Jesus in us and to desire you. We pray that this service of worship would equip us for that.
[17:57] We pray that all of our services of worship would be blessed so that we may be blessings to all of the people who come, that they would go forth from this place as a blessing to others.
[18:12] So be with us in this service this morning. Be with the gathering band and those who are leading this evening. Be with all of our brothers and sisters in Christ who are in worship today.
[18:30] Help us all, Lord God. Make our worship to be a blessing to you. And let it bless us so we may bless others. Prepare, Pastor Tom, to present for us the message that you've given for him this day.
[18:48] Let the word be proclaimed as it should be. Let it challenge us. Let it bless us. Let it bring us to a new place in you as we desire to go deeper with you than we ever have been before.
[19:07] We ask all of these things in Jesus' name that you may be glorified, Lord. Amen. Amen. Shall we hear from the word of the Lord?
[19:42] Good morning. Good morning. Today's reading is from Romans chapter 13, verses 8 through 14. Let no debt remain outstanding except the continuing debt to love one another.
[19:54] For whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. The commandments, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not covet.
[20:05] And whatever other command there may be are summed up in this one command. Love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore, love is the fulfillment of the law.
[20:18] And do this, understanding the present time, the hour has already come for you to wake from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over.
[20:30] The day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy.
[20:46] Rather, clothe yourself with the Lord Jesus Christ and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh. This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Thank you, Keely.
[20:59] This morning we continue in the book of Romans. We're getting quite near the end. We're in chapter 13 of Romans. And we're going to talk today about how we make decisions, choices we make.
[21:13] And sometimes just who and what we are as people makes a radical difference as to how we react to the same thing. Like this. Uh?
[21:59] Are they 개인 salves because it is? What are we doing? Wait!
[22:10] Wait! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! It's fascinating how women wear the same dress they freak out.
[22:24] Pastor Matt used to show up in the same shirt as I and we go, yeah! It just depends on where we're coming from. The choices we make, the reactions we have, are determined by who and what we are. And today I want to talk to you about choices.
[22:41] We make choices what to wear. This morning I had a choice of what to put on. So the other day my wife went to Burlington and my daughter had gotten this great discount, so she bought me this new jacket.
[22:54] Someone said I look like I belong in the Rat Pack. A lot of you don't even know what that means, you know. I go with Bobby Darin. Somewhere beyond the sea, somewhere waiting for me.
[23:07] We have choices. How are we going to dress? What will that do to the people around us? How will they react? We think about it, whether we realize it or not.
[23:19] It's rare to find somebody that just throws something on. We usually put a little thought into it. In verse 14 of this passage it says, Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ.
[23:31] Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ. Put on Jesus the way we would put on the clothing we have, considering all the possibilities of what we could do.
[23:44] We have choices. This passage talks to us about choosing the day or the night, the armor of light or the deeds of darkness, decency or debauchery, clothes of Christ or the desires of the flesh.
[23:55] We can choose. We can choose to be loving, or we can choose to be selfish and hurtful. In our story today, I want to talk to you about a mother-in-law and her daughter-in-law.
[24:12] Probably the most famous mother-in-law and daughter-in-law that ever existed. You see, there was a woman who went to a foreign country. She went with her husband and they had two young sons who grew up, and as they grow up, they married two women.
[24:28] And in the course of time, this woman had the tragedy of losing her husband. But even more so, as these young sons had married their new wives, they hadn't had any children before they died as well.
[24:45] It was a tragedy. And in the tragedy, the mother-in-law said, it's not right for you to stay with me. I have nothing to offer you.
[24:56] I'm too old. I'm going back to my home country. You go back to your homes. Go find yourself a nice boy and settle down. The one daughter-in-law said, I'm sorry to see you go, but I'm going home.
[25:12] And she hugged her mother-in-law and went home. And the other one said, where you go, I will go. Where you live, I will live. Your people will be my people. Where you die, I will die.
[25:22] Anybody know the name of that daughter-in-law? Ruth. And her mother-in-law, Naomi. And so these two women went back to Israel.
[25:35] They were devastated. They not only had lost their husbands, but Naomi had lost her children. And in that culture, and in some regards, even still in ours, there's a sense that if you have no children, you have no future, no destiny.
[25:53] It's like you've been cut off. And so Naomi is feeling particularly cut off. What do we do when we face struggles?
[26:04] We all have choices of how we're going to live. That is, put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light, Paul tells us. Choose to do what's right.
[26:16] And we have a choice. People who don't have God in their lives don't have a choice because we're facing the power of evil. We're facing the power of sin. We're facing an archangel that tempts us named Satan.
[26:30] And compared to that, in our own power, we have no ability. Most likely, we'll give in more than we won't to temptation. That's why when we look at people without God in their lives, we look at people who are really lacking power.
[26:47] We shouldn't have contempt. We shouldn't even have judgment. We should simply have sympathy and try to give them the power as well. But we don't live that way because the scripture says greater is the one that is in us than the one that is in the world.
[27:01] In Romans 6, just a few chapters earlier, it says, we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin.
[27:13] But anyone who has died has been set free from sin. We no longer have to do what sin tells us. So we should always be living, as Paul says, as if it's daytime, as if whatever we're doing matters because people are watching and what they think of us, what they see by our actions and our appearances will affect what they think about our Lord.
[27:43] I lost my original wedding ring doing gardening. It's somewhere out in the front yard of the parsonage next door, if anybody's got a metal detector. It probably is. Well, quite a number of years ago, my wife bought me a new wedding ring and this one has a little cross on it.
[27:59] So when I'm out in public, I know that when I put my hand on the counter or I put my hand on it anywhere, people see a cross and they think, oh, he's a Christian. How's he acting?
[28:10] Sometimes I actually, on my way to a hospital or something, wear a clergy collar. Now I'm really sensitive to what people are thinking. I can't drive wrong. I can't go over the speed limit.
[28:21] I can't consider any of the things that most normal people would consider thinking because I'm reflecting Christ. We should be doing that in all that we are, right?
[28:31] Putting on our lives in such a way that we show the world that Christ lives in us, that Christ dwells in us, that he has changed us, that we live a different life.
[28:47] In the scriptures it says there's two great commands. You should know what they are. The first one is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.
[28:59] And the second it says it's like it, and it's actually repeated in here by Paul, to love your neighbor as yourself. However, it also talks about little laws in here.
[29:11] So in verse 9 it says to us, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not covet, and whatever other commandments there are.
[29:23] And they're summed up in the laws to love our neighbor as ourselves, to love God with all our heart. We have the little laws because the little laws help us to understand what love really is.
[29:35] Because love in our culture is a word that means all sorts of things. The Greek actually thought love was so complicated they had four words for love. We have one.
[29:47] So I love a donut. And I love my wife. Not exactly the same thing. I love the Buffalo Bill's wedding.
[30:00] And I love a nice day of rest. They're not the same thing. And how we define love for God and how we define love for our neighbor is something we need to learn, which is why we have the scripture so that we can read and understand and see how these little laws make a difference.
[30:18] Like the law, you shall not covet. Which by the way is counter-cultural in our world. You've been taught since you could ever take anything in that you're supposed to covet.
[30:31] Madison Avenue has spent billions of dollars to get you to want to covet. You must have the best. And especially if your neighbor does.
[30:44] I have an old phone. It's not a dumb phone. It's like a first generation smartphone, right? Its screen is cracked.
[30:56] But it works. Now what I understand is I'm supposed to get a new iPhone 33 or something like that. But I don't care.
[31:06] And I don't care if you have one. That's okay. Goodie goodie for you. I'm okay with my old beat up cracked screen phone.
[31:17] I might replace it someday if I think it's not going to work. But it works. My brother went to Hawaii this week.
[31:29] Now I have to tell you the truth. My wife and I, we've always wanted to go to Hawaii. We actually planned it. On our 25th wedding anniversary, we were going to go to Hawaii on a trip.
[31:39] But Jackie got orders from the military. She either had to go for training on one date or another. One date was our 25th wedding anniversary and the other date was the day my grandson was born.
[31:52] So we spent our 25th wedding anniversary instead of in Hawaii in a comfort inn in Erie, Pennsylvania. Right? But does that mean that I covet what my brother has?
[32:06] I'm happy for what my brother has. I think it's wonderful that he and his wife are away and enjoying a time of rest and enjoyment. And coveting isn't good for our relationships.
[32:21] And the way we know what love is, is by God giving us all these other laws. Now the problem is, is sometimes we think the little laws are more important than they really are.
[32:35] Sometimes the little laws are not the number one priority. Even police officers know this. Last night, Alicia Collins called her husband at work when her contractions got closer.
[32:47] I couldn't get home fast enough. She called me. I've been waiting for the call for weeks now. But the other day, Patrick said, Patrick got stuck at a red light at the corner of Forrest and Smith.
[32:59] He did what any husband would do. So I hurried up and went and the officer pulled me over. I didn't see him. Norwood police officer Chris Coifer approached the car.
[33:09] He says he could tell Patrick was frantic. I told him, I said, my wife's in labor, man. I gotta go. I gotta go. And he's like, oh, okay. What hospital? And then I screamed, Christ.
[33:21] And the cop was like, okay, have a great day. Haven was born shortly after they arrived at the hospital. It was the only Christmas present her big brother Zane and sister Brooke wanted.
[33:33] And her parents now have a story to tell her. I did not want to deliver in a car. And yeah, he would have probably had to deliver because she was right there.
[33:46] So if you're about to deliver a baby, you actually can break the traffic laws. I can tell you that. I can tell you that.
[33:57] Because to get to the hospital so the baby is safely born, everybody knows is more important than going the exact posted speed limit. In verse 10, it says, love does no harm to the neighbor.
[34:10] Therefore, love is a fulfillment of the law. And we know what love is because God has given us the ability to learn about it. But it's not reading a list of laws like the Ten Commandments.
[34:24] It's understanding the entire book so we can see what happens when conflicting laws run into each other. When a law that God has made here conflicts with another law over here, and we have to choose what's the most loving response.
[34:38] We can choose to do what's right because we have the power of God in us. But we don't always choose what's right. We can also find ourselves tempted.
[34:51] Sometimes even good people. Christian people make bad choices because they feel somehow they either have no choice or the temptations overcome them.
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[35:36] And Boaz had a crop of barley. Probably bigger than this, but something like this. And what Boaz did was he went down to the mill to get his barley ground.
[35:48] This is what you did if you were a farmer back then. And what would happen is they would work all day long to mill their grain, and then they would take their grain and they would sell it to the merchants that have money jingling in their pocket.
[36:04] It was the time of the year that farmers had the most money jingling in their pockets. And so Boaz went down to the mill, and just like every other time, he ground his crop, he got his money, he had a big meal and something to drink.
[36:24] And lay down for the evening. Naomi knew that Boaz had in the corner of his eye this young woman, Ruth, working in his field.
[36:37] So she said to her daughter-in-law, here's what I want you to do. I want you to head down to the mill. Because what you're going to find is Boaz is going to have had a big meal, something to drink.
[36:52] He's going to feel really good. I want you to put on your nicest clothes, wear a little perfume. And when you get down there, you're going to watch and see where he sleeps.
[37:03] And I want you to slip in under the covers with him. And do whatever he says. It's an interesting thing, because the mill had a lot of people that would go to it, who worked in what sometimes is referred to the oldest profession.
[37:21] Because that's where the money was. And Naomi knew this. And even though it wasn't the right thing to do, even though the Bible would say this isn't how we should live, they were feeling desperate.
[37:33] And so these people who otherwise, in many ways, would be what we'd call good, were going to do something that really wasn't right. When I was reading this passage in Romans, it kind of struck me, because Paul is writing to church people.
[37:50] Church people in the city of Rome. And he says to them, The night is nearly over, the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy.
[38:10] I thought that was an odd list, don't you? He's writing to Christians. And he's saying you shouldn't be doing this. Which implies that they are doing this.
[38:22] Temptation. Temptation. Temptation. Temptation to do what we know will not only hurt us, but will hurt others around us. And certainly hurt our relationship with God.
[38:36] Paul says we shouldn't do this. And the scripture tells us that any temptation that might come your way, any temptation to do wrong, we can overcome. In Corinthians it says to us, No temptation has overtaken you, except what is common to people.
[38:53] And God is faithful. He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so you can endure it. Some people think this means that God will never give you something more difficult, or more of a struggle in your life than you can handle.
[39:10] Believe me, people get a lot of difficulties that are hard to handle. It might even be too much to handle. But that's not a temptation. A temptation means that God is sending a test to see whether you will choose to do what's right, or to do what's wrong.
[39:24] To make a choice. What choice will you make? And what he said is, he has given you the ability, through the power of the Holy Spirit, to overcome any temptation.
[39:37] Because we're not citizens of this world. Remember we talked about this last week. We're citizens of eternity. We have a hope in store for us that is more than this life.
[39:51] Naomi felt that her only future was in the child she didn't have. We know we have a future waiting for us in glory. It doesn't depend on anything but our faith in God.
[40:02] But temptation comes. And it can hurt us. The other day I was at a little gathering with some friends, and they brought out the dessert tray.
[40:17] Really? A moment on the lips. I like, forget that part. I don't care. My concern is, is that I am this close to having diabetes.
[40:30] Which means if I eat too much sugar, I'm going to have real serious health problems. But if I'm careful, and I resist the temptation, I actually could be reasonably healthy. That's my choice.
[40:42] I ate the dessert. It's good. I like dessert. I ate two desserts. I started reaching for a third dessert.
[40:57] And I said, no. That's enough. A little bit of sugar won't destroy my health.
[41:08] But how much before I step over that boundary? The problem is, is in that moment, in that moment, I don't see the harm.
[41:20] In that moment, all I see is a possibility of pleasure. Because we become people of the moment. We live for today. Right now. What satisfaction can I get? Right here. We don't want to wait.
[41:31] But as Christians, we're supposed to be people with a long-term view. We live for eternity.
[41:43] Verse 11 says, Do this understanding the present time. The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. Eternity is right around the corner.
[41:58] And we have a choice. Whether we're going to take a moment of joy now or we're going to have an eternity of everlasting joy and pleasure. People say to me sometimes, you've heard me say this, they'll talk about problems they're having and then they'll say something like, well, better than the alternative.
[42:18] Meaning, you know, to die. And I say, no, it's not. I'm looking forward to the alternative. Can you imagine a place where everybody made nothing but the right choices?
[42:28] Every single time all they made was the right and loving choices. That's eternity. There's no more sorrow or pain or suffering or struggle. I'm looking forward to it.
[42:41] Eternity should set our priorities that the life to come is better than the one we have now. which doesn't mean you should be signing up to go sooner. Because God has a reason why you're here.
[42:55] And you have a purpose even if you don't realize it from God. Boaz had a choice. A young woman slipped in on the covers with him.
[43:09] He found her attractive. He'd had a nice meal and a hard day's work and a few drinks. What would he do? She had instructions from her mother-in-law to do whatever he said.
[43:27] And he said, young woman, you need to go home. I appreciate that you're flattering this old man this way.
[43:38] but you need to go home. This isn't the way things should be. Fascinating that Boaz understood that he had a choice between having a short-term fling with a mistress or having a wife that he could build a life, a heritage with.
[44:05] But it wasn't so simple as he could just marry her because there was something called a kinsman redeemer in that day and age which meant that there actually were rights to marriage.
[44:17] So there was a relative of Naomi's who had a right to claim Ruth as his wife. Boaz went to the city gates and asked him, do you want to redeem her?
[44:29] Do you want to claim her? The man said, I've already got a wife. I don't need another one. Thank you very much. And so Boaz stepped in as what the Bible calls a goel, a kinsman redeemer.
[44:46] And redeemed her, made her not his mistress, but his wife. And that choice not only affected his life right then and there, but it affected lives to come right down to today.
[45:09] Remember, a couple of weeks ago we were talking about a prostitute. Anybody remember her name? Rahab. Rahab was the prostitute who helped the spies in Jericho.
[45:23] Let's find out what happened with Rahab. Solomon, the father of Boaz, whose mother was, oh, Boaz's mother was Rahab.
[45:35] Boaz knew what it was like to grow up in a household where everybody talked about his mother, where everybody had a bad idea about his mom, where everybody whispered about his mother and he wasn't going to do that to Ruth. So Boaz married Ruth and they became the father of Elbed who was the father of Jesse and Jesse was the father of King David and we know that King David is the ancestor of Jesus.
[45:58] The decisions Boaz made that night had consequences right down to our lives. He became a kinsman redeemer for Ruth and Christ becomes our goel, our redeemer and asks us to live a life that would show that we're grateful, that we're proud of our relationship.
[46:27] In verse 8 it says, let no debt remain outstanding except the continuing debt to love one another for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law.
[46:37] The debt remaining is love. We pay back Jesus, our redeemer, the one who paid the price for you and me by loving the people made in his image the way we would want to be loved.
[46:52] So someday when we get to eternity and we stand before Jesus maybe we can feel okay about who we are and what our life was.
[47:03] You see, love is not just an idea. It's not just a feeling. Love is an action. It's lived out. We look at this list of all these kind of things people can do wrong.
[47:15] That's not love. Love isn't defined by all the bad things or even avoiding the bad things. Love is an action that we implement with others.
[47:28] In Galatians it gives us some idea with the fruits of the Spirit. Do you remember those? love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness.
[47:44] Very good. It says, against these there is no law. That's love. love. I was talking to a parishioner of ours who said that she had a friend who was trying to remember those gifts of the, those fruits of the Spirit.
[48:01] And so she took a bath towel and she embroidered them on there for her friend so that her friend when she got up in the morning every single morning as she was getting ready she would see love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
[48:13] I thought, that's cool. That's cool. We should all have that. It doesn't have to be a bath towel. It could just be a little note in the mirror. It could be something we keep in our wallet. It might be something that we have on the dashboard of our car.
[48:27] Just something that reminds us every day what love is supposed to be. Because what we think about makes a difference. Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ.
[48:38] Don't think about how to gratify the desires of your flesh. Because what we think about is what we usually become. In Philippians, Paul says to us, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things.
[49:02] Whatever you've learned or received or heard from me or seen in me, put it into practice. Because if we practice these kind of beautiful, wonderful, loving things, we'll feel at peace.
[49:15] Because I'll tell you the truth, you don't feel at peace when you do wrong, you feel at peace when you do right. You know that. This morning you had a choice. You could come up, get up and come to church or you could stay home.
[49:28] You're all going to walk out of here saying, I feel good. It doesn't really even matter what happens today. You just feel good because you made the right choice, right? That's what happens when we make the right choice.
[49:39] We feel that peace. love is more than that. It means we can actually be a redeemer for other people. We can repay that debt, that obligation.
[49:53] Because somewhere along the line people loved you. Somewhere along the line you shared and received love. love. And how we repay a debt of love is by giving that love back to the people who showed us love in the first place.
[50:14] When I was thinking about this, you've seen this video, but I'm going to show it to you again. this came. Goodbye. Goodbye. Wind blowing on my face Sidewalk flying beneath my back A five-year-old's first taste Of what freedom's really like You can let go now, daddy You can let go Your little girl is ready To do this on my own It's gonna be a little bit scary But I want you to know I'll be okay now, daddy Everlasting love Pass it on You can let go A message from the Foundation for a better life
[51:18] People love us We repay the debt by loving in return And then generations pass it on Boaz not only redeemed Ruth He redeemed two women that day Naomi was feeling broken She had lost her husband She had lost her children She had lost her sense of life and even purpose And right after Boaz made this decision around ten months later He took a little baby and placed it in Naomi's arms And all of a sudden she was redeemed again How do we bring redemption into the world?
[52:08] What do we put on so the world can see Christ in us? Did you notice the word that that woman yelled when the man said what hospital do you want to go to?
[52:20] It's a hospital called Christ Memorial But what did we hear? Christ She was willing to shout Christ to the whole world Put on Christ Put on the love of God Because when we wear Jesus we bring redemption We bring transformation We change lives We redeem the world around us and the people come to see who Jesus really is They know him By the debt of love we pay to the whole world We are one in the spirit We are one in the Lord We are one in the spirit
[53:21] We are one in the Lord And we pray that our humanity may one day be restored And they'll know we are Christians by our love By our love And they'll know we are Christians by our love by our love We will walk We will walk with each other We will walk hand in hand We will walk with each other We will walk hand in hand And together we'll spread the news that God is in our land And they'll know we are Christians by our love By our love Yes and no We are Christians by our love Yes and no We are Christians by our love Yes and no We are Christians by our love We will walk We will walk We will work We will walk side by side We will walk with each other
[54:24] We will work side by side And we'll guard each life's dignity and save each man's pride And they'll know we are Christians by our love By our love Yes, they'll know we are Christians by our love Oh, praise to the Father from whom all things come And oh, praise to Christ Jesus, His only Son And oh, praise to the Spirit who makes us one And they'll know we are Christians by our love By our love, yes, they'll know we are Christians by our love Every time a heart turns from darkness to light
[55:35] Any time temptation comes and someone stands to fight Any time somebody lives to serve and not be served I know, I know, I know, I know God is on the move, on the move, hallelujah God is on the move in any mighty ways God is on the move, on the move, hallelujah God is on the move, on the move today Every time in week there's someone falls upon their knees Or dares to speak the truth that sets men free Every time their choices make you stand upon the word Oh, I know, I know, I know, I know God is on the move, on the move, hallelujah God is on the move in many mighty ways God is on the move, on the move, hallelujah
[56:38] God is on the move, on the move today I see a generation standing on the truth In each and every nation, God is on the move One, two, three, four Every time the castle serves a searching soul And someone says, stand me here, I know I know, I know, I know, I know, I know God is on the move, on the move, hallelujah God is on the move in many mighty ways God is on the move, on the move, hallelujah God is on the move, on the move today I see a generation standing on the truth
[57:46] In each and every nation, God is on the move God is on the move And we have God within us, if we call ourselves a Christian Moving within us, and we have to participate with the Holy Spirit Part of the Holy Spirit's job is to convict us when we've gone wrong And to lead us into the holiness of God Lead us on to perfection And so, as we prepare ourselves for a table of grace Where God's love and forgiveness is offered to everyone Let's have a prayer of confession together Lord, I have sinned Lord, I have sinned I recognize your conviction I recognize your conviction And I repent of my sin And I repent of my sin Lead me in your way Lead me in your ways Cleanse me Cleanse me Make me whole Make me whole That I may glorify you That I may glorify you In every moment of my days In every moment of my days
[58:47] In Jesus' name we pray In Jesus' name we pray Amen Amen Amen Hear the good news Christ died for us while we were yet sinners And this proves God's love for you and for me So in the name of Jesus Christ Your sins are forgiven In the name of Jesus Christ Your sins are forgiven Glory to God Amen Amen And now as confident Children of God Let's greet one another with the peace of the Holy Spirit Do not be with the peace of the Holy Spirit Thank you memt aventut Thank you I come with joy to be my Lord
[60:10] Forgiven, loved, and free In awe and wanting to be God His life laid down for me His life laid down for me I come with Christians I need to fight as all are fled A new community of love Christ the million bread In Christ the million bread His life breaks bread And it's a sharing to how revision ends The love that made us Makes us one and strangers Now are friends And strangers now are friends The table of the Lord is offered to everyone
[61:17] God's grace is offered to everyone Because God loves everyone Each and every one of us The Lord be with you Lift up your hearts Let us give thanks to the Lord our God It is right and a good and joyful thing Always and everywhere To give thanks to you Father Almighty Creator of heaven and earth You formed us in your image And breathed into us the breath of life When we turned away And our love failed Your love remained steadfast You delivered us from captivity Made covenant to be our sovereign God And spoke to us through your prophets And so with your people on earth And all the company of heaven We praise your name And join their unending hymn Holy, holy, holy Lord God of power and might Heaven and earth are full of your glory
[62:20] Hosanna in the highest Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord Hosanna in the highest Holy are you And blessed is your Son Jesus Christ Your Spirit anointed him To preach good news to the poor To proclaim release to the captives And recovering of sight to the blind To set at liberty those who are oppressed And to announce the time had come When you would save your people He healed the sick Fed the hungry And ate with sinners By the baptism of his suffering Death and resurrection You gave birth to your church Delivered us from slavery to sin and death And made with us a new covenant By water and the Spirit At his ascension you exalted him To sit and reign with you At your right hand On the night in which he gave himself up for us
[63:21] He gave thanks to you He broke the bread And gave it to his disciples And said take and eat This is my body This is my body Given for you Do this In remembrance of me And when the supper was over He took the cup He gave thanks To this Is the blood Of the new covenant Poured out for you Poured out for many For the forgiveness Of sins Drink of this Often Remembering me And so in remembrance Of these Your mighty acts In Jesus Christ We offer ourselves In praise And thanksgiving As a holy And living sacrifice In union with Christ's
[64:22] Offering for us As we proclaim the mystery of faith Christ has died Christ is risen Christ will come again Pour out your Holy Spirit On us gathered here And on these gifts Of bread and wine Make them be for us The body and blood of Christ That we may be for the world The body of Christ Redeemed by his blood By your spirit Make us one with Christ One with each other And one in ministry To all the world Until Christ comes In final victory And we feast At his heavenly banquet Through your son Jesus Christ With the Holy Spirit In your holy church All honor and glory Is yours Almighty Father Now and forever Amen And now As confident children Of God Let's pray the prayer That Jesus taught us Say Our Father Who art in heaven Hallowed be thy name Thy kingdom come
[65:24] Thy will be done On earth As it is in heaven Give us this day Our daily bread And forgive us Our trespasses As we forgive those Who trespass against us And lead us not Into temptation But deliver us From evil For thine is the kingdom And the power And the glory Forever and ever Amen Will those who are serving Please come forward Lord Thank you Lord Amen Did youper Any Thank you.
[66:51] Thank you.
[67:21] Thank you.
[67:51] Thank you.
[68:21] I'd like to invite you all to stand if you're able as we sing together, Made to Worship. Thank you.
[68:55] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
[69:07] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
[69:19] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
[69:31] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
[69:43] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
[69:55] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
[70:07] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. He has filled our hearts with wonder So that we always remember You and I are plagues and words You and I are called to love You and I are forgiven and free And you and I embrace and remember When you and I choose to believe And you and I will see We were meant to be And even the rocks die out And even the heavens shout And the sound of His holy name So let every voice sing out
[71:11] And let every beat bow down He's worthy of all our praise You and I are made to worship You and I are called to love You and I are forgiven and free You and I embrace and remember You and I choose to believe You and I will see You and I are made to worship You and I are called to love You and I are living and free You and I embrace and remember You and I choose to believe You and I will see You and I are made to worship
[72:12] You and I am You and I am This world we live in People try to hurt each other Before they get hurt They're worried that they're going to Have somebody attack them But you are the redeemed of God You are the people who have been purchased By your Savior Not because of how good you are But because of how good He is You've been loved Embraced By a living and wonderful God And so we don't have to live that way Somebody asked me last night Why they didn't do this We're supposed to live Inside out Showing the love of God To everyone around us Showing that soft Wonderful Feeling that God gave to us Not because we won't get hurt But because we can bring love And healing And hope and possibilities You're the redeemed of God Put on Christ
[73:13] Go live in this world With the confidence of knowing You have eternity waiting for you And that God will bless you To be a blessing Go in His peace Amen And that God had not been And he JOHN You have destroyed You have eternity Thank you.
[74:32] Thank you.
[75:02] Thank you.
[75:32] Thank you.
[76:02] Thank you.
[76:32] Thank you.