church

INI
Sixth Sunday after Pentecost
July 24, 2011
Ascension Lutheran Church, Tacoma WA
Paul Naumann, Pastor

GOD'S CHOICE -- AND OURS
Ruth 1:15-17

Peace be to you all who are in Christ Jesus, Amen. Our sermon text today is a
portion of our Old Testament reading for this morning. It is found in the first
chapter of the Book of Ruth, beginning with the fifteenth verse.

15 And [Naomi] said, “Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people
and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.” 16 But Ruth said: “ Entreat me
not to leave you, Or to turn back from following after you; For wherever you
go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my
people, And your God, my God. 17 Where you die, I will die, And there will I
be buried. The LORD do so to me, and more also, If anything but death parts
you and me.” These are the words.

In the name of our Great God and Father, Who chose us in Christ before the
foundation of the world, Dear Fellow Redeemed,

In 1985, the Pepsicola Company came out with a new ad slogan. You older
folks might remember it - they claimed that Pepsi was "the choice of a new
generation." The ads showed attractive, confident, intelligent young people in
high-tech jets or expensive sports cars. The point of the ads was that this "new
generation" of young people knew how to make the right choices, and one of
the choices they made was Pepsi.

Well, how did that “intelligent-choicey” thing work out for them? After all, that
generation (to which I, sadly, belong) is largely responsible for the mistakes of
the last 25 years. People of that generation chose to elect some (let’s face it)
pretty dubious political leaders. They chose to engage in three foreign wars, o
expand abortion and gay rights, and to vastly expand entitlements and the
national debt. People of that generation made choices that ushered in the
biggest economic downturn since the Great Depression. Not a very good track
record. What about today’s generation of young adults in America? Will they
make better choices? I have my doubts. On the other hand, they couldn’t do
much worse!

It’s all about choices, isn’t it? Today's text is about choices, too. It’s about a
young woman who, against all the odds, made a right choice. It's about you,
too, and the choices you make in life. Above all, though, it's about God, and
the wonderful choice that He made! God chose this young woman - and He has
chosen you - to be His own precious possession. Our theme today is...

GOD'S CHOICE -- AND OURS
I. God chose to save us
II. Let us choose to serve God

You know what a "Cinderella Story" is. That's the term sports writers use to
describe an athlete or team that overcomes terrifically high odds, and comes
from behind to win the victory. When the local high school team defeats all the
bigger schools and goes on to win the state championship, that's a "Cinderella
Story." Well, the account of our text is a true story with a Cinderella ending.
Just consider the odds that were stacked up against this young woman named
Ruth. I think you'll agree that, from a human standpoint, her chances of having
a successful life looked pretty slim!

First of all, Ruth got married to a foreigner. When Elimelech and his wife,
Naomi, fled the poverty of draught-stricken Israel and came to the land of
Moab, Ruth and her friend Orpah (who were natives of Moab) married their
two sons, who were of course Israelites. That was difficult to begin with. Then
there was their poverty, struggling to find food, struggling to stay alive. Soon
disaster struck - Naomi's husband died and, some years later, her two sons as
well. The three women were left widows, with all of their wage-earners gone.
You have to remember that in those days there was no welfare or no social
security. If a woman's husband and provider died, she was in big trouble.
Especially in times of famine, she could very easily starve to death. Things
looked about as grim as they could be. It was time to make a hard decision, and
Naomi decided to return to the land of Israel.

And what about Ruth? What would her future be? She must have wondered
about that every second of the day. She needn't have been frightened, though.
Because Ruth was a very special person. Ruth had been chosen by God! God
had chosen this poor, humble woman from Moab to have an exciting and
successful future. She couldn't possibly imagine it yet, but she was to become a
member of the royal line of the kings of Judah. She would be married to one of
the wealthiest men of one of best families of Bethlehem. Her grandson would
be King David. One of her ancestors would be Jesus, the very Son of God - the
promised Messiah! God had chosen humble Ruth to be His own treasured
possession.

It's important for us to feel "chosen" and "special" too, isn't it? Some of you
probably had the experience in grade school where you were waiting in line on
the playground as two captains chose up sides for a game of basketball or
softball. You want so desperately to be chosen - not left out of the game or
chosen last!

The good news is that God has chosen you. From the very beginning of
eternity, God decided to pick you to be, in the words of Peter, one of "...a
chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people." I
Pet 2:9. He didn't choose you because you were especially good - the Bible says
that "all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God." He didn't choose you
because you were particularly strong or wise or noble. Actually, God called you
to faith in Jesus in spite of the fact that you're not any of those things! As Paul
said, "You see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh,
not many mighty, not may noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish
things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak
things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base
things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the
things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are." I Cor 1:26-28.

Like Ruth, God chose you for salvation simply because He loved you. He
"elected" you to be a believer before time began. This Bible teaching is called
the "Doctrine of Predestination," and theologians have argued over it for
centuries. I heard of an elderly woman, though, who said she understood it
quite clearly. She said, "I know God must have chosen me before I was born,
because considering the things I've done since then, I'm sure He wouldn't have
chosen me afterward!"

And by the way, contrary to what the TV evangelists will tell you, it is God
who has chosen you -- not the other way around! So many preachers nowadays
will ruin an otherwise decent sermon by concluding, “Now it’s time for you to
make a decision to bring Jesus into your life.” But according to the Bible that’s
impossible. A person is either an unbeliever – in which case no decision is
possible – or he’s already a believer, in which case no decision is necessary. The
fact that you’re a saved Christian is the result of a decision, alright, but God’s
the one who made it, not you! Jesus said to His disciples, "You did not choose
Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and
that your fruit should remain..." Jn 15:16.

After conversion, of course, the situation changes. Once the Holy Ghost has
made us into believers, then we do want to serve God. Then we do want to
bring forth the fruits of faith in our lives. What is the "fruit" that we produce
because God has chosen us? What is our natural reaction to the grace that God
has granted us in Christ? Simply this: that we dedicate our lives to Him. As Paul
said in II Corinthians, “He died for all, that those who live should live no longer
for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.” – 5:15. Since
God has already chosen to save us, in faith let us choose to serve God! That’s
what Ruth did!

When Ruth became a member of that family of believers, she took on more
than an new last name. She was taught to know a God who was different from
all the idols she had grown up with in Moab. They taught her about a God who
cared for and governed His people. A God who promised to one day send a
Redeemer who would pay for her sins, and the sins of all people. Ruth came to
have faith in the Jehovah-God of Israel, and her faith brought forth fruits. She
chose to serve God.

Now, both Orpah and Ruth loved Naomi, their mother-in-law. And both cried
when Naomi said she was leaving. But Orpah finally kissed Naomi goodbye and
went back to her people. Ruth clung to Naomi! "Look," said Naomi, "your
sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back with her." Even
Naomi underestimated the power of the Holy Spirit in Ruth's heart! "Surely, she
thought, Ruth will want to give up the true faith and go back to her own people
and their idols - she can't want to face such an uncertain future with me in the
Land of Israel." But Ruth wasn't uncertain about her future. She had faith in
Jehovah, and she wasn't about to return to the false gods of Moab. Ruth replied,
“ Entreat me not to leave you, Or to turn back from following after you; For
wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people
shall be my people, And your God, my God. 17 Where you die, I will die, And
there will I be buried.

Many scholars dwell on the difficult choice that Ruth made – the choice to
abandon her native country of Moab and accompany Naomi to Israel. But I
wonder. I wonder if it was such a hard choice after all. Behind her lay the false
gods of Moab, that neither saw nor heard, whose followers got nothing in
exchange for their devotion. Before her lay the Land of Israel, whose God was
the true God, a God who offered real protection and security. And a God who,
above all, promised eternal redemption through a Savior who would one day
spring from the tribe of Judah. Hard choice? I think it might have been the
easiest choice Ruth ever made! She chose to follow the Lord, even though it
meant a weary journey by foot of 75 miles back to Bethlehem. Ruth decided
that this strange country would become her country, because it was the Lord's
country. A strange people would become her people, because they were the
Lord's people. She would serve Jehovah, the God of love, with her whole life.

The Bible tells of others who came to know God and made the same choice -
to dedicate their lives to His service. It tells us of Moses, who, "...when he
became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing
rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing
pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the
treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward." Heb 11:24-26. Joshua called
on the people of Israel to choose who they would serve - the true God, or idols.
He said, "If serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for
yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers
served beyond the River, or the gods of the Ammorites, in whose land you are
living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord." Josh 24:15.

What about you and your household? Whom will you serve? Have you chosen,
or are you still making up your mind? I think our answer would be the same as
the Apostle Peter’s, wouldn’t it? Jesus asked His disciples, “Will you also go
away?” Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of
eternal life. 69 Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ,
the Son of the living God.” – Jn 6:68-69.

To whom shall we go, if not to Jesus? Jesus is the Christ, our Savior. Remember
the sacrifice He made to free you from your sin. Remember Him with a crown
of thorns on his head, bent and bleeding under the cruel Roman whip.
Remember Him struggling painfully toward Calvary, and stumbling to the
pavement under the weight of the cross. Remember Him as the nails were
driven home, metal clanging on metal, agony following agony. Yes, think of
Him, for at that moment, my friend, He was thinking of you. He was loving you
all the time! Your sins and my sins put Jesus on that cross. And when the life
was finally gone from His body, our sins were gone as well.

Here was something completely different for Ruth. Before she joined Naomi’s
family, Ruth never knew the Gospel. Now she had something so precious – the
promise that God would be merciful to her also. That God would provide a
Redeemer for her sins also. And for you and me: that’s our most precious
treasure as well! That even though we are great sinners, nevertheless God has
provided a way for us to escape our sin and attain eternal life. That even
wretched sinners such as we are can make it to the glories of heaven – not
because of the works that we’ve done, but because of the powerful work of
salvation the Christ accomplished for us. I think each of us can identify with the
Apostle Paul when he says, This is a faithful saying and worthy of all
acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am
chief. – I Tm 1:15. In fact, I wonder if you sometimes think the same thing I do
when I hear that verse: “Paul wasn’t the chief of sinners. I’m the chief of
sinners!” But Paul was right about one thing: it is just such dreadful sinners as
we are, that are the very ones whom Jesus came to save! Praise be to God for
His rich salvation. And may the faith that God has implanted in our hearts bring
forth rich fruit, as it did in Ruth’s life. Jesus said, He who abides in Me, and I in
him, the same brings forth much fruit.

Let’s be clear: sanctification in the Christian life is the work of the Holy Spirit
from first to last. The Bible says, “It is God who works in you both to will and
to do of His good pleasure.” We claim no credit, and can claim none. That
being said, you as a Christian do have choices to make in your life. And if you
want to bring forth fruit for your Savior, it matters where you lay down roots. A
farmer once planted two apple trees – one on the east side of his farm, near a
neighboring landfill, and another on the west side, near the banks of a river.
Both trees grew and produced apples, but the fruit from the first tree was bitter,
for its roots were in garbage. The fruit of the second tree was sweet, having its
roots near the flowing stream of pure water. What about you? Will you plant
your roots in garbage, or in the water of life? In the kind of world we live in
today, the choice is just about that stark! What kind of literature are you going
to read, what sort of movies are you going to watch, how will you spend your
leisure time, how will you invest your resources? Are you going to immerse
yourself in the corrupt and sinful ways of the world? Or will you cultivate the
sweet Gospel of life that’s offered in God’s Word? Psalm 1 says, Blessed is the
man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of
sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; 2 But his delight is in the law of the
LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. 3 He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose
leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper. – Ps 1:1-4.

My dear fellow-Christians, let us love Him as He first loved us! Let us choose
to serve God. Jesus gave His whole life for us – in faith, let us dedicate the
whole of our lives to Him. Let's each of us resolve to serve our Savior seven
days a week, with every fiber of our being! We are the reason Jesus lived - let's
make Him the reason we live! God chose to save us -- let us choose to serve
God! AMEN.