A Family Tragedy

Well, good evening everyone.

Somebody out there, it's very bright, light's shining on me.

It's great to be here with you in Brentsfield.

Again, can I wish you a very happy new year and God's blessing,

a year of change for you as a church.

I've been praying for you, for Graham, for the elders,

the team that God's going to bless you richly in this coming year.

Well, Christmas is over.

Remember, we now have grandchildren aged five and three,

so we've been discovering the delights of children's toys,

which are very different to the toys that we had when we were growing up,

says he, having just had his 70th birthday.

Pause for gas of amazement there, thank you.

So among all the presents, of course, the children want to know what you're going to buy them,

and we got them one or two things,

but my wife had the inspired idea that it was important for them to experience something a little more traditional.

So we bought them,

I do tell you this is not the only thing we bought them,

but we did buy them a box set of traditional stories as well.

Now you all know fairy stories.

They always begin with the same words.

So what do fairy stories begin with?

Once upon a time.

It's a story.

It begins once upon a time,

and then that follows a story.

Many twists and turns,

and they always end with the same words,

which are?

And they all lived happily ever after.

Now this book,

66 books,

makes up one book

that is the story.

It's the story of the Bible.

And it begins not with a fictional statement,

but with a factual statement,

which you've got on your back wall

in a variety of different languages.

It begins not with once upon a time.

It says,

in the beginning,

God.

The Bible is a story.

It begins with God,

a God who creates the world

in all its perfection.

Everything he makes is good.

It's a perfect world.

And when he's finished creating the crown of his creation,

the man and the woman,

he saw that everything was very good.

Unfortunately,

did not remain very good,

because Genesis 1 and 2 in the Bible

are followed by Genesis 3.

And sadly,

our first parents rebelled against God,

went their own way,

with the result that a fallen world

is the consequence.

With disastrous consequences for them,

and for the created order.

Now thankfully,

the Bible does not end at Genesis 3.

It would be a very short book,

and we would have a very short history.

Because God,

in his great love,

determines to put things right,

and to restore human beings

to the relationship for which we are made

to know and love God.

And this,

of course,

culminates in a redeemed world,

focusing finally

in the coming to earth

of God's Son

that we've just celebrated

at Christmas time.

the Son of God

who lives the life

we could never live,

who dies the death

that we deserved

in our place,

who is declared with power

to be God's Son

by raising him from the dead,

is raised to life,

he ascends into heaven,

and the last book of the Bible,

this is a very potted history

of a long book,

but at the very end of it,

the very last book,

the very last chapter,

we have a wonderful picture

of a restored world.

And in a sense,

they all lived happily ever after.

Well, not all, sadly.

And so the final book of the Bible

looks forward

to the return from heaven

of Jesus,

God's Son.

And then the curtain

of human history

will come down,

and it ends in this way.

It says,

he who testifies

to these things says,

yes,

I'm coming soon.

Amen,

come Lord Jesus.

And then there's a

kind of little postscript,

the grace of the Lord Jesus

be with God's people.

Now,

we live our lives

within this story.

We actually live

in the last chapter.

The last chapter

of God's story of salvation.

The last chapter

is that period

between the return

of Jesus to heaven

from earth,

and the last chapter

will finish

with the return

of Jesus

from heaven

to earth.

And every part

of the Bible,

this wonderful book,

God's book,

his word,

all the stories

within it

form part

of that great story

and contribute

towards it.

And all the characters

in it

play out their lives

within that story.

So what I've been

trying to do

is just set the context.

You think,

where is he going

with this?

I'm going to

the book of Ruth,

which is a wonderful

little story.

The German poet

Goethe

described it

as the loveliest

complete work

on a small scale

ever written.

What a commendation.

And it begins,

as we begin our story

today,

it begins

not with a happy story,

but with a sad story.

So our opening verses

in Ruth

begin with

a family tragedy.

And that's what

we're going to focus on

this evening.

So if you've got a Bible,

and there are Bibles

in the pews,

it really will be helpful

to have a Bible

in front of you.

We're just going to look

at these opening

five verses.

The words will come up

on the screen as well,

but it would be helpful

to have your own Bible

in front of you

if you haven't got on there.

So let's read

this wonderful story,

this beginning story.

which sets the scene.

In the days

when the judges ruled,

there was a famine

in the land.

So a man from Bethlehem

in Judah,

together with his wife

and two sons,

went to live for a while

in the country of Moab.

The man's name

was Elimelech,

his wife's name

was Naomi,

and the names

of his two sons

were Marlon

and Kilion.

They were Ephrathites

from Bethlehem

in Judah,

and they went to Moab

and lived there.

Now,

Elimelech,

Naomi's husband,

died,

and she was left

with her two sons.

They married Moabite women,

one named Orpah,

the other Ruth.

After they had lived there

about ten years,

both Marlon

and Kilion

also died,

and Naomi was left

without her two sons

and her husband.

It's God's word.

Now,

look with me

at this introduction

that sets the scene

for this story.

I want to focus,

this is going to be

really simple,

and

the points even begin

with the same letter.

All right?

So you'll be able

to remember them easily.

They don't always work

that way,

but I think these do.

And we're going to look

at three aspects

of the story

which apply to the characters,

these six named people here,

but they also apply

to your life

and to my life.

All right?

Here's the three.

I'll tell you what they are

before we begin,

and then we'll look

at each one in turn.

First of all,

circumstances,

the setting in which

the story takes place

and their lives take place.

Secondly,

choices,

which the characters make.

And finally,

arising from those choices

are consequences.

Those three things

apply to you and me.

We live in a context

in circumstances.

We make choices

in our lives,

and the choices we make

determine certain consequences.

So look with me

at each in turn.

So let's start with

consequences.

And what did I do then?

I forgot to put the words

up on the screen.

Sorry.

That's me with PowerPoint.

Circumstances.

The setting is given

right at the beginning.

In the days

when the judges ruled,

there was a famine

in the land.

Now notice in this

opening sentence,

we have a general context,

and then we have

a specific situation.

A general context.

It says,

in the general context,

in the days

when the judges ruled.

It's really simple

because maybe

you're getting to know

the Bible.

Some of you are

very familiar with it.

Others maybe don't know

it very well,

so I'll be absolutely simple.

So just excuse me

if you know all this

already, all right?

In the days

when the judges ruled.

After the...

Here's a little chart.

Can you see it?

No, it's not too bad.

I'm looking at that

big thing up there.

After the...

You know the story

of the Bible.

After the exodus

from Egypt,

under the leadership

of Moses,

the people of Israel

eventually,

after a 40-year hiatus

around the wilderness,

finally arrive

in the promised land.

Moses dies,

succeeded by Joshua,

and the book of Joshua

tells us the story

of the conquest of Canaan,

a somewhat patchwork event.

And this is followed

by a period

of around about

three centuries.

Think of that for a moment.

300 years.

300 years

when Israel was ruled

by a succession of leaders

who had the title

of judges.

And the book

which precedes you,

if you've got your Bible

open at Ruth,

if you turn back

the preceding book

in our English Bibles,

the experts will tell you

that in the Hebrew Bible

it's not the case.

But anyway,

in the English Bibles

the preceding book

is the book of Judges.

It's named after these

Judges.

And the last verse,

if you look,

just page over,

if you look back

it says,

it's characterized by this,

in those days

Israel had no king,

everyone did

as they saw fit.

Literally,

I think in Hebrew

it's everyone did

what was right

in his own eyes.

Am I right,

David?

Thank you very much.

David's got the Hebrew Bible

there to keep me straight.

Now,

the little nation of Israel

chosen in love by God,

not because of any merit

on their part,

the Lord said to them

in New Tionomy 7,

7,

it's not because you

were more in number

or better than anyone else.

I loved you

because I loved you.

He chose this nation,

delivered them

from slavery in Egypt,

brought them to their own land,

and yet sadly

they constantly turned

against God

and went their own way.

And the book of Judges

describes how

this terrible cycle

took place.

The people turned

against God,

God allowed

neighboring tribes

and nations

to invade,

to subjugate,

to oppress them.

The people then

cried out to God

for help.

God raised up

these leaders,

these judges.

The people turned

back to God

and yet within a generation

the cycle is repeated

as they turn

against the Lord again.

And this is this kind

of cycle

where people are just

doing what's right

in their own eyes.

It's a period

of political uncertainty.

Some of the judges

are well known.

Most people know

about Samson,

Gideon,

Samuel.

Others are not

so well known.

Ophnil,

Ehud,

Deborah,

Jephthah,

Shamgar,

Tola,

Jair.

What is familiar

is this repeated

cycle over

and over again.

That was the

general context

in which this

little family lived.

But we're told

they also faced

a specific situation.

There was a famine

in the land.

This family did not

live in one of

the economic upturns

that took place

in the nation

from time to time.

They lived in a

down time

when a famine

hit the land.

Now we're not told

where during

the book of Judges

this actually took

place.

It may have

been the period

if you know

the book of Judges

a little bit

further back.

There was a judge

named Gideon

who was raised

up by God

because a

neighboring nation

the Midianites

kept invading

the land

on camels.

They were

a camel

what's the word

I'm looking for?

Camel seated.

They sat on camels

and invaded Israel

for a period

of seven years

and they particularly

did it when

harvest came.

So they kind of

looted the land

and everyone

was desolate.

Maybe this

exacerbated the

situation.

This is maybe

the famine.

Whatever the case

this family

lived in hard

times at this

specific point

in history.

I think about it

for a moment.

If they'd lived

200 years before

they'd have

experienced

crossing the

river Jordan.

They'd have

experienced the

mighty conquest

under Joshua.

If they'd lived

a couple of

hundred years

later maybe

they'd lived

at the glorious

time of King

David and Solomon

in the amazing

temple that he

erected.

But they didn't.

They lived in the

days when the

judges ruled where

there was a famine

in the land.

Now,

2017 AD.

We live in history.

Present history.

We live in the days

of Islamic State.

Terrorist atrocities.

We live in the days

of mass migration.

Of Brexit.

Economic uncertainties.

People in boats

trying to get to

Europe.

We live in the days

of President-elect

Trump.

And we live in this

amazing celebrity

culture where,

can you believe it,

all of this is

superseded for 15

minutes on BBC

by the death of a

pop star.

kind of strange

days we live in,

don't we?

For those of us

who are Christians,

we do not live,

though we wish we

did,

and we hope we

may,

we do not live in

days of spiritual

revival.

I think,

to be fair,

in our nation,

we live in days of

spiritual decline.

Says he now,

having lived his

allotted three-score

years and ten.

And we cannot

escape the context

in which we live.

While we're

drawing into our

ghettos,

wallowing in

spiritual nostalgia.

We are,

Jesus reminded us,

we are in the

world,

but we are not

of the world.

You are,

said Jesus to

his followers,

the salt of the

earth.

death.

You are the

light of the

world.

That is the

context in which

we live.

And we have no

choice about that.

We have no choice

about the times in

which we live.

We do have a

choice about how

we respond to

the times in which

we live.

So,

here's my second

point.

Choices.

What are Elimelech

and his family to

do?

Living at this

time of famine,

in these

uncertain days?

Well,

we're told in

the text.

So a man from

Bethlehem in

Judah,

together with his

wife and two

sons,

went to live for

a while in the

country of Moab.

They just hopped

over into the

neighboring nation

of Moab.

They did what

many people are

doing today,

they became

economic migrants.

Now,

the writer of

this book,

will you notice,

he makes no

comment about

the wisdom or

folly of what

they did.

not everyone

agrees with this,

and I'll agree to

disagree and live

with you if you

disagree,

but I think

there is no

comment on this

because it

doesn't need any

comment.

For anyone who

knows the

history of Israel

will make the

correct judgment.

I was trying to

think of a modern

illustration.

It is like saying,

in 2012,

when Rangers were

demoted to the

third division of

Scottish football,

a certain supporter

decided to go to

Celtic Park,

you don't need to

comment on the

wisdom or folly

of such a move.

Well,

it depends who

you support.

So,

for those who

are not familiar

with the Bible,

there is a whole

history behind

this comment about

going to Moab.

Let me give you

again a brief

summary of the

origin and

history of the

nation of Moab,

and what I think

is the folly of

moving to Moab.

And,

in Genesis 19,

we read about

the unsavoury

origins of the

nation of Moab.

It's the story of

how Lot,

the nephew of

Abraham,

fleeing from the

destruction that

the God poured

out upon Sodom,

running away with

his two daughters.

His wife was the

one who was

turned into a

pillar of salt

when she looked

back.

And at the end

of the day,

he and his two

daughters,

the two daughters

get their father

drunk,

sleep with him

in successive

evenings.

And the elder

daughter gives

birth to a

son called

Moab,

which sounds

like the Hebrew

for from my

father.

The other one

gives birth to

another nation

called Ammon.

Lot was a man

who, because of

his materialism,

was dragged into

idolatry and

immorality,

traits which soon

became characteristic

of the nation

that emerged from

him, as we see

in later history.

We then meet

them in Numbers

22 and 25.

When the people

of Israel are

traveling from

Egypt through to

Canaan, they

asked the king

of Moab for

permission to go

through their

land, not to do

anything hostile.

He refuses.

Instead, it's one

of these stories in

the Bible, if you

went to Sunday

school, you

remember, he

hired a prophet

called Balaam to

put a curse on the

people of Israel.

Balaam was

prevented from doing

this by talking

donkey, and

instead he

pronounced a

blessing on

Israel, but

even though that

is not successful,

the women of

Moab enticed

the men of

Israel into

pagan revelry

and gross

sexual immorality

and 24,000 of

them are struck

dead.

In more recent

times, in

Judges 3, we

read of recent

oppression by

Moab.

Eglon, king of

Moab, attacks and

subjugates the

nation of Israel

for 18 years.

No wonder, then,

that later

prophets, Isaiah,

Jeremiah, Ezekiel,

Amos, Zephaniah, all

utter judgment

against Moab.

And the law of

Moses is very

clear.

The law of

Moses says, no

Ammonite or

Moabite or any

of their

descendants may

enter the

assembly of the

Lord, not even

in the tenth

generation.

We will see

gloriously there

is an exception

to this as we

come to this

series later.

But can you

see the irony

of a man

called Elimelech,

whose name

means my

God is king,

leaving Bethlehem,

which means the

house of bread,

to emigrate to a

place like Moab,

even in times of

famine.

So why did he do

it?

What was his

motivation in

moving to Moab?

Well, it's obvious.

Famine in Israel,

bread in Moab.

It seems a no-brainer

just across the

border.

It is, I would

say, the peril of

pragmatism, where

pragmatism overrules

principle.

And I simply say,

how many people,

how many Christians,

how many of us,

myself included,

how many at times

have allowed

pragmatism,

interest, self-interest

to overrule

principle, what is

right?

How did he

justify it?

How do we justify

it?

Well, the answer

lies in the little

words.

His intention is,

it's for a little

while.

Notice what it

says.

It says,

So a man from

Bethlehem in

Judah, together

with his wife and

two sons, went to

live for a while

in Moab.

To tide things

over.

It's a temporary

expedient.

I can imagine him

saying, well, it's

not the right thing.

I realize that and

it's not a good

thing for his

Israelites.

But a man's got

to live.

We've got to eat.

So let's do it.

But listen, we'll be

back soon.

It's the peril of

procrastination.

See, every choice

begins with the

first step that you

make.

And if the first

step is a wrong

step, someone said

to me the other

day, it's like a

ship.

If it's just two

degrees off, a few

miles out at sea,

you're a long way

off and your

destination is a

very different

destination.

See, every choice

begins with the

first step.

How many of

Christians decides

to stop going to

church just for a

while?

You know, I just

don't get on with

those other

Christians, you

know.

It caused me a lot

of hassle.

How many Christians

decide, just for a

while I'm going to

stop reading the

Bible because I'm

just not getting

much out of it.

Just for a while

I'm going to stop

praying.

Just for a while

I'll come to church

but I'm not going to

do anything.

I need to take a

back seat for a

while.

See, what does a

Christian do in

times of crisis?

What do you do in

times of famine?

Where do you look

for a solution?

You either continue

to trust God,

remaining within the

security of his love

and his people,

or you look

elsewhere to Moab

for a solution.

Now, maybe you're

there this evening.

Maybe there's a

crisis in your life

and you look to the

wrong place for a

solution.

Or maybe you're

tempted to look to

the wrong place for a

solution.

See, the Christian is

the only one who can

make such a choice.

Before you become a

Christian, the Bible

says you're a slave to

sin.

You have to obey its

whims and desires.

But when you are set

free by Christ,

filled with his

spirit, the prison

door is flung open,

but you have a choice.

You can walk out or

you can walk back in.

That's why the Bible

and the epistles

constantly says,

you know,

put off the old

nature, put on the

new nature.

Don't yield the parts

of your body to sin,

but to righteousness.

Make the right

choices.

Or you choose to go

your own way.

Every choice has a

consequence.

It's put most

succinctly in the

letter that the

Apostle Paul wrote to

the Christians in the

Roman province of

Galatia.

It talks about the law

of cause and effect.

Do not be deceived.

God cannot be mocked.

A man reaps what he

sows.

Whoever sows to

please their flesh

from the flesh will

reap destruction.

Whoever sows to

please the Spirit

from the Spirit

will reap eternal

life.

There are consequences

that follow

from our choices.

So we come

thirdly back to

our story.

Consequences.

Elimelech,

head of the house,

makes his choice.

Probably his wife

had little say in it

in a patriarchal

society.

The husband said

that sadly still

happens today in

our more egalitarian

society that my

experience pastoral

is that often men

set a lead and

women are sometimes

quite often the ones

who suffer not always.

He went to Moab

for a while.

For a while

became a long

while.

And the consequences

for him and his

family are enormous.

for a while

became a long

while.

And for Elimelech

there is no

return.

He dies in

Moab.

I kind of think

about him maybe

saying every year

to his family

well we're going

to go back

home soon.

Yep.

This is going

to be the year

and then something

just kind of puts

it up you know.

We live under

an illusion if we

think we can set

the agenda you

know.

Okay I'm not

where I should be

spiritually at the

moment but believe

me I'm going to

put it right.

Believe me the

years go by year

after year

unless you make

a clear and

definite choice

to return.

What I want to

say and I say

with all seriousness

you can be a

believer and you

can die in Moab.

You can die in

Moab.

He dies there.

As always happens

with families the

children assimilate

more quickly and

easily into the

prevailing culture

than the parents

the two sons

Marlon and

Kilion.

Their names

both probably

mean something

like weakness

or frailness

expressed in the

fact that both

of them

both of them

marry Moabite

girls

contrary again

to the law

of Moses

and then great

tragedy each of

them in turn

dies.

But notice the

irony.

Why did they

go to Moab

in the first

place?

To save their

lives in time

of famine.

But Moab

was never

is an

answer.

The promise

of life

always proves

false in

the end.

The wise

little writer

of the

Proverbs

summarizes it

so well in

Proverbs 14

12 he

says

sorry I

should put a

picture on

there sorry

there's a

family tree like

the program

who do you

think you are

and you look

at it and

you see

died in

Moab

died in

Moab

died in

Moab

and there's

Naomi

left on

her own

a little

writer

of Proverbs

puts it

there is a

way that

seems right

to a man

but in the

end

it leads

to death

and the

story of

Elimelech

and his

family

is a

tragedy

that is

sadly

repeated

time and

again in

Christian

homes and

families

for you

can be a

church member

and live

in Moab

you can be

a

you can be

here this

evening

physically

here but

spiritually you

can be living

in Moab

how

by making

wrong choices

oh you may

have your

excuses

and you may

be saying to

yourself it's

only for a

little while

I'm not going

to stay there

I'm going to

put this right

eventually

I'm going to

return home to

the Lord

and his

people but

you may not

it's a sobering

message really

you may die

in Moab

because life

goes past so

quickly doesn't

the older we

get we suddenly

think you

know where

did 70

years go

the older you

get the more

you begin to

reflect on

those things

don't you

and you begin

to think about

things like

what legacy

will you leave

for your

family

Elimelech

made the

wrong choice

and he

left behind

an embittered

wife and

two pagan

daughters-in-law

yes we're

going to see

in this book

and in our

series how

God transformed

the situation

but it was

in spite of

Elimelech

not because

of him

and God

willing we'll

see more

about her

and the

choice she

then made

as the story

unfolds

God willing

next week

in the

weeks that

follow

some kind

of sobering

message isn't

it but

but maybe I

think you might

maybe at the

beginning of a

new year it's

it's maybe a

good message for

us to to

pause and take

stock and say

where are you

living where are

you living today

I don't mean are

you living in

Brentsville or

Edmond I mean

are you living in

Moab are you

living in Bethlehem

are you living in

Israel are you

living among God's

people are you

rooted in God's

people

challenging

daughter's name

well

looked at the

sad story of a

family tragedy

a man

who left

home and went

to a foreign

country

because of a

famine

and died

there

but I want

to finish on a

positive note

because I want

to remind you

it need not

happen

you need not

end up in

Moab

let me finish

with another

story

a story Jesus

told us I

reflected on it

I began to

notice some

interesting

connections

these are

preachers

connections

not necessarily

biblical

connections

but it may

help us to

think about

these things

so let me

finish with a

happy ending

there's a

story about a

young man

who like

Elimelech

left his

home country

not because of

a famine

but because he

was attracted

by the bright

lights of a

distant far

country

which seemed

to offer so

much more

than all the

boring stuff at

home

restricted by

family and

father

armed with

his share of

the family

fortune

he set out

on his

journey and

for a time

as is always

the case

his destination

seemed to

fulfill

all he had

hoped for

as he

squandered

his wealth

in wild

living

wine

women

and song

but it

didn't

last

as Jesus

goes on to

explain in

this wonderful

story

let me read

from the

text

after he'd

spent everything

now notice the

connection

there was a

severe famine

in that

whole country

and he began

to be in

need

so he went

and hired

himself

to a citizen

of that

country

who sent

him

to his

fields

to feed

pigs

he longed

to fill

his stomach

with the

pods

that the

pigs

were eating

but no

one gave

him

anything

what a

place for

a Jewish

boy to

end up

in a

pigsty

eating

pig

swill

but you

see

the story

Jesus tells

us

reminds us

that he

didn't end

up he

didn't die

in the

pigsty

instead

the famine

God used

the famine

to remind

him

of what

he left

behind

it was

the famine

in this

case that

was the

means of

his salvation

we just

sang a hymn

by John

Newton

Amazing

Grace

John

Newton

of course

lived in

the 18th

century

he was

this slave

trader who

lived a

life of

utter

depravity

was gloriously

converted in a

storm at sea

and became

a minister

of the

gospel

and he

wrote this

wonderful hymn

Amazing

Grace

but he

wrote other

hymns and

maybe I'd be

surprised if

anyone here

maybe one or

two of you

might know

that he

actually wrote

a hymn

about the

parable of

the prodigal

son

and as I was

looking at it

I thought it's

a nice

place to

finish

so I'm

going to read

the words

of this hymn

now

the words

are a little

bit quaint

and old

fashioned

but I

think you'll

get the

meaning of

them

Newton is

a great

great

hymn

writer

so here's

what Newton

says

writes

listen

carefully

here's a

big star

picture

afflictions

though they

seem severe

in mercy

oft are

sent

they stopped

the prodigal's

career and

forced him

to repent

simple

isn't it

although he

no relentings

felt

change

your mind

till he

had spent

his store

his stubborn

heart began

to melt

when famine

pinched him

sore

what have I

gained by sin

he said

by hunger

shame

and fear

my father's

house abounds

with bread

while I am

starving here

I'll go and

tell him all

I've done

and fall

before his

face

unworthy

to be called

his son

I'll seek

a servant's

place

his father

saw him

coming back

he saw

and ran

and smiled

and threw

his arms

around the

neck

of his

rebellious

child

father I've

sinned

but oh

forgive

I've heard

enough

he said

rejoice my

house

my son's

alive

for whom

I mourned

as dead

now let

the fatted

calf be slain

and spread

the news

around my

son was

dead

but lives

again was

lost

but now

is found

and here's

the lesson

final bit

it is thus

the Lord

his love

reveals

to call

poor sinners

home

more than

a father's

love he

feels

and welcomes

all

that

come

maybe

this evening

you're

that poor

sinner

living in

a far

country

if truth

are told

in a

pigsty

life

maybe

you're

not a

Christian

and you're

living in

that far

country

and I

simply

want to

say

to finish

on a

gospel

note

that God

the father

loves you

his son

invites you

the Holy

Spirit

urges you

and welcomes

you home

we come

expecting

nothing

and we

receive

God's

love

and grace

his arms

around us

of great

assurance

and maybe

for you

2017

is the

year

when you

return home

for the

first time

back to

the

father's

home

the fellowship

with God

to restoration

to forgiveness

to peace

to joy

all the

things you've

longed for

and prove

that this

world never

satisfies

but maybe

there's

someone here

this evening

and you're

actually a

Christian

but you're

far from

God

living in

the peace

time

living in

the far

country

living in

Moab

as it

were

and I

simply want

to urge

you this

evening

don't die

in Moab

return home

to your

heavenly

father

let's pray

and then I'll

hand over to

Carrie for

a final

song

just pause

for a moment

just to reflect

what God

has said to

us this

evening

for his

word

father we

thank you

for your

amazing

unconditional

love

here is

love not

that we

loved you

but that

you loved

us

and gave

your son

to be the

one to

pay the

price for

our sin

to restore

us

to

yourself

thank you

for your

great

patience

with us

forgive us

that so

often we

seek our

satisfaction

in things

that never

fulfill

things that

prove in

the end

worthless

even

degrading

thank you

thank you

thank you

that you

welcome

us

home

and as

we

bound

your

presence

you

know

our

hearts

you're the

one to

whom all

hearts are

open

from whom

no secrets

are hid

and so

knowing

our

hearts

grant to

us that

repentant

spirit

that desire

to return

and as we

turn we

thank you

that you

welcome us

home