"Mary!"

https://youtu.be/WUt778sq4Sg

But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb.  And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.  Then they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.” Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus.  Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, “Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to Him, “Rabboni!” (which is to say, Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.’ ” Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things to her. John 20.11-18

Introduction

 

     During our Lenten Season, in preparation for Easter, we've been studying the "Witnesses of the Passion." These are the people who were there when Jesus died and rose again. We've learned good things from Mary, the sister of Lazarus, Peter, Malchus, Pilate, Judas, and John. Today, on Easter Sunday, I want to present to you one of the greatest witnesses to the passion: Mary Magdalene. As we think about the impact of Jesus on her life, I pray that we would also be moved to faith as she was. 

 

A Woman of Substance

 

     The first time we meet Mary Magdalene in the New Testament is in Luke chapter eight, where she is described as one of three women disciples, along with Joanna and Suzanna. Luke describes all three of them as women of some means who were able to support Jesus financially. (There is a tradition that Mary Magdalene is also the sinful woman we read about in Luke 7.36, but there is no way to be certain of this.) These women loved to hear what Jesus said so much that they not only took every opportunity to listen to Him, they also supported Jesus with their money so that He and His disciples could reach more and more people with God’s truth and love.

 

Seven Demons

 

     Luke also tells us that Jesus had cast seven demons out of her.  She must have been very tormented by those demons, and so she was very appreciative for the healing she received from Jesus. Many people think they are free in this life, but if they don’t have the Holy Spirit and the gift of repentance and faith, they are not free from sin or from the power of the devil. The Bible tells us that Jesus partook of flesh and blood “that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil” (Hebrews 2.14). It is good for us to think about how we are spared from the fear of and the dominion of evil through Jesus’ death and resurrection.

 

“My Lord”

 

     Mary’s faith in Jesus is one of the strongest we find in the Bible. She was one of the disciples that stood by the cross and stayed with Jesus all the way to His death. Whenever we find a list of women disciples in the Bible, Mary Magdalene is always mentioned first. She was the first disciple to go to the tomb on Easter morning. She was the first to realize that Jesus had risen from the dead. All the disciples called Jesus “Lord” when He was living. But Mary is the only disciple who referred to Jesus as “the Lord,” and “my Lord” even after He was crucified and before she knew He was raised. This was the beginning of the true faith that all disciples have. He is our Lord no matter what. He is our Lord no matter what the world says about Him or what it has done to Him. He is our Lord no matter what the world says or does to us. This is a beautiful example of the way we fear, love and trust in God above all things. 

 

Do Not Cling to Me

 

     Jesus spoke to Mary, but she thought He was the gardener. She did not recognize Him or His voice physically. Like all the other disciples, Mary had to go through a transition. She had to move on from the old way of knowing Jesus when He was physically present with His disciples. We call this the time of Jesus' humiliation. It is the time from His birth to poverty to suffering and finally to dying on the cross. Jesus went through this in order to become a sacrifice for our sins, to stand in our place under the judgment and wrath of God. But when He said "It is finished," that time of His humiliation and suffering for us was over. After those words in the Bible, you will see that no one argues with Jesus. No one tries to arrest Him or hurt Him. He began to be in the state of exaltation.  In this state Jesus rose from the dead and the soldiers guarding His tomb fell unconscious like dead men. In this state of exaltation that He commissioned the disciples to go baptize and teach all nations. In this state He ascended into heaven and poured out the Holy Spirit on Pentecost and Gospel began to be preached throughout all the world. In this state He is now at the right hand of the Father and rules over all things for the church. In this state He will come again on the last day. Jesus told Mary not to cling to Him because that old way of knowing Jesus in His humiliation was over.  We must hold on to Jesus now in a different way. How? How do we hold on to Jesus since He has risen and ascended into heaven? 

 

     I have noticed that if you ask any Christian this question: "What does Jesus want us to do?" I will get a variety of good answers. Some will say, "Love your neighbor." Yes, that is true. Jesus tells us that three times in the Gospels. Another person will say, "Tell others about Jesus." Yes that is true. That is the great commission. One day I was in Troy, Illinois making evangelism calls. I walked down a long street knocking on doors and inviting people to come to church. Finally I got to the last house and a very nice Baptist lady thanked me for what I was doing. But then she said, "Pastor, I bet most of the people on this street told you they were Christians." "Yes they did," I said. "But," she said, "On Sunday morning these streets will be empty. Hardly any of these folks will go to church." They knew about loving others. They knew about evangelism. But they didn't know about "clinging to Jesus" in His exaltation. The first disciples clung to Jesus as they sat at His feet and listening to Him in His humiliation. But how did they cling to Jesus after His resurrection and ascension into heaven? How do we today "cling to Jesus"? 

 

     The answer is in the very next words that Jesus told Mary, "Go to My brethren..." Mary and all of Jesus' disciples would cling to Him by clinging to each other, by being with each other in worship and fellowship. Jesus told them earlier about this when He said, "Where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them" (Matthew 18.20). Six times in the Lord's Prayer Jesus uses the words "our" or "us" showing us that Christianity is not as much about "me and Jesus" as it is about "we with Jesus."  St. Paul taught the Christians in Colossae to cling to Jesus by "[Letting] the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God" (3.16). 

 

Conclusion

 

     Mary Magdalene was a great disciple of Jesus. Though she was wealthy, she didn't idolize her wealth.  She listened carefully to Jesus and supported His ministry. When she was troubled with demons, she came to Jesus and was healed. She was the first disciple to see Jesus risen from the dead. And she was the first disciple to cling to Jesus by going to Jesus' brethern and telling them of the resurrection. I hope that all of you would agree with me when I say that I want to have a faith like Mary Magdalene. I want to listen carefully to Jesus because He teaches me to repent, believe, and live by faith. I want to go to Jesus with all my demons that trouble me in my life. I want to cling to the exalted Jesus by going to His brothers, my fellow Christians, and saying as we do every Sunday, "He is risen!"

 

     A couple of weeks ago we were talking about the importance of our faith in Jesus in a Bible study. We also talked about what life without that faith might look like. I compared it to a jigsaw puzzle that was missing one piece. What would you do with a puzzle like that? Would you spend a lot of time putting it together even without that one missing piece? I don't think you would frame it? More that likely you would throw it away. Mary Magdalene shows us a lot about our life with her life. She had friends. She had wealth. But she had demons. She had something missing in her life until she found it in Jesus. I hope you find that as well. Amen.  

Glorifying Jesus 2 Thessalonians 1.11-12

Glorifying Jesus

2 Thessalonians 1.11-12

 

Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power, that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Introduction

 

     This is what I want you to think about today - these words from the Apostle Paul: "that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ." When I was in college I liked to sing a song written by Bob Kilpatrick titled "Lord, Be Glorified." It has a very simple message: "In my life, Lord, be glorified, be glorified. In my life, Lord, be glorified today." It's a nice song and easy to play on the guitar, however it doesn't really say what it means to glorify God. But it is actually similar to the song the angels sang at the birth of Jesus, and which we sang already in our service, the Gloria in Excelsis. It is also very simple: "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace among those with whom He is well pleased" (Luke 2.14). In either case, if we want God to be glorified in us, it is important to know what it means and how it is done. That's my goal in this message today. 

 

What Does "Glorify" Mean?

 

     Let's look at some examples of the glory of God in the Bible. Moses told the children of Israel they would see the glory of the LORD when He provided them with manna and quail from heaven (Exodus 16). A few chapters later Israel saw the firey glory of the LORD on Mt. Sinai, and then upon the Tabernacle, and later the Temple. David said that "The heavens declare the glory of God..." (Psalm 19.1). The Apostle John began his gospel by telling us: "The word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only-begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth" (1.14). Jesus said that people would see the glory of God when He raised Lazarus from the dead (John 11.40), and when He himself died on the cross and rose again for the sins of the whole world (John 12 & 17). One of the ways we glorify God is to see His great works and to praise Him for them. We see the glory of God when we see the great works of God, especially His work of salvation in Jesus. 

 

     But there is another especially important part of glorifying God. We don't just glorify Him like spectators glorifying a winning team. Remember the Blues fans singing the song "Gloria" on their march to the Stanley Cup! Because this is God we're talking about and not man; no one can glorify God and His works without being affected by God and His works in their personal life. Imagine that for a moment. Can you think of anything so great that by looking at it or reading about it, it will completley change your life forever? That's the glory of God! This is why Paul says that the name of the Lord Jesus Christ is glorified in us! Paul also said, "Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10.31). Peter said: "If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ..." (4.11). To glorify God begins when we see the glory of God, but it continues when we become part of those great works ourselves.  So let's look at some of the ways we see the glory of God today, and glorify Him by being a part of those glorious works of the Lord ourselves.

     

Conversion

 

     What is the first glorious work of God that we experience in our lives? It is our conversion. Paul spoke about the conversion of the Thessalonians in his first letter. He had come there and taught them for only three weeks. But in those three weeks the Thessalonians were dramatically converted. Every day, when the people of this Greek city looked up across the sea, they saw the famous Mt. Olympus. This was supposedly the dwelling place of the gods like Zeus, Poseidon, and Aphrodite. But after hearing about Jesus, and another mountain, Calvary, they, in Paul's words: "turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come (1.9-10). They saw the glory of God, and became part of the glory of God in their conversion! 

 

     How has that happened in your life? How were you turned from idols to serve the living and true God? For me it happened early in life when I was a baby. My Christian parents brought me to Jesus in baptism and taught me about Him every day after that. I can honestly say that I can't remember a single day in my life that I didn't know and believe in Jesus. However, that doesn't mean that my early conversion made things easy for me. I was constantly and still am afflicted with temptation. Sadly, there were many times when I wasn't living, as Paul says, "worthy of this calling." But an early conversion is always followed by God's many promises of preservation. I am so thankful for that - thankful for the countless times God has, as the Catechism says, "broken and hindered every evil plan and purpose of the devil, the world and the sinful nature which do not want us to hallow God's name or let His kingdom come."

 

     Your conversion may have come later in life like the Thessalonians or Paul on the road to Damascus. He was going to imprison and kill Christians when it happened - A glorious, blinding light, knocked him off his horse. This light was Jesus in His glory, and He called Paul out for his sins and gave him the gift of forgiveness. Martin Luther was baptized as a Christian, but he wasn't taught the forgiveness of sins. Because of this he feared God and entered a monastery in the hope of pleasing this "unforgiving God." This God was really an "idol" created by the scholastic theologians of the church in the middle ages. In desperation he turned to a friend who simply told him to read the Bible. There he began to see the glory of God when he read, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, 'The just shall live by faith''" (Romans 1.17-18). 

 

     Whether your conversion happened early in life or later, it was the glory of God coming into your life to save you from your sins. If you believe that, you are glorifying God, and His name is glorified in your life. 

 

Persecution

 

     How else do we glorify God? Remember how Jesus said He would be glorified in His death and resurrection? The glory of God is the opposite of the corruption of evil. When God preserves us in our faith, even when we are surrounded by evil, He is glorified in us. One of the reasons Paul wrote his two letters to the Thessalonians was because they were being heavily persecuted. You can read about this in Acts chapter seventeen. For three weeks Paul preached the good news of Jesus in the synogague at Thessalonica. Many Greeks believed, and among them was a man named Jason. Jason had allowed Paul and Silas to stay at his house. But those who didn't believe what Paul was preaching formed a mob and attacked Jason, dragged him to court, and accused him just as Jesus had been accused of proclaiming another king, contrary to the decrees of Caesar. The mob approach to things people don't like is nothing new. 

 

     What would happen if you were attacked by a mob for your Christian faith? Mobs are irrational. They aren't seeking justice because justice requires reason, debate, and democracy. Their purpose is to incite violence and to overpower their opposition by force. Mobs are the work of the devil, or another name given to that fallen angel in Revelation, "Apollyon," which means "destroyer." There is no way for a Christian to stand up against a mob. But there are two things that God does give the persecuted Christian: An insurmountable faith to be saved, and the wrath of God upon the persecutors. We need to keep these two things in mind at all times in this violent, mob-driven world. 

 

     Right now in Nigeria thousands of Christians are being killed by radical Muslims. It is a true genocide, and yet the world largely ignores it. Governments don't want to get involved. Who wants to face the wrath of the Jihad? But don't be discouraged. God gives us a faith that He preserves even unto death as we have all acknowledged in our confirmation vows. Yesterday was All Saints Day. This day was established in the 700s AD by Pope Gregory III. By that time so many Christians had been killed for their faith that no one could keep track of them all. All Saints Day remembers the martyrs "known and unknown" throughout the world. It is good for us to remember that kind of faith in the martyrs and pray for it ourselves. 

 

     But the other side of persecution is Judgment Day. While many persecutions may be ignored or forgotten by the world, not a one is forgotten by God. Paul's words are clear. He will bring tribulation and flaming vengeance upon those who persecute Christians when He comes to be glorified in His saints. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and will never see His glory. It is not our job to return evil for evil. Instead we've got better things to do.

 

Doing Good

 

     This brings me to the last thing in our reading from Paul that shows us how the name of Jesus is glorified in our lives. It is doing good. Paul calls it fulfilling "all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power." Paul gave thanks to God for the Thessalonians because they didn't go out and start a riot to destroy all the pagan temples. Instead he said they "abounded in love." Just as we glorify God by believing in Him and being converted from our idols to the living God; Just as we glorify God by faithfully enduring persecution and leaving the vengeance to God; So we also glorify God by doing the good pleasure of God and the work of faith with power. Jesus said this: "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5.11). This has been the legacy of the Christian faith from its beginning. Help for the poor, hospitals, public education, universities, modern science, the ending of slavery, protection for the unborn and elderly - all of these are undeniably the fruit of the Christian faith and the glory of God in His true church. 

 

     The glory of God in us is fulfilled when a we simply ask, "How can I do good?" and when we pray to God to help us do good. We heard Isaiah say in the first lesson today: "learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause" (1.17). Psalm 34 says, "Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it. The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry" (v. 14). This is one of the simplest things we can do, and it goes right to the core of who we are by the grace of God. 

 

     The summer I got married I worked for my father-in-law on his farm. He paired me up with one of his farm hands. Here I was a college graduate on my way to the seminary working side by side with a farm hand that couldn't read or write and probably couldn't count much past ten. What could I learn from him? I learned one of the most important lessons of my life that summer. I learned how to do good. Allen didn't have many skills beyond those of a low-level laborer, but he had some virtues that I will always remember. Allen never complained and never criticized, and most of all, he never did less than he was asked to do. He always did a little more. He did the good that he was able to do as humble as that was. 

 

     Many people preach the ethics of doing good, and I'm glad for that. I'd rather people try to do good than try to do bad. But without faith it's impossible to do the good that glorifies God. Without faith in God's word we don't even know what "good" is, let alone have the power to accomplish it. But remember all that Paul has been talking about here - how to glorify God in our lives - is a prayer. He said, "Therefore we also pray for you..." Doing good is a command - a good command. But getting it done is matter of grace. And that is exactly how Paul ends this chapter, "according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ." Always remember that everything God tells us to do, He also empowers us to do. That's how grace works, and also how God is ultimately glorified in every way. 

 

Conclusion

 

     There have been many glorious events in the history of the world. The creation was glorious, the rainbow after the flood was glorious, the giving of the law on Mt. Sinai was glorious, the birth of Christ was glorious and sung by angels. The resurrection of Christ was glorious. Pentecost was glorious. Judgment Day will be glorious. But what about today? What about tomorrow? Will they be glorious? Can they be glorious? They certainly can. Pray for the glory of God in your life - in your baptism and conversion, in your enduring persecution if need be, and in simply doing good. "In my life Lord, be glorified, be glorified. In my life, Lord, be glorified today!" 

Why We Believe in God - The Book of Ruth

Why We Believe in God - The Book of Ruth

Pastor Michael P. Walther

Faith Lutheran Church, Beaufort, SC

October 12, 2025

 

Introduction

 

     God tells us about many important people in the Bible.  Many of them are women such as Eve, Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, Miriam, Deborah, Hannah, Mary the Mother of our Lord Jesus, Mary Magdalene, Mary and Martha, Lydia, Priscilla, Phoebe, Damaris, Dorcas and many others.  Many people today say the Bible oppresses women. This comes from people who think that men and women are in competition with each other. But the Bible presents men and women in cooperation - Fully dependent on each other and fully dependent on God. 

 

     One of the favorite women of faith in the Bible is Ruth.  I want to look at her life so that we might better appreciate God’s grace.  Before we leave this worship service today, I hope we will all be refreshed by our realization of God’s goodness and faithfulness to all - men, women, and children.  This is Why We Believe in God.  

 

1.  Ruth Shows Remarkable Faith in the Face of Tragedy.

 

     We don’t know anything about Ruth’s childhood.  She enters into the recorded history of God’s plan of salvation as a bride.  Foreigners from Israel had come to her country because of a famine in their land.  Ruth became acquainted with them.  Their names were Elimelech and Naomi along with their two sons Mahlon and Chilion.  To Ruth there was something special about this family.  Knowing what pious Jewish life was like, we can imagine that she was attracted to their decency, their love and respect for one another, and above all their unwavering faith in Yahweh, the God of Israel.  She probably expected them to think lightly of their God since there was a famine in Israel.  Others might have joked with Elimelech telling him that “his God wasn’t doing his job.”  Ruth was probably used to this nonchalant view of divinity that was common in the pagan world.  Since these were gods that they had imagined in their own hearts, they could do whatever they wanted with them.  But the God of Israel was different.  He was respected no matter what.  There was no other God.

 

     However it worked out, we don’t know the details, Ruth was joined to this family in marriage.  While the spiritual life of this family may have been strong, outwardly this was a family facing many tragedies.  First there was the famine, the move to Moab, and finally the death of Elimelech and Mahlon and Chilion.  The writer of the Book of Ruth stresses the idea that these women were “left” -- Left to go on with life without the help and support of husbands.  Without the benefit of a support system like we have today these women were in big trouble.  Desperate for survival Naomi decides to return to Israel.  As painful as it may have been she also realized that Orpa and Ruth stood a better chance of finding new husbands in their own land.  Not many men, she thought, would be interested in these women from Moab.  Confused and dazed in her own grief - her own faith was shattering.  She even recognized that as Orpa was turning back to Moab that she was returning to her people and to her gods.  It is a bitter, bitter situation dramatically described as these women kiss one another and raise up their voices in sad crying.  

 

     Tragedy.  It is the experience we all dread.  We’re very used to having the things and the people we need.  What happens to us when they are taken away?  Even for Christians there is the threat that tragedy can shake our faith.  The new parent worries for the safety of their child.  They want to ride their bikes, but will they watch out for cars?  Will the cars watch out for them?  The child worries for mom and dad.  Everyday they kiss and say goodbye.  What would happen if one of them were not coming back to pick me up after school?  The young couple worries that the early joys of married life could be destroyed by the dreaded sentence:  Mr. so and so, I have some bad news to tell you…”  

 

     Tragedy tests us.  It challenges us by asking, “Is your God faithful?  Can He be trusted?”  Daniel tells us about the three men who were thrown into the fiery furnace.  Shadrach, Meshach and Abendigo were challenged to believe in the goodness and faithfulness of God.  They would not bow down to another god.  In fact they said, “O Nebuchadnezzar, … our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king.  But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up" (Daniel 3.16-18).  “He will… but if not…”  These are the words of one who knows that God is faithful.  Even if He does not deliver me from this present tragedy, I know that He will deliver me from the hand of the wicked and from the evils of this world.  

 

     Over and over again, the Bible tells us that despite apparent and present circumstances God is faithful.  One of our favorite passages comes from St. Paul:  “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.  Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry” (1 Corinthians 10.13-14).  

 

2.  Leaving Behind the Gods of Moab

 

     That last sentence also reminds us of a very important choice that Ruth had to make:  She had to leave behind the gods of Moab.  “Flee idolatry” is the opposite way of saying, “trust in God.”  One of the gods of Moab was the god Chemosh.  His name means “to subdue.”  He was a god of war, and he required human sacrifices in order to benefit from his powers.  This god is an example of what human depravity can imagine.  Chemosh was not about faith but about covetousness – when you want something so bad, you’re willing to do anything to get it – even destroy another human being.  Chemosh, like another famous god, Molech, was especially appeased by the sacrifice of children, or so his worshipers thought.  

 

     Ruth could see the difference between Chemosh and Yahweh.  The God of Israel did not exist simply to give us power over others so that we could get whatever we want.  Ruth could see that Yahweh was the God of salvation who in His lovingkindness does not give us whatever we want but what we really need.  He gives us His faithfulness to deliver us from evil. 

 

     You and I are also called to abandon our gods.  These are the things that we imagine in our hearts – things upon which we rely to get the things we want.  Our Chemosh could be our education, our job, our wealth, our family, our government.  Someone might say, “but pastor these are all good things, how can they be false gods?”  The answer is that when we rely on any or all of these instead of looking to God, they become Chemosh – they become those things we turn to in order to subdue our enemies and provide us with our pleasures.  And we also make sacrifices to our Chemosh idols. Think back on that list: education, wealth, government, etc. What is the first thing that people sacrifice to these idols? They sacrifice their time with the one true God. They read the Bible less and less, pray less and less, and live more like the world than like God.

 

     The illusion of selfish idolatry is growing stronger and stronger in our American culture.  People are more and more willing to commit sin in order to get satisfaction for their pleasures.  Greed and jealousy drive corporation executives and government officials to lie and deceive and to leave their investors, employees, and citizens empty-handed.  Greed and jealousy drive people to get-rich-quick lawsuits, to gambling casinos, and to state-run lotteries.  Immoral sex is promoted everywhere: sex apart from marriage, pornography, homosexuality, and gender confusion. The result is unwanted children or no children at all, unstable relationships, unstable minds, and suicide. Laziness and self-indulgence lead to poverty, addiction and depression.

 

     The modern priests of Moab are leading people astray with foolish sayings such as “You can’t legislate morality," and "Most people are basically good, but they're the victims of a few oppressers," and "You can do whatever you want as long as you're not hurting anyone." Each one of these foolish sayings dressed up as wisdom is destructive and lead to death. 

 

     God called Ruth away from the culture of Chemosh. God called Ruth to the holy life of repentance for our sin (Stop being a victim; take responsibility), trust in God's forgiveness (Stop thinking you can live with sin; let God take it away), and live by faith in God's word (Let God guide you, don't try to guide yourself.)

 

3.  Looking Forward to God’s Salvation.

 

     “Orpa kissed her mother-in-law but Ruth clung to her” (1.14).  Ruth had no idea what hardships and difficulties were still coming to her.  She had a bitter, unhappy, and struggling mother-in-law that needed her help.  She also had to go on somehow – but she would not go on by herself.  Ruth tells Naomi in verse 16 “Your people will be my people and your God will be my God.”  God used Naomi to convert Ruth, now God would use Ruth to preserve Naomi in her faith.  Many times in history it has been the recent convert who has turned around and shown more faith than the person converted long ago.  God uses all of us to support one another.  

 

     Ruth trusted in God’s faithfulness.  She knew that somehow He would provide the best way for her.  They arrived in Israel at the time of the barley harvest.  Ruth was permitted to glean in the fields.  That is, she walked behind the harvesters and picked up the grain that they missed.  God provided for her and her mother-in-law. Then God led a man named Boaz to marry Ruth and to take care of her and Naomi.  He became a redeemer to them:  Taking up the burden necessary to care for them.  Again God provided.  

 

     As the account goes on we see just how much God was providing not only for Ruth and for Naomi but for the world.  Ruth had a son named Obed, who in turn had a son named Jesse.  Jesse had a son named David, who became the king of Israel.  When we turn to the opening chapter of the New Testament, we discover the rest of Ruth’s story.  Ruth was one of the ancestors of Jesus.  

 

     Ruth did not understand what was happening to her and what the future would unfold.  But Ruth knew Who was with her.  She knew that the one true God, the God life and salvation, was with her all the way.  That is one of the most consist promises of the Bible:  “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Joshua 1.5);  “The LORD of hosts is with us” (Psalm 46.7); “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed” (Isaiah 41.10).  

 

     When God finally sent His Son into the world, He was named “Immanuel” which means “God with us” (Matthew 1.23).  Jesus is the ultimate revelation of God’s goodness and faithfulness.  He took up our burden of sin on the cross so that we could be freed from the slavery of selfish idolatry.  

 

Conclusion

 

     Why do we believe in God?  We believe because God is good.  He is faithful.  He is gracious. He doesn't bestow favors upon us because we make sacrifices to Him. He is not a Chemosh. He loves us and bestows His love on us first in the form of forgiveness, and then in all the other needs of life. And He is with us to save us and deliver us from evil through Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Thoughts on Daniel Boone's Faith

 

Daniel Boone died on September 26, 1820 at the age of 85 "when the sun was half an hour high." 

These are a few notes taken from the book "Daniel Boone" by John Mack Faragher.

Page 25ff

Daniel Boone‘s family were Quakers. His father Squire Boone left the Quakers after he had a conflict with them about one of his children getting pregnant out of wedlock. Sarah Morgan, Daniel’s mother, continued with the Quakers. Daniel Boone left the Quakers at the same time at the age of 13. He always considered himself to be a Christian, but after this he no longer attended Christian services. He said “I never knew any good to come of religious disputes.“

Page 45

When Daniel Boone courted Rebecca, he was uncomfortable and awkward. There is a story that in his nervousness he tossed his knife to the ground several times, and at some point actually tour her apron. Boone, offered no apology. Later he told his children that he did it to “try her temper – thinking if it was fiery, she would fly into a passion.“ When she did not, he knew she was the woman for him.

Page 47

“hers was a world in which little effort was made to limit conception, and that pattern, which had characterized the women of previous generations, would persist in those that followed.“

Rebecca‘s four daughters had 33 children between them. Her daughters in law of her three married sons for another 35. These children and their spouses and children often resided in the home with Rebecca. A traveling preacher noted that in the Yadkin area he saw 23 persons living in the one room cabin of William and Mary Boone Grant.

Page 58

At one point Boone, was separated from his family for two years. During that time apparently Jemima was born. That raised the question of her father. One theory was that she was conceived by Daniel‘s brother Ned. Apparently Daniel was not too upset by this.

Page 60

Some are of the opinion that the frontier men did a little work around their farms. One preacher said that they often lived like the Indians.

Page 63

Boone did have some debt problems, and he was accused of running from his responsibilities. However, even though it might have taken a long time, he did try to make good on his debts.

Pages 64-65

Boone, took a party of adventurers to explore the Florida panhandle. Apparently this trip involved a good deal of flirting and cavorting with pretty serving girls and Seminole Indian maidens. At one point the party got lost. Boone, was once asked if he had ever been lost. He replied, “no, I can’t say as ever I was lost, but I was bewildered once for three days.”

Page 80

The American Indians were angered by the way Americans hunted deer for their skins and left most of the meat to rot. In the same way American farmers resented the Indian claims of large territories that they kept as hunting preserve but did not develop and use intensively as farmlands

Page 93

Daniel Boone’s oldest son James and several other young men were attacked during their trip to Kentucky by group of Delaware Indians. The Cherokee by the name of big Jim tortured them by ripping out their fingernails until they struck them in the head. Their bodies were shot through with arrows.

Page 121

“A set of scoundrels who scarcely believe in God or fear a devil” This is how Richard Henderson, Boone’s partner, described the men trying to settle Kentucky.

Page142-43

Boone, supported neither the revolution nor the loyalists. His main concern was his local community, his clan and his family.  This represented a lot of the early settlers. Rebecca’s family were loyalists.

Page 147.

The term for tough men: “men with the bark on”

Page 310

During Boone,‘s last year‘s, there was a lot of revivalism on the Feme Osage (the area in Missouri where Boone retired). And a few of the Boone family members were caught up in the revivalism. A Baptist pastor once asked Boone if he had any feelings toward the savior. "No, sir,” Boone, answered sharply, “I always loved God ever since I could recollect.“

Page 312

Toward the end of his life Boone did attend worship services, and he also read the Bible.

In a letter to Sarah Deb, his Quaker sister-in-law, he wrote (Boone had notoriously bad spelling.):

You can gass at my feilings by your own as we are So Near of age.... how we Leve in this World and what Chance we have in the next we know Not. for my part I am as ignerant a Child[.] all the Relegan I have [is] to Love and fear god, beleve Jeses Christ, Dow all the good to my Nighbour and my Self thi Can, and Do as Little harm as I Can help, and trust on god’s marcy for the Rest and I beleve god never made a man of prisipel to be Lost.

Page 316

Boone Quotes:

Better mend a fault than find a fault.

If we can’t say good, we should say no harm.

A man needs three things to be happy: A good gun, a good horse, and a good wife. 

A few thoughts of my own...

Daniel Boone was always torn between his responsibilities to his family and community and his great love for exploring the vast natural world. He wasn't quite the historical hero of a young America that I saw as a kid on the TV show with Fess Parker, but within the mixed bag of the good things and bad things he did, there was a lot of good. 

One of the things I wished the book would have explained better was the actual way in which Boone travelled so long and alone in the wilderness. What exactly did he take along in his kit? rifle, knife, blanket, etc.? How did he sleep, handle mosquitoes, stay warm and dry, etc.?

His religious life is interesting to me. I think Quakerism tended to lead people away from the church, but it must have planted some seeds of faith. The Quakers and many other Christian sects absolutely hated the religious controversies that raged in America. This happens when you have freedom of religion. In other countries many heresies would have been stamped out by the government. Unfortunately they often stamped out Christian orthodoxy as well. You can't have freedom of religion without religious controversies. If Boone would have read his Bible more closely as a younger man, he would have noticed that religious controversy rages throughout the Bible. That is because God's truth will always face major assaults on all sides. For our part Christians must avoid unnecessary controversies as Paul warned (Galatians 5.13-15), but they must also stay steadfast with the true church to which,

"He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love." (Ephesians 4.11-16)

Question 4 What Is a Christian?

 Question 4 What Is a Christian?

A Christian is a person who believes in and confesses Jesus as Savior and Lord. 

For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” Romans 8.15 (NKJV)

I remember the first time I realized what was involved in an adoption. I had a friend in grade school named Teddy who lived in an orphanage. It sounded like a nice place, but it wasn’t a home. One day our teacher announced that Teddy was going to be adopted into a new family. What amazed me the most about this thing was that everything was really based on the family that loved Teddy and wanted to make him a part of their family. 

Being a Christian doesn’t begin with our choosing Jesus but with Jesus choosing us. If it were the other way around, it might be a little wobbly. I make all sorts of choices in life, some good, some not so good. But God’s choosing me to call Him “Abba, Father,” is as good as it gets. I’m safe and secure in His arms. 

Prayer

Thank You Father for bringing me into Your family through Your Son and through Your Holy Spirit. Since You began this work in me, I know You will finish it (Philippians 1.6). I’m happy to believe in Your Son Jesus and confess Him as my Savior. Amen. 

Hymn

1. What a fellowship, what a joy divine,
   Leaning on the everlasting arms;
   What a blessedness, what a peace is mine,
   Leaning on the everlasting arms.

Refrain:
Leaning, leaning,
Safe and secure from all alarms;
Leaning, leaning,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.

2. Oh, how sweet to walk in this pilgrim way,
   Leaning on the everlasting arms;
   Oh, how bright the path grows from day to day,
   Leaning on the everlasting arms.

3. What have I to dread, what have I to fear,
   Leaning on the everlasting arms?
   I have blessed peace with my Lord so near,
   Leaning on the everlasting arms.

This series of devotions is based on the questions found in the Explanation to Martin Luther's Small Catechism, 2017 edition. I highly recommend purchasing this book in print, Kindle, or app form.