God Has Not Forgotten You

michael davidson and here's what's going on and abundant life in august is our next men's huddle where we'll unpack what it means to be a godly courageous man in today's world through engaging stories expert teaching unscripted interviews and personal insights this study calls every man to become bold leaders in their own lives marriages churches and communities plan to join the men of a LCF community with this exciting series on Saturdays August 25th through November 10 and the cost is 25 dollars in September we've got some exciting events planned starting with an evening with Tim Keller hosted by transforming the bay with Christ pastor Tim a pastor and New York Times bestselling author speaks about the church as an unstoppable force and shares his views on what a radical Christian community looks like join us on Thursday September 6th from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. in the ALCS sanctuary for this unique event tickets are $20 on September 23rd we launched two classes Jesus among secular God's and the art of parenting living in the Bay Area's high-tech center of the world we are often confronted with questions about science versus religion in Jesus among secular gods Valerie Saunders our director of evangelism uses a video chat workshop format to help us prepare to challenge the isms of modern belief including world religions use and present compelling evidence for revealed absolute truth as founded in Jesus this six week class helps seekers to explore claims of Christ and will provide Christians with knowledge to articulate why they believe Jesus stands tall of all all other gods the cost is $25 includes child care with pre-registration also on September 23rd the art of parenting developed by family life today helps parents feel confident in building a foundation for their children in four key areas identity character relationships and mission this eight-week DVD small group curriculum based on Psalm 127 4 features insights and decades of expertise that Dennis and Barbara Rainey gleaned from ministry and raising six children facilitated by Zeke and Marie Harvey who will explore the following topics the goal of parenting forming character applying discipline building relationships understanding identity nurturing identity preparing for mission and the power of family the cost is $40 per couple which includes child care with pre-registration space is limited to 24 couples are you new to abundant life are you interested in learning more about our story dreams and values and then a welcoming environment with no pressure to join if so our guest orientation lunch is just the place for you find out what we're all about on Sunday September 9th from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. in the chapel and speaking of values going is one of ALCS core values as born-again believers God commanded us to go and make disciples of all nations Matthew 28:19 in order to prepare you to go we invite you to participate in one of four trains being offered each Sunday in August from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. another great opportunity to go and bring the hope of Jesus to people in need is the Johnny and Friends Bay Area Walk Android on September 15 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Mitchell Park in Palo Alto join us for this one-of-a-kind fundraising event all of the money raised will bring Christ centered encouragement and practical support to special need families in the community you can sign up from August 17th through September 15th and Johnny and Friends org slash Bay Area now are you ready for some fun what about ALCS annual church picnic make plans to join the LCF community for our most popular event of the year and be part of a great afternoon of fellowship fun food and games this year's event will take place on Sunday September 16th from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at a ring store part in mountain fever and if you're available to help out please come to our volunteer meeting on Sunday August 12 from 12:00 to 12:30 p.m. to sign up for any of the upcoming events and classes go to ALCS net slash signups or the ALC fm to stay connected with everything a LCF check out the website app by weekly emails newsletter social media and remember at al CF our goal is to make a difference in your life so you can make a difference in the lives of the people in your sphere of influence or as we like to say around here abundant life exists to make a better you for a better world good morning about Nevada God we pray that you would release your word in this house today that you would father stop by every seat then you would encourage us Lord God that you would inspire us that even at times Lord God if you would so choose to make us uncomfortable but ultimately Lord God would you would you change us Lord God more and more into the type of people you have called us to be father with your good hand to favor rest upon me now in the preaching moment and put your words in my mouth your thoughts in my mind father may I decrease that you would increase and then God if you'd be so kind as to save someone's soul add to your church today we pray in Jesus name Amen and amen you may be seated if you have your Bibles please meet me in Ruth chapter 2 Ruth chapter 2 as you're making your way to Ruth chapter 2 as we're about to begin our second installment of our study going through the Book of Ruth 1 also encourage you to if you've been hanging out with us for a while and you want to know more about our church we want to invite you to our orientation class on our church abundant life that's coming up on September 9th Ruth chapter 2 we began this study last week called hope for the hopeless we walk through chapter 1 and now we are in chapter 2 pick me up in verse 1 now Naomi had a relative of her husband's make note of this phrase a worthy man of the clan of Elimelech whose name was Boaz and Ruth amoA the Moabite said to Naomi let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find favor and she said to her go my daughter so she set out verse 3 and went and gleaned in the field after the Reapers and she I love this this is this is tongue-in-cheek she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz who was of the clan of Elimelech and Boaz came from Bethlehem and he said to the Reapers the Lord be with you and they answered the Lord bless you then Boaz said to his young man who was in charge of the Reapers whose young woman is this and the servant who was in charge of the Reapers answered she is the young Moabite woman who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab she said please let me glean and gather among the sheaves after the Reapers so she came and she has come from early morning until now except for a short rest and boy I said to Ruth now listen my daughter do not go to glean in another field or leave this one but keep close to my young women let your eyes be on the field that they are reaping and go after them have I not charged a young men not to touch you and when you are thirsty go to the vessels and drink what the young men have drawn and she fell on her face bound to the ground and said to him why have I found favor in your eyes that you should take notice of me since I am a foreigner boy I said to her all that you have done for your mother law since the death of your husband has been fully told to me and how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before the Lord repay you for what you have done and a full reward be given you by the Lord the God of is the God of Israel under whose wings you have come to take refuge and she said I have found favor in your eyes my lord for you have comforted me and spoken kindly to your servant though I am NOT one of your servants and at mealtime boy I said to her come here and eat some bread and dip your morsel in the wine so she sat beside the Reapers and he passed to her roasted grain and she ate until she was satisfied and she had some leftover when she rose to glean Boaz instructed his young men saying let her glean even among the sheaves and do not reproach her and also pull out some from the bundles for her and leave it for her to glean and do not rebuke her so she gleaned in the field until evenings then she beat out what she had gleaned and it was about an ephah of barley and she took it up and went into the city her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned she also brought out and gave her what food she had left over after being satisfied and her mother-in-law said to her girl where you been and where have you worked blessed be the man who took notice of you so she told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked and said the man's name with whom I worked today his Boaz and Naomi said to her daughter-in-law may he be blessed by the Lord whose kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead Naomi said to her the man is a close relative of ours one of our Redeemers and Ruth the Moabitess said besides he said to me you shall keep close by my young men until they have finished all my harvest and Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law it is good my daughter that you go out with his young women less than another field you be assaulted so she kept close to the young women of Boaz gleaning until the end of the barley and wheat harvests and she lived with her mother-in-law the word of the Lord thanks be to God one of my favorite movies of all time is the original Karate Kid love that movie no offense to Will Smith's son couldn't get with that when I go back mid-80s if you've ever seen this movie you know that the protagonist Daniel comes to mr. Miyagi and asked mr. Miyagi to train him for an upcoming tournament in which he's got to face off with some of his classmates who've been bullying him mr. Miyagi agrees and they set a date for the training to begin daniel is so excited when he gets over to mr. Miyagi's house anxious to get trained and yet when he gets over there he's shocked to discover that that he's being asked to paint mr. Miyagi's fence he thinks it's weird and he goes about painting mr. Miyagi's fence but no problems a couple days later he gets back to mr. Miyagi's house thinking now the trainings gonna begin and so excited and he gets there and he's shocked to discover that mr. Miyagi wants him to to wax his cars some of y'all some of y'all are flowing with me so he's really disappointed but but that's okay he waxes the cars and a couple days later he's thinking now the training is really about to begin and he he gets back over mr. Miyagi's house and he's just disheartened to discover that mr. Miyagi has told him that he wants Daniel to to sand his floors on a poignant scene Daniel now he's lost his mind because he hadn't signed up for this he signed up to learn karate and he says to in so many words to mr. Miyagi you've you've got me functioning as your armor bearers you've got me out here doing your chores I didn't sign up for these random acts I signed up mr. Miyagi to learn karate but you've got me doing is not connected at all to what I've signed up for mr. Miyagi responds in so many words by telling Daniel to not be so naive that what he's been doing is has not been a part of just some random acts of coincidence in fact little diss Daniel realise it he's he's been being trained so here's mr. Miyagi he connects the dots for Daniel he says show me paint the fence show me wax the cars show me sand the floors in it's at this moment where the lights come on for Daniel when he realizes that his life has been a part of a grand master plan that what he's been going through has has not been by accident or by coincidence it's been by Providence it was the Danish philosopher and theologian Soren Kierkegaard who pulls us into the philosophical and theological tension of life when Soren Kierkegaard said fundamentally the problem with life is that life is best understood backwards but we have to live it forwards you've missed that Danish theologian and philosopher Soren Kierkegaard says that the problem with life is that our problem is it's best understood backwards but we have to live it forwards and because of this I don't care where you are on the spiritual continuum this morning you will find yourself various junctures frustrated with God because it seems as if God is playing a cosmic sort of mr. miyagi were your life it seems is filled with random events that don't seem to connect well you'll find yourself frustrated with God if you tell the truth God out of left field this thing happens God why did you allow me to to flunk out of school or God why why did I get the pink slip or or God Here I am I'm out doing the best that I can and it just ain't working out seemed as if the cards have not fallen my way God wants us to understand that nothing in our lives happens by accident or by coincidence but they happen by Providence I've been using a word that I need to slow down a bit and unpack for you this morning I want unpacked for you a fundamental trait of how we look at God how we understand God and what it means sistered our theme for the year which is the gospel well if you do not understand the doctrine of the Providence of God you will not understand your Bible you will not understand this message and even more so you have no hopes of understanding your life the doctrine of the Providence of God Wayne Grudem and his systematic theology says it this way he says God's providence has to do watch it now with his ongoing relationship to his creation writing in the 1600s the Puritan pastor John Flavel writes in his astounding work the mystery of Providence he writes speaking of the Providence of God not only great and more important but the most minut in ordinary affairs of our lives are transacted and managed by it and by it he means the Providence of God it touches all things that touch us whether more nearly or remotely I love how the brilliant Dallas preacher and pastor Tony Evans defines the Providence of God Tony Evans says that the Providence of God has to do watch it now with the hand of God in the glove of time that's tweetable let me give it to you again Tony Evans says that the Providence of God has to do with the hand of God in the glove of time the Providence of God fundamentally says that God has created all of us and he is not how the deist posit God to be deism fundamentally says that God is a divine clockmaker who got time going who got our lives going and then stepped away from us that is not what the Providence of God teaches the Providence of God says that all of us all of us all of us saved or unsaved grew up in the church was at Vacation Bible School did all of that stuff or whether or not this is your first time in church and you have no idea who Jesus is you have no idea what the Bible is the Bible teaches that all of us inhaling and exhaling have been created by a divine benevolent God and He has given us his common grace that's why Jesus would say in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapter 5 he calls it causes his Sun to rise on the evil and on the good and sends his rain on the just and the unjust if you are breathing you are here by the Providence of God God's providence says I have not given up on you God's providence says I am intimately and intricately involved in your life God's providence says as far as the East is from the West is as far as I have removed your sins from you God's providence says all things work together for good to those that love God and are called according to his purpose he's working it out in our lives he's up to something in your life your daddy may not have wanted anything to do with you but your daddy is no commentary on your heavenly daddy God is involved in your life he has not given up on you he has not turned his back on you he has not forgotten about you you may not feel him just like there's days we cannot feel the Sun but it's there you may not feel God but he's there you may not sense him but he's there you may think you've done so many bad things that he wants nothing to do with you right now would you just take a deep breath that deep breath is a sign that he is still concerned about your life it is the Providence of God we serve a God who has created you and is inviting you to the table of his fellowship to have intimate relationship with you and today he wants you to get in on his Providence in your life now there's one phrase I want you to write in your notes app there's one phrase I want you to write in the margin of your Bible in Ruth chapter 2 this phrase sums up really all of the story of Ruth but especially Ruth - it is the Providence of God here's Ruth she's a Moabite woman and political speaks she's an immigrant she's from another country she's fallen on hard times her husband has died she's left without kids there's reasons to believe that she's battling issues of infertility she's the least likely candidate for the Providence of God here comes this Widow this immigrants she walks into Bethlehem she wakes up one day and she says Naomi I'm going to work she walks and she just so happens to glean and Boaz his field and Boaz just so happens to take notice of her and Boaz just so happens to show her favor and Boaz just so happens to protect her by telling the other men don't touch her and Boaz just so happens to provide for her the text says that she ate until she was satisfied and Boaz will later on just so happened decide to redeem her and later on just so happen decide to marry her and later on she'll just so happened to become the great-grandmother of David and later on she'll just so happened to being cute included in the lineage in the ancestry of Jesus Christ her life is all about Providence say that phrase just so happens tongue-in-cheek because what this text teaches nothing nothing nothing happens in our lives that just so happens anything that happens in our lives it's either because God has decreed it or has allowed it in fact job chapter 1 teaches us that Satan can't even mess with you without first getting permission from God you are here because of the Providence of God your Mama and Daddy may not have planned on you being here and you've heard me say it before one of the ways you know that is if your closest sibling is a decade older than you you as a surprise but in the sovereignty of God in the Providence of God there are no surprises all things work together for good so I'm here to tell you God has not given up on you I'm here to encourage you this morning that God is actively involved in our lives and his active involvement in our lives it's called the Providence of God fact some of you are here today and you don't know Christ as Lord and Savior but you are in church today because of the Providence of God so here's the question I want to entertain with you for the next few moments we have together and it's a good one pastor how do I know God is moving in my life when God decides to move in my life pastor how do I know I need to know this because I feel like Daniels sometimes with God I don't see any rhythm or rhyme to my life my life doesn't seem to make sense our text says that if you would just peek in the rearview mirror of your life you will see three primary ways in which God is moving in your life all of our lives saved and unsaved alike you ready here we go here's Ruth she gets up one day and she says Naomi I'm out the door I gotta go to work here is Ruth these two women are widows they're marginalized they're on the brink of starvation they've gone through hell and high water and Ruth says to her mother-in-law I'm going to work and again she just so happens to encounter a man named Boaz Ruth chapter 2 verse 1 we are told who Boaz is he is watch it now described as being a word man that word worthy our text is written in Hebrew and the Hebrew word for worthy I love it it simply means full of substance this word is a comprehensive word watch it now that doesn't just speak to his finances although his bank account is weighty he's an entrepreneur he's got the brand-new chariot with the 26 inch rims but it's also word that speaks to his character he's he's substantive as it relates to who he is in fact we we see this is the first words out of his mouth the Lord bless you he's he's a man whose bottom line is not just his bottom line he's not extracting his sense of self-worth from his profit and loss sheets what motivates him in life is God brothers if I could just stop right here we we need a lot of Boaz's in our world today we need men who are not just killing it in the marketplace but are killing it in their walk with Christ our society needs a plethora of Boaz men men who aren't just public successes while being private failures but men who who are even more impressive in private than they are in public we need Boaz men and in this encounter with Boaz what happens Boaz literally changes her life again he gives her favor he protects her he provides for her he will take her from poverty to prosperity comprehensively she will be ultimately included in the lineage of David the great king of Israel and later on we see her in the lineage of Jesus how does her life change God just doesn't just sit up in heaven and zap the change he uses they're people how does God work in my life oh look through the rearview mirror of your journey in this life and you will see the Providence of God as he is working in your life through other people is this not what JD Vance was getting at in his classic book hillbilly elegy here is this man he he grew up in the Appalachia in the Appalachian Mountains here's this man who came up in poverty most of his family barely made it through high school he's the first to go off to college and graduate and ultimately he goes to Yale and what does JD JD Vance tell us he says I got sense enough to know that I didn't make it just because I was smart I had some people helping me along the way he calls it social capital JD Vance says I I had relationships I I had other people in my life in fact he says if I didn't have these other people I would not be where I am today growing up I remember of it be a little boy I'd go up to elder she'll go to visit my uncle in Philadelphia I remember being 4 or 5 years old and I used to love I used to love it was highly illegal but my uncle would let me drive his car four or five years old sit on his lap highly illegal my uncle would let me drive his car I'd come home so excited I'd walk in the door I can still hear my four five year old little self walking in the door mama mama uncle butch let me drive today now mama never scolded me she just shot her younger brother a knowing look now what was going on how come mama never scolded me well if you would have passed us on one of those streets in Philadelphia you would have done a double take as you saw a four year old sitting on his uncle's lap hands on the steering wheel but the reason why my mama never scolded my my uncle is because while it looks like I was in control uncle's hands were under my hands and my feet couldn't touch the gas or the brake but his feet was touching the gas and the brake it looked like I was getting us to our destination when at the end of the day I had a whole lot of help I'm here to tell you the Providence of God wants us to know that you ain't that smart you ain't that sophisticated you ain't that cute you ain't that all that to get to where you are you had a whole lot of help in fact isn't this what Paul says in 1st Corinthians chapter 4 verse 7 will you look at it with me Paul writes for who makes you so superior what do you have that you did not receive and if you did receive it why do you boast as though you did not you know Paul is saying stop standing on third-base acting like you hit a triple you had a whole lot of help would you just pause right now and think back with me of the people that God has sent your way when I think about my own self yes I'm here where I am because of the Providence of God but I'm at where I'm at bad grammar good theology because of the Providence of God working through people the very fact that I got a mama and a daddy fact let me just say this I don't like the phrase white privilege I like that phrase I don't like that phrase why because privilege ain't the problem one to all of us I don't care what our color is we have a measure of privilege all of us I got parents who are married for 47 years that's a measure of privilege I got parents who still love me still love Jesus who have given me a good name and who nurtured in me a faith in Christ and who pushed me and encouraged me and helped to facilitate my dreams that's that's some of your story others of you that's not your story you you didn't have a momma in your home or a daddy in your home but what you could have had was a teacher who inspired you what you could have had was a mentor who encouraged you if you went to college on a scholarship that's God working through other people someone wrote a check to pay for the scholarship that funded your education stop standing on third-base acting as if you are a self-made person God has sent people your way listen I want you understand I'm not the best preacher in the world but if you've ever been blessed by my ministry here's why when I was 22 years old my godfather Bishop Kenneth Homer he's coming to preach here next year for a 30th anniversary my Godfather Bishop Kenneth Elmer when I was 22 years old give me a gave me a job my first job out of college that I did not deserve I am have a resume gave me a job I didn't deserve put me up to preach to practice preaching I didn't have a gift that deserve standing in front of 13,000 people and when I messed up he didn't kick me to the curb but he gave me grace he was my boy ass I am where I am today because somebody gave me a shot now I might just toss this in here for free I think a good application of this text is is to not only see yourself as Ruth in need of help but hear me when you get over to the other side when you get to your promised land you also need to be Boaz don't you get so high up on the hog that you forgot the little people along the way you need to reach back and you need to give somebody else a shot because somebody gave you a shot how does God work in our lives he works in our lives through other people now I love this secondly Ruth says Naomi I'm going to work text says that she says Naomi I'm going to go glean in the fields gleaning was a job that was left for poor people the idea of cleaning simply means you walk behind people who are gathering the sheaves and you picked up what they couldn't hold on to to glean it was to eke out an existence in fact the best way I can give you a picture of gleaning is if you've ever seen a homeless person pushing a shopping cart picking up aluminum cans that's gleaning it's getting the leftovers I love this this job was a job that was reserved for poor people that's Ruth love Ruth but when Ruth gets to work she makes a crazy request she says in verse 7 not only don't want to glean I also want in on the sheaves girl you don't lost your mind the sheaves was the main part ruth the moabite immigrant who by the way it's her first day at work she said I know you might have hired me for the poor people stuff but I want in on the main part now watch it look at verse 7 verse 7 the text says this is the Foreman talking speaking of Ruth she said please let me glean and gather among the sheaves after the Reapers so she came and she has continued from early morning until now except for a short rest now the esv which is what I preach out of all the time they get it wrong here if you were to read in the Hebrew actually the new American Standard says it better look at what the new American Standard says same verse and she said please let me glean and gather after the Reapers among the she's thus she came here it is and has remained remained from the morning until now this is important watch it Ruth new girl in town first day on the job she says to the foreman I don't want to just glean I want to be on the sheaves detail and the tech says she remains which means I ain't going nowhere - I get my answer and the foreman the reason why she remains is because what she's asking is so outlandish the foreman doesn't have the authority to give her her answer so the foreman has to wait until the bossman Boaz shows up that's how Boaz notices Ruth had she just gone about business as usual they might never have met but she but because she asks a crazy request I want in on the sheaves oh you can't you can't give me an answer that's okay call you boy she's rolling her neck ain't going nowhere I got time oh she ain't got a watch I got time watch it this decision split-second decision to ask something crazy to go out the box catches her catches Boaz his attention Boaz then enters into her life and her life is changed because a crazy decision was made how does God move in my life through other people and through my decisions now I just missed y'all up if you grew up in church you were probably taught an erroneous teaching about the will of God and how God moves in our lives some of you were taught that if you want an answer to a specific thing you need to wait and hear from God the problem with life is that much of life isn't lived in the black and white it's lived in the gray which means a lot of the decisions I need to make in my the Bible does not speak specifically into when I fell in love with girlfriend with sister Cory there was not a verse in the Bible that says thou shalt marry Cory Benavides maybe was in first hesitations or something like that I didn't see it I didn't see it what the Bible gave me was broad parameters does she love the Lord she's saved there since the compatibility you checked those boxes but I need a word now here's my problem some of y'all some of you I know you say God talks to you every day specifically he don't roll with me like that there's been like five times which I've heard an audible voice from God so how do I make decisions there's a section of the scripture called wisdom wisdom literature wisdom genre Psalms proverbs Ecclesiastes the idea of wisdom is the idea of good decisions the very fact that there's a genre of the Bible that exists to equip you in good decision-making means this God is okay with you making decisions is this mic on some of y'all are waiting for an audible voice and God is waiting on you to move [Applause] hear me you do your checks and yes you asked for the Spirit of God to speak but you do your checks is this in line with with with the will of God if I'm looking for a job well this allowed me to provide for my family what will it allow me to do to earn a living whatever it may be you do your checks is it aligned with the will of God and you draw your fences and once you draw your fences pull the trigger make a decision see this is where proverbs 3:5 and 6 helps me look at it with me this is an astounding truth and I want you to get this trust in the Lord with all your heart lean not on your own understanding in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight here's what he's saying here's how you make good decisions walk with the Lord pray be in the scriptures be filled with the spirit just walk with me walk with me walk with me watch it and you know what he says when he says and he will make your paths straight here's what he's saying you can't screw it up listen listen the Providence of God fundamentally says I am actively involved in your life and you are going to get all that I want you to get as long as you are faithfully walking with me so the emphasis is on let me just faithfully walk with God and as I'm walking God says make a decision stop praying to me waiting for a word on whether or not you should go on the cruise to the Caribbean or go to South Africa I made it all choose choose why don't you just bless me that you got into Stanford and MIT why don't you just bless me that you got the options that I've opened the doors I've given you choices some folks don't get choices okay pray to me about the choices I have not spoken to you specifically about Stanford or MIT okay make a decision I'm gonna be with you but God I'm worried if I choose Stanford instead of MIT did am I gonna miss out on my wife you ain't gonna miss out on nothing he will make your paths straight you will get to where you're going let's go home on this how does God move in my life how does he move through other people and through my decisions caveat as I'm walking with the Lord God hang on blessed foolishness are you with me on that God ain't gon bless foolishness I once got invited by a member not to this church I was working another church not at this church they wanted me to do their house blessing but they were shacking up listen I can't bless that so if all hell is breaking out in your life first thing you need to do is am i trusting the Lord's all my heart am i walking with the Lord sometimes the hell you're going through you did it you did it one things God says is when you don't give to me the way I have ordained for you to give here's what God says I am going to put holes in your pocketbook that's God's Word so stop going to the crown financial class the crown can't fix that so what I'm walking with God and I'm just doing the best I can God says breathe make decisions I'm going to bless you you gonna get to where you're going make decisions how does God work in my life let's go home on this one Ruth is constantly called a Moabite moab watch it it's a compound word mo means who AB means father so Moab simply means who's my father this is an appropriate name for Moab why because if you study it Moab was was born out of an incestuous encounter between lot and his daughter and that child's name was Moab the Israelites looked down on the Moabites like Bay Area people look down on Fresno now I'm learning I'm learning I'm learning I'm learning I'm learning Fresno look if you from Fresno email me at Pastor Gary at Al CF dotnet they they they looked at them as being from the country they they they looked at them as it's kind of being second-class and over and over and over watch the juxtaposition the narrator intentionally he doesn't just call a Ruth over and over and over and over again he calls her ruth the moabite watch it so that ruth the moabite she meets Boaz and Boaz blesses her the text says he actually gave her an ephah of barley the idea of Eva it's 29 pounds could last for a month she comes home with a month worth of food on her first day on the job and Boaz gives her permission yes you can glean among the cheese and what does she do she falls down verse 10 and she says what have I done to find such favor the word favor I love it the Hebrew word for favor it literally means watching now to turn the face towards it it's that word that was used in numbers chapter 6 when the writer numbers chapter 6 the Lord bless you and keep you the Lord make his face to shine upon you so that the idea of favor which means to turn the face towards watch it now it is an idea it is a picture of grace get the juxtaposition a Moabite from the wrong side of the tracks representing a marginalized backwoods country people who gets an ephah of flour and is allowed to to gather among the sheaves what's the picture the pictures seen done nothing to deserve this that everything she has is because of the favor of God now I'm thinking of Luke chapter 1 verse 28 when the angel Gabriel shows up in a little town called Nazareth to a little woman from this podunk village of Nazareth named Mary to announce to her that God has sovereignly picked her to be the one who had birthed the Messiah the first words out of his mouth is blessed are you o highly favored one it is as if Gabriel saying hey Mary let's not get it twisted you weren't chosen because of your looks you weren't chosen because of your pedigree you weren't chosen because of what side of the tracks you grew upon you were chosen for this divine assignment for one reason and one reason only the favor of God the grace of God friends when God moves in your life and this is a message we need to hear in the Bay Area I know you are very accomplished people who have gotten high-profile jobs you are working the dream job some of you are but I want you to understand at the end of the day something very counter-intuitively you might have been valedictorian or salutatory you might have graduated summa laude magna laude or like me Thank You Lottie I want you to understand don't you think for a minute that you have what you have because you earned it but for the grace of God you could have been born in Soweto South Africa during the 70s and the 80s during the height of apartheid but for the grace of God you could have been born one of these forsaken immigrant children but for the grace of God you could have been left in one of these cages or decimated in one of these hurricanes in Puerto Rico or Katrina but God by His favor for reasons known only to him you are breathing by his favor you are working by his favor you are here by his favor you are in that job by his favor favor favor favor from the Rooter to the tooter all that we have is the favor of God sin happens when we get beside ourselves and arrogance and pride and like Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel chapter 4 we look out and we say look at what I have accomplished whenever I'm in Atlanta and I got a fly out of econ course I go up those escalators I can see it now I always stop to look at a suit in a glass case I always stop to look at a suit in a glass case some of y'all might be thinking why in the world are you stopping to look at a suit in a glass case well you're smart enough to realize that this just ain't any old suit that is put on a display in a glass case this is a special suit a suit that was worn by dr. Martin Luther King jr. at the height of the civil rights movement the way the reason why that suit is on display it's not because of the way it looks it's not because of the way it's tailored it is saved and on display because of who wore it the Bible says this for those of us who are in Christ do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit in other words right now God is inside of you which means we are wearing God we are God's suit and what makes us special in us it's who wears us it is God's we are here [Applause] by the favor of God I'm out of time Cormac and the team I want you to come all that we have is the Providence of God all that we have is the Providence of God your ability to think came from God your ability to make money came from God your ability with math came from God all that we have all that we have and at any given time God can touch your mind and all of a sudden you can't even do simple math at any given time God can touch and take away your ability to make money and just like that we're privileged we're blessed we're highly favored we're here by the Providence of God you didn't just so happen here my wife she grew up in a broken home and when she graduate from college there in Chicago she she got her dream job ABC News hired her in New York City dream job if she is she moves to New York City dream job yet she would describe those five six months there in New York City is the loneliest time in her life and all of a sudden she made a decision that that those in her inner circle didn't like she decided to quit her dream job less than six months in she decided she was going to move out to LA to get into Entertainment News many people question that decision you're making the wrong decision you're committing career suicide but she moves out to LA and one of her first nights here in LA she she just so happens to meet an old friend who just so happens to invite her to a party and she just so happens to go to that party and at that party she just so happens to run into another friend and that other friend just so happens to invite her to church and my wife just so happens to agree and they just so happened to come to church my wife's first time at that Church in Inglewood California and the preacher preaches and gives the altar call and my wife with tears streaming down her face says to her friend I know you have to go but the preacher after the altar call had said I feel like I need to extend this if there's one more person who needs to come and my wife said that's me and she walked the aisles that day and she gave her life to Christ was leaving ABC News a bad decision it was the providence of God did she just so happen to run into that friend who just so happened to invite her to church no it was the providence of God and did that pastor just so happen to extend that altar call no it was the Providence of God let me give you just one more just so happens and that just so happened to be the church I worked at she met her Boaz the Providence and Providence of God listen I've got to go but I want you to listen to me you're here today and you don't know Christ as Lord and Savior I want you to listen to me you are not here in church today hearing this word because you just so happened to want to come to church you are not here by accident you are not here by coincidence I believe that when Adam and Eve were running around in the garden looking for fig leaf to hide under that God wrote you down in his divine Aikau app and ordained for you to be here to hear this word and to come to know Christ in just a few moments I'm going to pray and I want to plead with you will you just look at the rearview mirror of your life God has been orchestrating the events in your life that you would come to know him just a few moments I'm going to pray and you're going to come but secondly I want to pray for someone's here today and you know Christ but like Daniel you feel frustrated my life makes no sense some of you are thinking and I just need someone to pray with me because this word helps me my life makes no sense and I've been frustrated with God it makes no sense things aren't working out just a few moments I'm going to pray and you're going to come father the name of Jesus we are here today by your Providence there are no accidents there are no coincidence all things all things work together for good the good days and the bad days the sunshine and the rain as that music group sang back in the day joy and pain you use all things to work it out in your lies God we rejoice now Lord God saves someone's soul today now Lord God bring clarity to someone's frustrated season may they know you have not given up on them but you are working it out right now in Jesus name I pray amen I don't have time we're weird we're over time we're out of here but would you come would you come would you come would you come would you come on invite our prayer team invite our elders would you come would you come would you would you come would you come would you come what you come [Music] would you come yes yes yes yes yes Carly would you come would you come would you come come come would you come we're not here by accident you are not yes yes what it means to be a godly courageous man in today's world through engaging stories expert teaching unscripted interviews and personal insights this study calls every man to become bold leaders in their own lives marriages churches and communities plan to join the men of a LCF community with this exciting series on Saturdays August 25th through November 10 and the cost is 25 dollars in September we've got some exciting events planned starting with an evening with Tim Keller hosted by transforming the bay with Christ pastor Tim a pastor and New York Times bestselling author speaks about the church as an unstoppable force and shares his views on what a radical Christian community looks like join us on Thursday September 6th from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. in the ALCS sanctuary for this unique event tickets are $20 on September 23rd we launched two classes Jesus among secular God's and the art of parenting living in the Bay Area's high tech center of the world we are often confronted with questions about science versus religion in Jesus among secular gods Valerie Saunders our director of evangelism uses a video chat workshop format to help us prepare to challenge the isms of modern belief including and views and present compelling evidence for revealed absolute truth as founded in Jesus this six week class helps seekers to explore claims of Christ and will provide Christians with knowledge to articulate why they believe Jesus stands tall above all other gods the cost is $25 includes child care with pre-registration also on September 23rd the art of parenting developed by family life today helps parents feel confident in building a foundation for their children in four key areas identity character relationships and mission this eight-week DVD small group curriculum based on Psalm 127 4 features insights and decades of expertise that Dennis and Barbara Rainey gleaned from ministry and raising six children facilitated by Zeke and Marie Harvey who will explore the following topics the goal of parenting forming character applying discipline building relationships understanding identity nurturing identity preparing for mission and the power of family the cost is $40 per couple which includes childcare with free registration space is limited to 24 couples are you new to abundant life are you interested in learning more about our story dreams and values and then a welcoming environment with no pressure to join if so our guest orientation lunch is just the place for you find out what we're all about on Sunday September 9th from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. in the chapel and speaking of values going is one of ALCS core values as born-again believers God commanded us to go and make disciples of all nations Matthew 28:19 in order to prepare you to go we invite you to participate in one of four trains being offered each Sunday in August from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. another great opportunity to go and bring the hope of Jesus to people in need is the Johnny and Friends Bay Area walk enrollment on September 15 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Mitchell Park in Palo Alto join us for this one-of-a-kind fundraising event all of the money raised will bring Christ centered encouragement and practical support to special need families in the community you can sign up from August 17th through September 15th and Johnny and Friends org slash Bay Area now are you ready for some fun what about ALCS annual church picnic make plans to join the LCF community for our most popular event of the year and be part of a great afternoon of fellowship fun food and games this year's event will take place on Sunday September 16th from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at a ring store party in Mountain View and if you're available to help out please come to our volunteer meeting on Sunday August 12 from 12:00 to 12:30 p.m. to sign up for any of the upcoming events and classes go to a LCF net slash signups or the ALC FM to stay connected with everything else EF check out the website app by weekly emails newsletter social media and remember at al CF our goal is to make a difference in your life so you can make a difference in the lives of the people in your sphere of influence or as we like to say around here abundant life exists to make a better you for a better world [Music] [Music]

Channel: Abundant Life Christian Fellowship

Views: 3,081

Rating: 4.757576 out of 5

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Id: 3IVgbz4GC4E

Length: 65min 36sec (3936 seconds)

Published: Mon Aug 20 2018