Gospel House Ministries

Pastor Dr. Herbert Ward, Sr.: Our sermon lesson today is "From Bitter to Better!" Amen. Anybody know something about that? Amen. Many of us have done some things, said some things, thought some things that didn’t make us better. It made us sour.

The problem is the very thing we did after having done some things, said some things, and thought some things, has caused us to cower because what was missing was the power of God that enables us to do good things, great things, and mighty things. Proverbs 3:5 says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not unto your own understanding. Acknowledge him in all your ways, and he will direct your path." The main reason many people are bitter today is because they did not trust God. They made their own paths. They were cut short because they did not pray long enough until they heard from God. They cowered because they were not powered by God to succeed.

That word "cower" means to crouch down or shrink away in fear or shame. It describes a physical reaction to being frightened or intimidated. The devil wants to intimidate you and make you frightened through hardship, keeping you away from worship so you get no better and become bitter. It’s going to take the faith of God so you don't cower and be moved by His power. In our sermon lesson today, we will look into why Naomi and her family, although Jewish, decided to go to Moab to find peace away from God, away from her heritage and her kinsfolk, at the same time a famine grips her nation. Instead of trusting God, she and her husband leaned on their own understanding. When it was all over, Naomi was left standing without knowing why her life now was not flowing in the way she thought it would be going. But deep down within, she knew why.

There are times when you’ve gone through life and have not addressed something you knew was wrong. While everything seemed to be right, the bills were paid and you were living in the shade and cooling it, through life you felt like you were on easy street. You escaped what others have not escaped. Your kids were looking great, and things seemed to be straight. But all of a sudden, the ball drops out from under you because you just knew you were rolling with ease. Now it's time to get on your knees because the thing that you knew was wrong long some time ago, as long as everything was all right, you went along with it as though it never happened in your mind. Nobody knows but you and God, but God hasn't forgotten.

A problem has arisen, and it's singing to you a sad song. You wish you could wish it away, that it would rise another day. Pain has constrained your face, which nothing can erase. Not even a kiss can change your face because the pain has stricken you. I'm here to let you know, I don't care who you are, your sins will find you out because what's done in the dark will come to light, and that's when you have to deal with it in the worst way. When you could have dealt with it in a much easier way through obedience and repentance with no denial of what truly happened, now that day has come. In times of trouble, the worst thing you can do is to stray away from your covering. Amen. God is your covering. You're still saved; you just misbehaved.

We all must remember you must pay. If Jesus paid the price for you to be saved, you will pay the price when you misbehave. Whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap. But then there's another verse that goes like this: "The name of the Lord is a strong tower. The righteous run into it and they are safe." I want to help somebody out right here. Although you misbehaved, you’re still saved. You’re still righteous because God made you righteous and not you yourself. The safest place on earth is in the will of God. Repentance is the will of God. In our story today, Naomi, a mother of two, walked away from the will of God for her and her family’s life. This egregious decision she and her husband had made without God left her bitter, not better.

When you look at that word "bitter," "I" is in the word. This egregious decision had more to do with "I" than it did with God. We all need to get "I" out of the way and let Jesus lead the way. When you replace the "I" in bitter with the letter "E," you get "better." The "E" is for eternal. Jesus will make you eternally better. Isn’t that good news? Truth be told, Naomi and her husband broke covenant with God. They committed an act of adultery. When we break covenant with God, it becomes of a more serious problem because it's spiritual unfaithfulness. It's rebellion. Consequences are met and discipline is required.

But as we see, because Naomi was a child of God, a daughter of God, born of the children of God, Israel, she was right enough for God to make her better after becoming so bitter. Remember church, nothing shall separate us from the love of God, not even sin. That's why we win, because His love is everlasting and He makes us better eternally. Turn to Deuteronomy 7:1-4. "When the Lord your God brings you into the land which you go to possess," see, God has brought you to a place where now you possess. You are better, especially you older saints. Your life is better now. You’ve learned you had some knocks and bruises in your life, and you've been through some stuff with people, but now God is with you and you’ve got this thing figured out a lot better than you did in the past. Hallelujah. Amen, church.

God has brought you out. It says that God will bring you into the land which you go to possess and has cast out many nations before you. God has put many people out of your life that wasn’t good for your life. You thought they were your buddies. You thought they were dear friends, but they disappointed you. It was God doing it; it wasn't your doing. Some just walked away, and you stopped being friends for a while. You don't know why, but now you realize that it was God through it all. Amen, church.

So, God has brought you out of many nations before you: the Hittites, the Girgashites, and the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. Seven nations, greater and mightier than you. "And when the Lord your God delivers them over to you, you shall conquer them and utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant with them nor show mercy to them. Nor shall you make marriages with them. You shall not give your daughter to their son, nor take their daughter for your son. For they will turn your sons away from following me, to serve other gods. So the anger of the Lord will be aroused against you and destroy you suddenly." Somebody say that again: "Suddenly." It will destroy you suddenly.

The thing that happened to this mother happened suddenly. Deuteronomy 23:3 says that no Ammonite or Moabite, nor any of their descendants down to the tenth generation, may enter the assembly of the Lord. Let's go to the scripture, go to Ruth. God wasn't having it. He wouldn't have no strange people come and get in bed with His people. He just wasn't having it, church. Amen. You too have got to watch out for who you hang around with. Amen. You’re right about it. Some of the people that people hang around, your mama taught you better than that.

Now it came to pass, in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem, Judah, went to dwell in the country of Moab. Moab is modern-day Jordan. Modern-day Jordan. He and his wife and his two sons. The name of the man was Elimelech. The name of his wife was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. Ephrathites of Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to the country of Moab and remained there. That's two verses, right? Look, didn't I tell you it happened suddenly? Two verses, right? Suddenly. Then Elimelech, Naomi's husband, died. Suddenly! Because they had no business going and leaving where God had planted them.

I say this to many of you who are listening on YouTube and on the radio station: don't be someone who's hopping from church to church thinking you're going to get your blessing. You need to get planted somewhere where God can use you. Amen. If you take a plant and you take it out of the pot every week and put it in a different pot, that plant will never grow. Amen. Because it never got settled, and you made it feel uneasy by moving it so much so it can't prosper and grow. Amen. That's good teaching. Amen.

So now Elimelech, his name means "My God is King." And Naomi, her name means "Pleasant." Now, Elimelech, if your God is King and your wife God has made her pleasant for you, why didn't you stick with God? If God is your King, amen, why didn't you stick with him, Elimelech? Your mama named you right, and you went against what your mama named you. You left the King and thought you could handle this thing by yourself.

Now, they took wives of the women of Moab. I just read to you that they weren’t supposed to do that, right? Amen. The name of the one was Orpah, not Oprah, Orpah. Her name means "Hind." A hind is a deer. And the name of the other was Ruth. Ruth, her name means "Friendship." Some of you need to write this in your Bible. Her name means friendship. Isn't she the perfect one to fit the script for what God is about to do? Amen. And they dwelt there about ten years. Ten is a number of perfection. Now, it's already said and done; you’ve planted your feet here. The husband has died, and now the mama has got two boys, and now they're going to be married off. Now, you’ve got to understand, church, it tells you now that they stayed there for ten years. So, that doesn't tell us how long—I would believe that after the husband died that they did live there for ten years.

But imagine what Naomi went through. She still had her joy because her boys were living, and when she looked at her boys, she still could see her husband. So, she wasn't in a terrible place. She was all right with it. As time goes on, they get married. They get married. And they dwelt there about ten years. But then both Mahlon and Chilion also died. So, how do you think she feels now? She feels terrible. You know and I know, when something happens real bad in our life, the first thing you say is, "God, what did I do wrong?" Don't you have a conscience? Because my conscience sure talks to me, and if your conscience doesn't talk to you, you do not have the Holy Spirit. Amen. If you can do wrong and it doesn't bother you, you do not have the Holy Spirit because the Holy Spirit will bring everything to your remembrance. Everything.

So now, Mahlon and Chilion also died. So the woman survived her two sons and her husband. Who can make it through that? But she had to go through, and she had to go through and get to the other side. All right. Now, Mahlon, his name means "Sickly." And Chilion, his name means "Pining." Pining is to suffer mental and physical decline, especially because of a broken heart. Now, no telling if Chilion, if he had a broken heart, it was probably because of his father. But I want you to look at this. Mahlon, me and Pastor watched this movie with Ruth, and you remember when he was sick on that sickbed, and nobody knew why he was sick. But now the Bible's telling you his name means to be sickly. Watch what you—you mothers-to-be, watch what you name your children. Amen.

Then she arose with her daughters-in-law that she might return from the country of Moab. She should have never left. For she had heard in the country of Moab that the Lord had visited His people by giving them bread. Okay. Now, bread, it means many things. It means bread, it means victuals, it means meat. Now, she left. If God supplied all of their needs according to His riches in glory, why did they leave? You know why? Because they doubted God. That's why they left. They doubted God could help them. But your name says "God is King."

And therefore she went out from the place where she was. How many know you’ve got to move? You can't stay there. Because if you stay there, you're going to burn up. Didn't I teach y'all that last week? Amen. If you stay there, you're going to perish; you're going to burn. So you’ve got to move while you're going through the fire. She had to move; she couldn't stay there. She had to move. Do you blame her? No.

Therefore, she went out from the place where she was, and her two daughters-in-law with her, and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah. All right. Now, this tells me that we're to never think the world can take care of us better than God can. Don't ever leave your cover where God is and think you can go out into the world and go to somebody else—Dr. Seuss, I don't care who they are—Dr. Buzzard, I don't care who they are. Any of these people, they can't help you. All these fortune tellers, they can't help you. Stop looking for a shortcut. I'm helping somebody out. Stop looking for a shortcut because there's no shortcut when it comes to God. You just got to go through. Sometimes you make the problem worse trying to go through a shortcut, and the problem ends up being longer than you wanted it to be.

Therefore, she went out from the place where she was with her two daughters, and she went to Judah. And Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, "Go, return each to her mother's house." And I thought about that. Now, I'm so used to hearing "to their father's house." So, obviously, their fathers had passed. Obviously, their fathers had passed because the father is the head of the home. Amen. "And the Lord deal kindly with you as you have dealt with the dead and with me." Because you've been kind to me, I thank both of you for helping me. "The Lord grant that you may find rest, each in the house of her husband." So she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept.

And they said to her, "Surely we will return with you to your people." But Naomi said, "Turn back, my daughters. Why would you go with me? Are there still sons in my womb that they may be your husbands? Turn back, my daughters. Go, for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have hope, if I should have a husband tonight and should also bear sons, would you wait for them till they were grown? Would you restrain yourselves from having husbands? No, my daughters, for it grieves me very much for your sakes that the hand of the Lord has gone out against me."

So verse 11, Naomi said, "Turn back, my daughters." And they didn't want to leave because what's coming is better than what's been. Amen. And then you look at the 12th verse, she says, "Turn back, my daughters." Go. There are some people who can't go through with you. And there are some people appointed by God to help you get through. So, one of them couldn't go with her, but the other one God had appointed her to help Naomi so she could get through. I don't care what you're going through, if you can't bear the burden, God will help you. He's a burden-bearer and a heavy-load sharer. Amen. And He will send somebody in your life to help you make it through. But don't be a fool and push them away. Amen.

And you know what makes the person a fool? Pride. "Oh, I got it. I can do it. I don't need no help." Yes, you do. Stop it. Amen. Your pride is sticking out. "I can do it. I got it." You need help. Sit down and relax. Stay out of the way of your blessing. Amen. Hallelujah. Because many of us have blocked our blessing with our lips and with our actions. Amen.

And it goes on and says, verse 14, then they lifted up their voices and wept again. So they kept on crying. Amen. Now, it says so she said, then she lifted up her voice, and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her. Yes, she did. How many know there's a friend that sticks closer than a brother? Hallelujah. Doesn't her name mean "Friendly"? I can't make this stuff up. And she said, "Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods. Return after your sister-in-law." Now, if you feel God's hand has gone against you, ask yourself, "Is my life against God?" If you feel God's hand is against you, ask yourself, "Is my life against God?" You started it. Look at your neighbor and tell them, "You started it." How many know God will finish it? And it doesn't mean it has to be a bad thing when He finishes it because He's giving her an expected end. He's giving her something better, not for her bitterness but for her betterment. Hallelujah. Amen.

So 15 again, she said, "Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods. Return after your sister-in-law." But Ruth said, "Entreat me not to leave you or to turn back from following after you." We used to sing a song in church, "No Turning Back." No turning back, you remember that? Amen. "For wherever you go, I will go. And wherever you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God." Hallelujah. Do y'all see that? See, God used a foreign woman to show Naomi how she and her husband should have thought before they left their people. These same words, they should have been saying in their hearts. They should have stuck with God like this. Amen.

Verse 17, "Where you die, I will die, and there will I be buried. The Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts you and me." That's a commitment. God needs people in the church like that. Committed people. Amen. Who lay down their lives for a good cause. When she saw that she was determined to go—see, you got to have a determination. See, "No turning back" is with a determination. Hallelujah. It's with a determination, church. You got to be determined. Be determined. You got to have a made-up mind. "I'm not going back the way I used to be. God has done something for me in my life. I feel Him pulling on me now. I feel Him pulling me, and I better not resist. I better go where He leads." Amen. Thank the Lord. Hallelujah. What's the song? "Where He leads me, I will follow." Oh yes, I'll go with Him all the way. I'll go with Him even through the garden, the songwriter says. Through the garden, I'll go with Him. Yes, yes.

Verse 19, now the two of them went on until they came to Bethlehem. And it happened when they had come to Bethlehem that all of the city was excited because of them. And the woman said, "Is this Naomi?" See, people are happy for you when they see you coming out of what you went through. Hallelujah. Don't y'all ever think you're by yourself. See, Satan wants you to feel alone. Yes, he does. But God comforts you with people. Amen. He comforts you with His Spirit, and His Spirit is in the same people. Amen. Thank you, Jesus.

"Is this Naomi?" But she said to them, "Do not call me Naomi. Call me Mara." I told y'all I'd never name mine Mara. Mara means "Bitter." To be bitter and to be weak. I told y'all I’d never name my daughters Mary because of that right there, Mara. "For the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me." But you did it to yourself. "I went out full." See that? "I went out full! Full! I had it going on! I was living on easy street! My kids were all right! Everything was straight until I got from under God's blessing." And some of us do that with our lips too.

"I went out full and the Lord has brought me home again empty." See, that's the way she sees it. But really God has brought her home to bring her to a point of fulfillment. God wants to refill. She came home empty, now God wants to refill her but even with better. Amen. So she said, "Why do you call me Naomi? Since the Lord has testified against me and the Almighty has afflicted me." Church, she may have been afflicted, but Naomi is about to be reinvented. Amen. That's the kind of God we serve. God will never give up on you. It is you that gives up on God. So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess her daughter-in-law with her, who returned from the country of Moab. Now they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley season.

All right. You see that? I want to show y'all God's. God causes all this stuff to happen at the right time. Here it is one person with one daughter-in-law, but He caused—His timing is so good, He causes them to leave Moab right at the time that it was barley season. It's time to get some food, y'all. Hallelujah. You went through a famine, you ran because of a famine, and now you’re coming back, they’ve got plenty. Amen. How many know she should have stayed put? Look at your neighbor and tell them, "Stay put." Yes, stay put in the Lord. Stay put in the Lord. Hallelujah.

Now, when you look at verse one, amen, look what it says: "And it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem, Judah, went to dwell in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons." Psalm 91 says, "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." They should have stayed put. Amen. Go down to 15. Look at 15. And she said, "Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods. Return after your sister-in-law." Not only did Ruth stick with Naomi closer than a brother, but she went through the bitterness of Naomi's sorrows. Just imagine how many times Naomi said something out of the way, harshly. Y'all ever been around people that's bitter? You know their words can cut you up. Amen. They’ve got no patience. "Don't be playing with me. I don't have time for that." Every day they wake up grouchy.

So, Naomi said something out of the way, harshly, because she was bitter, and Ruth endured all of that. Imagine, see that's the friend that sticks closer than you. You know, you ever had a friend, you know you messed up and said something wrong to them, and they still call you the next day and say, "Girl, how you doing?" You’ve jacked them up yesterday, talked jump to them. They call you the next day and say, "Girl, how you doing?" Amen. And then by them still being nice to you, it forces you to say, "I'm sorry for what I said to you yesterday." See, kindness is something else. Amen. The Bible says treat a person kind, and when you treat them kind, you heap hot coals on their head. It makes them move. It makes them realize you was wrong. Amen. Could it be that God had made it possible for Ruth to be a mother but because she took the time, made the sacrifice to stick with her husband's mother, Naomi, and return obedience towards her? Ruth went through something too. After all, she lost her husband. Yes, she did. But her stick-to-itiveness really caused her to be blessed. You got to look at your neighbor and tell them, "You got to stick with it." You can't be in and out, sometimes, sometimes. You're in love with Jesus. And trust me, if you’re in love with Jesus—anybody, if you're in love with anybody, you can't come see them when you want to. There's a rhythm. Love is a rhythm. Amen.

So when you're in love with someone, you call them frequently. You see them frequently. You don't come around them when you feel like it. You come around them because love has drawn you. Amen. Hello, somebody! Love should draw you to Jesus. Right? Amen. Don't tell me you are born again, saved, fire-baptized, and saved, filled with the Holy Ghost, and all that stuff they be saying. Don't tell me that and you hardly come to worship God. You come when you want to, the way you want to. Amen. "But I can worship in my house!" But what do you do in your house you know you can't do in church? A lot of things. Amen. No phone ringing in here to disturb you. Right? So you know that you got all those distractions at home. Amen. The Bible says forsake not the assembling of yourselves together. Forsake not! Amen.

So let's have a little reflection here. As soon as this story starts, this mother and this wife and mother starts out wrong—she and her husband. They are not on the good foot with God because they chose to make a bad step away from God. A mother who really loves her children will not lead them away from God, especially if she knows God. What happens is you leave yourself open to the wiles of the devil. And mothers, you leave your child to be open season for Satan to attack them, afflict them, restrict them, and condemn them. Hallelujah. Bring your children to God. That's why their heads are hard, because you don't bring them to God, mothers. Jesus. It's time to close the door, mothers. Satan has afflicted our children more today than he has previous generations today because we've led them away from God instead of leading them to God. Amen. They are not as bright as previous generations. I'm not saying this; history is telling us this. The next generation is supposed to be better than the previous generation, according to God. And when you open that door, Satan seeks to drive you to the floor. He wants to make you low so you don't get up no more.

When a person has lost their edge and has no more fight, all because they didn't do what was right, there's a strong possibility that they can become bitter. Through the scriptures, I learned that when Israel or anyone of Israel was in a foreign land at times, their lives became bitter. Exodus 1:13 and 14 says, "So the Egyptians made the children of Israel serve with rigor, and they made their lives bitter with hard bondage." God had to place Israel in a place of their own because He knew the world would hate them. Amen. Jesus even said people are going to hate you because they hated me. And I want y'all to know you are part of the Jewish family. Amen. You’re in God's family, the Jewish family. Amen.

Hatred produces bitter people. Satan wants you bitter, and God wants you better. Hallelujah. Which one would you serve? Your disobedience opens the door for bitterness. I mean your disobedience opened the door for bitterness and your obedience keeps the door open for betterment. Look at what happened in Israel under the leadership of King Jeroboam II, who did evil before the Lord. 2 Kings 14:26 says, "For the Lord saw that the affliction of Israel was very bitter, and whether bond or free, there was no helper for Israel." What do you do when you’re all alone and you’re going through and there's no helper? You got to call on the name of God and He will appoint His helper, the Holy Spirit, to you, which is the Paraclete.

Israel became bitter because of the poor leadership of its leader, Jeroboam II. Naomi became bitter because of the poor leadership of her husband, Elimelech. And many people will become bitter in this nation because of the very poor leadership of this president. But one thing I love about God: He's merciful. Thank the Lord. He's a God of another chance. He won't leave you bitter, but He'll lead you to better. Man will afflict you and trip you, but He won't stick with you like God. Why let man rule life when God can rule through your life, when God can do exceedingly abundantly far more than you could ever ask or think with your life? Turn to the fourth chapter. Amen.

Now, when Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there—the gates are a place of authority. And he was a rich man. I want y'all to understand this. He's a rich man. Amen. Now ladies, wouldn't it be a blessing if God could hook you up with a rich man? But now look, look, but you got to make sure that he loves you and you’re not just a trophy. You got to make sure love is there. Amen. He’s got everything you want, but does he have what you need? And what you need is his love. You don't need all them things he’s got; you need his love more than the things he’s got. Amen. So watch who you let woo you. Woo you is the word. See, when they swoon you, they’ve taken you off your feet and you’ve gone somewhere that you ain't ready for yet because you ain't married. Now you figure that out. It’s not hard.

All right. Back again. Now, Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there, and behold, the close relative of Boaz had spoken, came by. So Boaz said, "Come aside, friend, sit down here." So he came aside and sat down. These are two businessmen talking business. I'm trying to give y'all the picture. And he took ten men of the elders of the city and said, "Sit down here." So they sat down. Why do you think he picked ten? Because ten is perfect. He had the perfect company; he needed witnesses because they’re getting ready to have a business transaction.

All right. This business transaction really was happening—Naomi, she can't take care of that land. So she wants to sell it. So she's going to sell it. She's selling her land, but the other land belongs to Ruth. So she's going to talk—Boaz wants to talk with the nearest kinsman to Naomi. So the nearest kinsman—I'm going to help y'all out so y'all—when I get there, you can get it. So the nearest kinsman, he don't want it. He don't want it. He's going to tell them, "I don't want it. You can have it. You do with it as you want." So what happens is because the nearest kinsman—you know how you got your first cousin and your second cousin? Well, if the first cousin don't want it, then the second cousin can get it. Do y'all get what I'm saying? All right.

So he gives the land—he tells him that you can take it. And so now they make an agreement. And what they're going to do is they're going to trade shoes. Sounds stupid, don't it? But it's right. They're going to trade shoes. So he's going to tell him that no, he's going to tell him, "I don't want it, but if you want it, you take it." So what I'm trying to say is God set this up so wonderfully well that it was able to get right back into Naomi's life. It went for a loop. It went for a circle, 360. And she released it—remember I told you about releasing something? She released it, but God brought it right back to her. Amen. Can y'all get that? See, I don't care what you lost, God can return it to you. It's called restoration. It's called restoration. Okay.

And then he says, verse 3, "Then he said to the close relative, 'Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, sold the piece of land which belonged to our brother Elimelech. And I thought to inform you saying, Buy it back in the presence of the inhabitants of the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, redeem it. But if you will not redeem it, then tell me, that I may know, for there is no one but you to redeem it, and I am next after you.' And he said, 'I will redeem it.'"

Then Boaz said, "On the day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you must buy also it from Ruth the Moabitess." Now, first he said I’ll buy it. Now he said, "Wait, wait, wait. You gotta buy from Ruth the Moabitess? The wife of the dead to perpetuate the name of the dead through his inheritance." So her posterity will—Naomi's posterity will be restored. She will not lose. How many know God is a restorer of the breach? Amen. He will bring back what you lost.

Six, and the close relative says, "I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I ruin my own inheritance." You know, they tell us you can't get your social security until you get a certain age. If you get it, you're going to lose it. You hear that? And some people that got pensions like my mother, she thought she couldn't get my father's pension. And somebody lied to her. She went down there and they told her she can't get it. Went to North Carolina, they said, "No, somebody's lying to you. You can get that." And my mother ended up getting it. When his girlfriends ended up getting some, my mother put her name in there. Hello, somebody! See, Satan doesn't want you to be blessed. You see that? So he'll send a liar to you and tell you something that ain't yours, you can't get it. Hello, somebody!

All right. "You redeem my right of redemption for yourself, for I cannot redeem it." Now, this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and exchanging, to confirm anything. One man took off his sandal and gave it to the other, and this was a confirmation in Israel. Therefore, the close relative said to Boaz, "Buy it for yourself." So he took off his sandal. And Boaz said to the elder and all the people, "You are witnesses." He had ten perfect witnesses. "You are witnesses this day that I have bought all that was Elimelech's and all that was Chilion's and Mahlon's from the hand of Naomi. Moreover, Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of Mahlon, I have acquired as my wife to perpetuate the name of the dead through his inheritance, that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brethren and from his position at the gate. You are witnesses this day."

Hallelujah. What's for you is for you, and God will make sure it gets to you. And all the people who were at the gate and the elders said, "We are witnesses. The Lord make the woman who is coming to your house like Rachel"—see this blessing? "Like Rachel and Leah, the two who built the house of Israel." See, women then, their job was to have children. And so if they can't have children, they felt some ways, which we will see in a future. "And may you prosper in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem. May your house be like the house of Perez," because that's the forefather. "Whom Tamar bore to Judah." Remember, she posed as a prostitute because her husband wouldn't—he didn't give her no baby and the other boys, they wouldn't let it hit the—let the sperm hit the ground and wouldn't want to make her pregnant. So when Judah had sex with her, they had Perez. "Whom Tamar bore to Judah because of the offspring which the Lord will give you from this young woman."

See, they blessed her. Even your word—you don't have to have something in your hand to bless somebody. Amen. You can speak because the power of life and death is in your tongue. You can speak into your grandchildren's life and they be blessed. You may be a poor woman, but you can speak something that's more valuable than anything that can come in your hand because it'll go a long way. Because they can squander what you put in their hand, but your blessings and your prayers will go all the way till they die.

So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. Somebody shout Hallelujah! And when he went into her, the Lord gave her conception and she bore a son. Happy Mother's Day! And then the woman said to Naomi, "Blessed be the Lord who has not left you this day without a close relative, and may his name be famous in Israel." His name is famous. "And may he be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of old age. For your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is better to you than seven sons, has borne him."

Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her bosom. This is where a kid can't bother her. You know, just imagine what she went through. Imagine what she went through. All the agony. They left Israel and she seen her husband die. And now Lord, you give me another baby boy? Oh my God. That's a blessing, church. Amen. Hallelujah. I don't blame her; I'd put him on my bosom too. And then Naomi took the child and laid him on her bosom and became a nurse to him. "I'm going to be a nurse to him till he can—I'm going to teach him the ways of Israel. I'm going to tell him all the things that he need to know." That's a proud grandmother. Amen.

Also, listen, the neighbor woman gave him a name. Amen. Now, the neighbor woman is the woman in the 14th verse. Look at the woman in the 14th verse: "Then the woman said to Naomi, 'Blessed be the Lord who has not left you this day without close relative.'" Right. Now, verse 17, this same woman says, also the neighbor woman gave him a name, saying, "There is a son born to Naomi." And they called his name Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David. Now, this is the genealogy of Perez: Perez begot Hezron, Hezron begot Ram, and Ram begot Amminadab, Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon, and Salmon begot Boaz, and Boaz begot Obed, Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David, and David begot Jesus! Hallelujah! Glory to God! Praise the Lord! Thank you, Father.

In this chapter, we find the goal line. She’s gotten to the other side, y'all. She had to go through, right? Yes, yes. Now she's at the goal line. Hallelujah. She's crossed the goal line. The after-this is better than what's been. Because a kinsman has arisen to redeem the inheritance that Naomi was forced to sell because of her loss of husband and two sons. She couldn't keep up the inheritance she had; she had no one to work the land. You need a man for that. But how many of you know God will supply all of your need according to His riches in glory? He knows exactly what you need.

Look, it took one man to solve all of Naomi's needs. Amen. Boaz brought back Naomi's inheritance, and he bought back Ruth's inheritance from her husband Mahlon, because Boaz is in Naomi's family. It gave him the power to marry Ruth, redeeming not only their inheritance but their posterity was void and God used Boaz to fill the void that was created by their poor selfish decision. You see church, Naomi was put in the same situation as Jephthah's daughter from last week's sermon. Jephthah's daughter was unable to marry and have children. Naomi was married and had children, but after the death of all three, she was placed in the same position as Jephthah's daughter.

Women in biblical times lived to marry and make a family. That was their sole purpose of living, and to be denied that is as good as being dead in their minds. Jephthah's daughter bewailed for two weeks—two is the number of agreement—for two weeks to get the pain of it all out so that she would not become what? Bitter. You see that? That's why she did it, that's why she went wailing, and she had to get it all out. And I'm here to tell someone if you are dealing with something today, today is the day you need to get it all out. Hallelujah. Because God will turn it around. If you let him turn it around.

So two is the number of agreement. Naomi could not get in agreement with being motherless nor a widow because what happened to Naomi happened suddenly. You ain't got time to prepare for that. This woman had time to prepare for it, right? She went wailing on the mountains. But Naomi didn't have time to prepare for that. I'm here to let someone know, some poor mother who is feeling mighty low because she took a mighty blow from a thing called life. That God is the God of the suddenly. When something suddenly grips your life, He equips your life to bear it and live better, not bitter. Straightforwardly let me tell you, this is not the time to give up nor the time to become bitter. It's time to surrender and give it all to Jesus. He can restore everything you lost and give you more than what it cost. Somebody say he's got more in store.

Look at this in the book of Judges: according to the law, Jephthah had to keep his vow to the Lord, while Naomi and her husband broke the law of God by departing from Israel as though they were able to take care of themselves under the famine that God could—under the famine that God brought—and they paid the penalty for breaking the law. "The wages of sin is death, and the gift of God is eternal life." Look at it this way: the law can make you bitter, but grace can make you better. Naomi, a mother who lost her sons and became bitter, but later became better because through her Jesus was born. Amen. Ruth acted as though Naomi was her God. Her words she uttered to Naomi, we should have in our hearts for God. Lord, I don't want to leave you or to turn back from following after you. For wherever you lead me, Lord, I will go. Hallelujah. Wherever you are, I will be there. Amen. Your people, Lord, shall be my people, and you shall be my God. Hallelujah. When Jesus died, I died. When he was buried and got up, I got up with him. Hallelujah. The Lord do so to me and more also if I let anything separate me from the love of God.

I don't know who this is for, but you have made a mess of your life. Now is the time, now is the time to go to God and be blessed. Hallelujah. Remember, he will never leave you nor forsake you. You are a child of God, and although you chose to do wrong, Jesus still chooses to help you. Amen. Because of his love for you. Knowing you sinned doesn’t convict you away from God in prison, nor does it evict you from his bountiful blessing. Through all of this, you got something to shout about because God can do exceedingly abundantly far more than you can ever think. God taught Naomi a lesson through Ruth. Just like Ruth stuck with you, you should have stuck with me and not have left Israel. Ruth stayed with you and became blessed. You did not stay with me and became cursed. But because of my love and my mercy toward you, and because you are my daughter, in spite of your sin, I use the very thing, the very one you were going to push away or throw away to bless you: Ruth. Hallelujah. I gave you a friendship that brought restoration to your life. You made yourself bitter, but I gave you something sweet that made you better. Hallelujah. I gave you a posterity that is etched in eternity. Naomi was bitter, but God made her better. Amen. Won’t he do it? Amen. Yes, he will.

If there be a mother and a daughter who have fallen out with each other, I pray for you. Daughter, your mother needs you. Mother, your daughter wants you. Amen. To both of you, whatever you need, God's got it. Whatever you want, God will supply. And that is no lie. Amen. Won’t he do it? Hallelujah. Everyone is standing. Praise God.

Amen. Give Him the glory. Give Him the glory. Give Him the glory. Give Him the glory. Come on, now. Praise God for His name. The name of Jesus. The Lily of the Valley and the Bright and Morning Star. There’s somebody like Jesus. Nobody can do what He’ll do. He’ll make a way out of no way. He’s a lover of my soul and a lifter of my head. Hallelujah. In Him I live and move and have my being. Without Jesus, I am nothing. And nothing from nothing leaves nothing. But I thank God today that now I'm somebody. I got something to talk about. I got a reason for living. Hallelujah today. Does anybody in here have a reason for living? Hallelujah. God is blessed. He has made you, he has molded you, and he has shaped you. And I don't care what you're going through. Take God with you. Take God with you! Take God with you! Whatever you're going through, He'll make it all right. He'll make it all right! Even this morning. Hallelujah. He made it all right for me. Hallelujah. He’s the God who gives us the victory. Every morning you get up, won't you count your blessings? Name them one by one. God will show up! He will show up! Amen. Glory, hallelujah. God don’t want to make you bitter; He wants to make you better. Hallelujah. You ought to be feeling better right now after hearing this word. What a mighty God we serve.

The sermon title was "From Bitter to Better!" Amen. He says in times of trouble, the worst thing you can do is stray away from your covering. Hallelujah. Despite sinning, stay under God’s coverage. Naomi and her husband broke covenant with God and committed spiritual adultery. Then as he dug into Ruth, he says stay planted. Don’t move from church to church expecting a blessing. And the question was, why did they leave Bethlehem when God was providing for them? Because they doubted God. They thought the world could take care of them better than God can. And as Orpah and Ruth wanted to stay with Naomi as she goes back to Bethlehem, he mentioned that some people—there are some people who can't go through with you. Others are appointed by God to go through with you. As Naomi felt God’s hands against her, if you feel God’s hands against you, ask yourself if your life is against God. Naomi left full and came back empty. But God wanted to refill her by His grace. God never gives up on us, and thus God brought Naomi back in the time of the barley harvest. Ruth had been through the bitterness of Naomi and her harsh words. Ruth also experienced a loss of her husband but chose to stick to Naomi. Her stick-to-itiveness caused her to be blessed in the end.

Your consistency in God, mothers, gives good ground for your children to walk in God’s goodness. Amen. Your disobedience opens the door for bitterness, and your obedience opens the door for betterment. Naomi became bitter because of the poor leadership of her husband. God nonetheless is merciful and God can do exceedingly and abundantly more than we can ever ask or think. And women, it's nice to have a man who’s wealthy. However, make sure he loves you as God said. Amen. As the elders and people blessed Ruth, speak blessings on one another with kind words. The Lord later gave Ruth conception and she bore a son. Boaz, a rich man, was put in place to support Ruth and continue her posterity through redeeming her inheritance. From her line came Obed, the father of Jesse, the father of David, and later in this line, we have Jesus. Thank the Lord. God is the God of the suddenly. Where things happen suddenly, God equips you to go through better with better. Now to Him who is able to exceedingly abundantly above all that we can ask or think, according to the power that works with us, works in us. If today you are bitter, suddenly God can make you better. Hallelujah. Amen. Amen.