EPIC Stories ~ The Story of You

For the past 5 weeks we have looked at some of the epic stories found in the Old Testament and each story told us something about the character and nature of God.  The story of Creation told us that God loves us so much that he created us in His image.  The story of Joseph told us that God is forgiving.  The story of Ruth told us that God is all about making us a family and more important God wants us all to be part of His family.  The story of Noah told us that God gives us strength to overcome great obstacles and the story of Jonah told us that God wants to give us all a second chance.

Because these stories talk about the nature of God they also point to Jesus.  Jesus is the embodiment of God’s love.  John 3:16 says, for God so loved the world that he sent his one and only son.  Jesus came to forgive us and that forgiveness makes us one with God and brings us into the family of God.  Jesus gives us his strength to overcome great obstacles and it is Jesus who calls us to share his story of love and grace with others.  So these stories are epic because they all point to Jesus.

As epic as these stories are, the most important story of all is not found in the Bible and it is not a story from the pages of history.  This story isn’t going to be found on TV, made into a movie or go viral on Youtube, it is the story of you.  Our story is the greatest and the most epic of all because it is the story God has given us to live and share and no one else in all the world can tell it.  The single most important thing to remember today is that each one of us is living an epic story.  God has created us in God’s image.  God has placed us here for a purpose.  God wants our lives to reflect His power and love and glory and what can be more epic than that?

Now you may be saying to yourself that your life really is not that important or influential.  I just work at Penn State.  I’m just a teacher, or a nurse so how can my life be epic?  Or maybe you saying to yourself, I am just a stay at home mom or dad, I am retired so not even working or I’m just a student so how can my life be an epic story?  Joseph probably said the same thing when he was sitting in jail.  I’m just an ex-slave and now a prisoner, how can my life be epic?  And yet look at how God used him.  Ruth must have said, I’m just a widow, but remember how God used her.  Even Jonah probably said, I’m a failed prophet who has been thrown up onto the beach, and yet God used him and made his life’s story an epic one.

What made these people different and their lives epic is that they were willing to step into the story God had for them.  They allowed God to speak in them and through them and when they surrendered to God, their lives became epic stories.  Our lives become epic stories every time we step into the story of God and every time we allow God to tell His story through us.

The story of God that we all step into is similar to every other story in the world.  There is a beginning, there are twists and turns in the middle and then there is an ending.  The story of God begins with creation.  Genesis 1 tells us that God created all things and the gospel of John tells us that God’s word is the story that brings life to everyone and everything.  That’s the beginning, but then there is   the fall.  What God created turned away and left Him.  Sin, pride and selfishness entered the story and people were separated from God but this sin also separated us from each other.  The next chapter of God’s story is called redemption because God doesn’t leave His creation in a state of brokenness and death.  God redeems his world from sin and sorrow, God saves us.  While John 3:16 talks about the love of God it is John 3:17 that talks about God’s redemption.  God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world but to save the world through him.  

Then next chapter of God’s story is called restoration and this is the new life God gives each of us to live.  In this new life we are not only restored into a relationship with God but God’s grace helps us get along well with others.  And then God’s story has an end, not the end when Christ returns and the Kingdom of God is established forever, but a call for us to share God’s story with others.  One of the final words of Jesus to his people was, Go and make disciples of all nations.  The story of God needs to be told and shared and lived out so others can know this story of God.  .
So we see that there are five parts of God’s Story:
• Creation
• Fall
• Redemption
• Restoration
• Call.

This is the very story we have watched unfold these past 5 weeks.  In the story of Creation were heard about the beginning.  In the story of Joseph we heard about the fall and how sin divided a family and how we all need to be forgiven.  In the story of Ruth we heard about the power of redemption and that we all need a redeemer like Boaz who will save us.  In the story of Noah we heard about God restoring the world through the faithful work of Noah and his family and in the story of Jonah we heard that we are all called to share the good news of a second chance with others.  The 5 epic stories we have heard tell us the full story of God and our lives become an epic story when we allow this story to be told in us and through us.  

So how do we step into God story, or how do we allow God’s story to be told through us?  It starts at the beginning when we acknowledge that we have been created by God and that we have a story to tell.  We were created in the image of God which means that every one of us has value and dignity and every one of us has something offer.  Accepting the gifts and talents God has given us and using them means we are living the story God has for us.

Can you remember a time when you realized that you had something worthwhile and valuable to offer the world or some God given gift you could share?  Do you remember when you realized that you could be something or do something that could make a difference or help other people?  For me, much of this happened through music in my home church.  We had a wonderful children’s choir with an amazing director named Judy Mack.  Mrs. Mack directed a couple of musicals and I was encouraged to sing and take part in those activities and I loved it.  That experience helped me see that I had gifts to offer and that I could tell God’s story.

Not only do we need to find our beginning and learn how we were created by and for God but we also need to encourage others to see the amazing life God has given them.  I would not be here today if it was not for Mrs. Mack, and my Sunday School teacher Mrs. Barrett, and my youth group advisors, Ed & JoAnn Foster.  They helped me see that I could do more and be more than I thought or imaged and they helped me see God’s story of creation and God’s story in me.

When we find ways to use God’s gifts we are telling God’s story.  Our jobs, our hobbies, our passions, our desire to serve and our encouragement of others tells God’s story of creation and that is a where we start, but the story continues.  We also step into God’s story and tell God’s story when we come to terms with the brokenness of our lives and when we acknowledge the brokenness and pain of the world.  The fall is a difficult part of God’s story to live and tell because it comes every time we come face to face with our sin and failures.

I remember the day God spoke to me clearly and said, Andy with me there is life but without me, on your own, there is death because you can’t make it on your own.  It was October of 1982 and I was coming face to face with my own sin and how I had made a real mess of my life.  I had to own up to it, confess it to God and others.  Admitting our need for help is not easy and it doesn’t just happen once in our lives, it happens often.  I can’t tell you how many times in the last 34 years I have had to again confess my sin to God and others.  Every time we confess our sin we are stepping into the story of God.

Can you remember a time when the sin of your life confronted you face to face?  Can you remember a time when stepping into this part of God’s story was painful and yet powerful?  It’s an important part of our story because until we admit our own sin, we can’t really see the sin and the pain of the world and until we confess our own sin God can’t forgive us and that is the next chapter in God’s story- redemption.

Every time we turn to Jesus and ask for forgiveness and every time we accept God’s forgiveness and acknowledge Jesus as our savior we are stepping into God’s story and living life to the fullest.  I’ll be honest, every day I am reminded of just how much I need Jesus in my life.  Every day I need Jesus to save me from myself and my own pride and self-centeredness.  Every day I need Jesus to save me from my own will and way which are never as good as God’s will and God’s way, and every day I need Jesus to redeem me or rescue me when I fall.

The first time the power and joy of redemption was made clear to me was also back in October of 1982 because it was after I understood how sinful I really was that I was able to understand what a savior we really have in Jesus.  For some of us that moment in the story is powerful, for others it might be more ordinary, but for all of us it needs to be clear.  Jesus is the one who saves us from our sin.  Jesus is our redeemer and the redeemer of the world.

While living this part of the story is vital to our life, it is not enough for us to just live this out, we also need to share it.  We need to tell people that God is right here to redeem us.  We need to tell people that God forgives us and that God loves us no matter what we have done if we will turn and accept God’s grace.  There are so many people who need to know that they are truly forgiven by God.  While there may be some people who really think they are living good and perfect lives, most people wrestle silently with guilt and feel the brokenness of sin and shame not just in their relationship with God but with others as  well and we can make a difference in their lives by telling them the story of God.  We can and need to tell people that they have been redeemed and forgiven by the God who created them and that this forgiveness can set them free from guilt and shame and help them live a new life.  

That new life is called restoration and it comes when we accept Jesus as our redeemer.  Back in October of 1982 when I fully realized not only my own fall but that God was there to redeem me, I experienced the absolute joy and fullness of God’s life being born in me.  I was truly being born again and the love and joy I experienced was wonderful.  There is a freedom and power and peace that comes when we are restored into a right relationship with God and that restoration leads us into healthy and strong relationships with others.

The story of restoration is one where we live into all the promises God has for us.  It is here we being to experience the fruit of God’s spirit which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  This is the life God wants to give us.  I know I have shared often about the summer I spent in Yellowstone NP and what made that such a remarkable summer for me was that it was one of the first times in my life that I was living a fully restored life in God.  I was living God’s story and it was amazing.  This is such a sweet place to be and when we are there we have the greatest opportunity to share God’s life with others because they just see it in us.  When we experience restoration in our relationship with God and others than we will be living life large and loud and people will see and hear God’s story in us and they will begin to want that story in for themselves.

The last chapter isn’t the end it’s just that moment when we realize God is calling us to share His story with others.  I knew from the moment of restoration and reconciliation with God that God wanted me to share His love and power with others.  I knew that this story was to be part of my life, but it took me a long time to figure out how and when and where to tell it.  For me living the call meant seminary and working in the church full time, but that is not what it means for everyone.  Wherever you are today, God is calling you so share his story with others.  At work, in school, in the community, in your family, in your circle of friends and your sphere of influence, God is calling you to live your story and tell of his love to others.

Maybe you have heard the saying, you may be the only bible someone will ever read.  It’s true.  You may be the only story of God someone will ever hear and see and if they are looking at your life and hearing your story today, what will they know of God?
Will they know that God created them and loved them?  Will they know that we all fall and have failures but that God doesn’t give up on us?  Does our life tell the story of God’s forgiveness and redemption?  Can people see in us the savior, Jesus Christ?  Can they see in us God’s story of restoration and new life?  We tell God’s story through our actions but we also tell God’s story through our words and testimonies and we can’t be afraid to share what we know with others.

So each of our lives is an epic story God wants told to the world.  Where are you in God’s story?  What chapter can you share with others?  What testimony can you give to family and friends?  What attitude and actions of your life can reflect the heart and hands of Jesus?  When we are willing to step into God’s story, our lives become epic.  When we are willing to make God’s story our story, our lives become epic.  The most important story we have to tell is not a story from the Bible, it is the story God has given to us.  It is the story of God told through us.  It is the epic story of you.

Next Steps
The Story of You

God’s story has five parts:
Creation – Fall – Redemption – Restoration – Call
Take one “chapter” each day of this week to live and tell God’s story.

1. Tell God’s story of creation.
Read again the story of Creation in Genesis 1.
Identify all the ways you have been created in the image of God.
Thank God for your very unique life.
What gifts has God given you that you can use to share His story?
Find one way to share that story this week.
Identify the gifts you see in your family and friends and encourage them to embrace them and use them.

2. Tell God’s story of the fall.
Where are you experiencing brokenness in your life?
Confess your sin to God.
What brokenness in the world breaks your heart?
Lift that situation to God in prayer.

3. Tell God’s story of redemption.
Accept the forgiveness Jesus offers you.
Open your heart and life to God’s healing power.

4. Tell God’s story of restoration.
Identify where you are seeing and feeling new life.
Memorize the fruit of God’s spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23.  Let this fruit be evident in your life.

5. Tell God’s story of call.  
Step into and live fully this story of God
Give your life to helping others see and hear God’s story for their own lives.

EPIC Stories ~ The Story of Jonah

 What would you do if God asked you to go to Mosul, a city in Iraq that has been held by ISIS forced for the last two years, and tell the ISIS leaders and fighters that God was calling them to repent and turn from their wicked ways?

ISIS fighters in Mosul

Would we be willingly go to a place where they would be quick to chop off our head, burn us alive or drown us in a cage?  Can we even imagine God wanting to give ISIS a second chance?  Do we think it is possible for them to repent of their wickedness and turn to God?  Would you go to Mosul or would you run in the other direction as far and as fast as you could?

Believe it or not, this is exactly what God asked Jonah to do.  Jonah 1:2.

Nineveh was the capital of Assyria (which is in the same area as Mosul is today) and Assyria was not only at war with the people of Israel but their violence and wickedness were well known.  We hear this from Nahum 3:1-3.  Long before ISIS recorded their horrific acts for the world to see, the leaders of Nineveh were doing the same.  They would boast of their deeds by writing them on monuments in their city and some of what they did sounds familiar?  They cut off people’s heads, skinned people and burned people alive.

The evils of Nineveh are comparable to the evils of ISIS and the location is the same so when God asked Jonah to go and preach to the people it would be like God asking us to go to Mosul to tell ISIS that God wanted them to repent.  Now it makes sense to us why Jonah would run in the opposite direction and head to Tarshish, which was on the coast of Spain and for Jonah would have been the other end of the earth.

It was as far away from Nineveh as he could get.  Jonah boarded a ship and even there he tried to hide from God by going below and falling into a deep sleep.

But God knew exactly where Jonah was so He sent a storm to try and stop the boat and Jonah.  The sailors threw everything they could overboard in an effort to save themselves and then they finally started asking who had made their god so angry that the storm was attacking them.  They determined that the guilty one was Jonah so Jonah told them to throw him into the sea.  The men resisted at first but finally they picked him up and threw him into the sea.

What happens next is why we know this story so well, it says that a great fish swallowed Jonah and that for three days and three nights Jonah was inside the fish.  Now let’s be clear, it doesn’t say whale, but that is often what we picture because a whale is the largest sea creature we can think of.  Whatever it was that swallowed Jonah that day saved his life and from the belly of this creature, Jonah prayed to God.  Jonah 2:1-9.

Jonah knew that God was giving him a second chance.  God saved him and lifted him up from his own failure and God was giving him a second chance.  God gives us all a second chance.  God lifts each and every one of us up from our failures and gives us the chance to experience the grace and power of a new life.  Read through the Bible, everyone got a second chance.  

In a throwaway society where we often feel like one failure will disqualify us from everything, God is always there with a second chance and the second chance isn’t to enter into some kind of compromised and damaged life.  The second chance God gives is to be all that God wants us and created us to be.  God didn’t save Jonah and then spit him out on shore to live as a second class citizen; God saved Jonah and once again called him to be a mighty prophet.  Jonah 3:1-2.

Jonah took his second chance and did what God asked him to do.  He traveled to Nineveh and preached to the people and the people took the second chance they were offered and turned toward God.  The king of Nineveh even heard the message and he turned to God. When all the people repented of their evil, God turned away from his anger and gave them a second chance.  Once again we see that God is the God of the second chance.  God is the one who is willing to extend grace and offer mercy, even to those that are the most evil.

Seeing the people of Nineveh cry out to God and turn from evil would have been a truly remarkable thing for Jonah to see.  This kind of thing didn’t happen.  God didn’t offer this kind of mercy to such evil people and evil people don’t really change their ways.  But that is what happened and that’s what makes this story so epic.  This is not an epic story because of a big fish or because of a second chance given to Jonah, this is an epic story because God gave a second chance to the people of Nineveh and they took it!  The most vile, evil and violent people of the day were still loved by God and God reached out to them and God’s love changed them.

It is hard for us to imagine this kind of love and grace at work today.  We have a hard time thinking God can actually love ISIS.  How can God possibly give a second chance to terrorists bent on destroying innocent lives?  How could God even want to do that?  But God does and God really does love people, all people, that much.

God does not love the evil that people do, whether that is ISIS or the people of Nineveh; God does not love the evil which is why God calls them to repent, but God does love the people and if we shift our focus from ISIS to ourselves we see that this is really good news because God doesn’t always love what we do and how we talk and what we think but God still loves us and gives us a second chance.

Taking the second chances God offers starts when we are willing to confess the evil that we do.  Jonah cried out to God, he confessed that running away from God and follow his own way was wrong and had separated him from God.  Jonah 2:4a, I have been banished from your sight.  Jonah acknowledge that he was wrong and moved in a new direction.

The people of Nineveh acknowledged they were wrong.  The king tore his robes and covered himself in sackcloth and ashes and ordered all the people to repent and then they were able to move in a new direction and live a new way.  Taking the second chance God gives us means confessing our sin and then moving in a new direction and starting to live a new life.  It means we turn from evil, prejudice, self righteousness and fix ourselves once again on God.  It means we center our lives on Jesus and follow the life Jesus laid out for us.  A second chance always involves living differently and embracing God’s life and love and future not our own.

So the people of Nineveh got the same second chance that Jonah did and they took it but the story doesn’t end there because this is not just a story about God giving us a second chance it is also a story about God asking us to give others a second chance.  When the people of Nineveh turned from their evil and cried out to God, Jonah got angry.  Jonah didn’t want God to forgive them.  Jonah didn’t want them to have a second chance so he sat down to pout.

Jonah was sitting in the hot sun so God had a plant grow which gave him shade and Jonah is happy.  Then God sent a worm to eat the plant and Jonah got angry that God destroyed the plant and God said to Jonah, You are angry that a plant died?  You have compassion on a plant but you don’t have compassion on more than 120,000 people?  Jonah 4:10

Jonah was more concerned about a plant and himself than he was about other people.  While Jonah was happy to get his own second chance, he didn’t want to offer that same chance to others.  This is an epic story of second changes because it calls us to have the heart of God and be willing to give others a second chance.  No matter whom they are and what they have done, God is calling us to give people a second chance.  Will we?

Here is what giving a second chance looks like.

While stories like this are amazing, let’s remember that most of the time the grace God wants us to give is nowhere near this dramatic.  God may not be asking us to forgive those who have killed our loved ones, but will we forgive those who have hurt us with their words or actions?  Will we give a second chance to a friend who seeks forgiveness, a coworker who is trying to do better or a teammate who is learning what a team is all about?  It starts small and then God helps us love and forgive in larger ways.  Will we forgive and give others a second chance?

I love how the book of Jonah ends.  We don’t know if Jonah changed his heart and mind about the people of Nineveh.  That question hanging in the air makes us ask ourselves if we will give people a second chance?  Will we invite people to take the second chance God gives them?  Will we work with them to find new life?   This is not easy and how we do it today is messy and challenging.

For example, Jonah was asked to give the people of Nineveh a second chance, what does it look like for us to give the people in this part of the world a second chance?

I’m not talking about ISIS now, I’m talking about the millions of refugees who have fled from the wicked and violent ways of ISIS; many of whom are our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Refugees from Mosul

While the refugee situation in our world is a hot political topic right now and the logistics of it are overwhelming and there are no clear answers, I have been thinking this week about how and where and when God might be asking us to give a second chance to people who have had to flee their homes.  

It’s important to reflect on this because Jonah got into trouble when he wasn’t willing to see people as worthy of a second chance; we cannot allow that to happen to us.  This is a story of second chances that God gives to all people and a story of us being willing to give a second chance to people so we need to make sure that we make the effort to offer God’s grace and love to all because through Jesus the offer of grace and love and the gift of a second chance was given to us.

In many ways the story of Jonah is a foreshadowing of Jesus.  Jonah called people to repent and Jesus called people to repent.  Jonah spent three days and three nights in the belly of a fish and Jesus spent three days and three nights in the belly of the grave.  After those 3 days each one of them rose to give the world God’s gift of a second chance.

The story of Jonah is an epic story of second changes because it reminds us that through Jesus we have been given a second chance and that through Jesus we are called to give others a second chance.  May this story of God’s grace once again be the story of our lives. May we take the second chance God gives us and may we share this story and God’s grace with others.


Next Steps
The Story of Jonah

1.  Read the story of Jonah.  Identify all the times God gave Jonah a second chance and how Jonah was able to give others a second chance.

2.  When did God give you a second chance in life and faith?  How did that make you feel?  Did this change your view of yourself and your view of others?

3. What second chance stories have given you hope or courage?  Who do you know that has made the most of the second chance in their life?  Share these stories with others.

4.  How can God use you to offer a second chance to others?  To whom can you share this message of grace and love?

5.  Are there groups of people you don’t think God wants to forgive?    Who?  Why?  What would it take for you to change your heart and mind?  How does this message of second chances impact your political views today?

6. This second chance story needs to be our story.  To whom can you give a second chance?  How can you begin to forgive them this week?  How can you be part of offering a second chance to people in the larger church and community?

EPIC Stories ~ The Story of Noah

 Today we are looking at one of the most familiar bible stories we know, the story of Noah.  One thing that makes this such an epic story is that it is universal and visual.  It is universal in that it is a story that speaks to all generations.  Noah and the ark is a great story that captures the imaginations of young children but Noah was also 600 years old when he went into the ark which tells us that God has a plan for us no matter what age we are.  It is also universal in that just about every culture has some kind of a flood story as part of their history so it is a story of God that speaks to all people.

The story of Noah is also very visual.  There is the ark

and all the animals.

There is the storm and 40 days and nights of rain

and then at the end we have all the colors of the rainbow

which still stands as a symbol of God’s promise to us. Our fascination with the story of Noah continues to draw people to Mt. Ararat in Turkey to search for the ark and just this summer a true to life ark was built in Kentucky so people can feel like they are part of the story.

The Ark Encounter

Today as we look at the story of Noah we are going to focus on all Noah had to overcome during his life to be faithful to God’s call.  His perseverance, persistence and patience are truly epic and these are qualities we need today as we face obstacles, problems and frustrations in our own lives.  What is interesting about Noah is that he was an overcomer before God called him, in fact, maybe that was one reason God did call him.  Genesis 6:5-9

In a wicked and self-centered generation where people were only looking out for themselves, Noah was different.  Noah was righteous, meaning he did the right thing and he treated people the right way.  Noah walked with God.  So from the very beginning we see that Noah was willing to be different from the people around him.  He didn’t care if he didn’t fit in, he didn’t care if people made fun of him or ridiculed him for his words or actions, Noah was going to live life his way and for him that was to live life God’s way.  So right from the beginning we see that maybe the single most important lesson on how to overcome anything and everything in life is to be willing to be different and walk with God.

Walking with God means we are going to look different.  More and more people today are defining themselves as being non-religious or having no faith so just saying we believe in God and that we trust in Jesus means we are setting ourselves apart from the world around us.  Living like Jesus will make us different.  Responding with grace and kindness on social media is not what we see in the world today.  Being honest about our shortcoming and owning up to our mistakes instead of shifting the blame or changing the subject is not what we see in the world today.  Being willing to sacrifice our time and schedules to place our faith first and our families second is not what we see in the world today.  Walking with God might mean putting our career on hold or shifting our priorities and there will be people who won’t understand our decisions.  We will look different.

Imagine how Noah must have been the talk of the town or the butt of people’s jokes even before he started working on the ark because he didn’t live the way the people around him lived, but because he did walk with God and was able to overcome the evil ways of the world, God knew he would be able to overcome the challenges found in building an ark.  Overcoming anything in life, whether it is issues with our health, finances or in our relationships, begins by being willing to walk with God knowing that when we walk the walk and talk the talk we will look and sound different.

So Noah was already an overcomer when God called him but he would have to overcome so much more and the first challenge he faced was to actually build the ark.  Genesis 6:14-16.   What God calls him to build here is huge.  Using one of the standard measures of a cubit, the ark would have been close to 500 feet long and as tall as a four story building.  It would have been able to hold the capacity of 500 semi trailers of animals which means that it could have held 120,000 sheep, in other words, there was plenty of room for all the animal.  Again, here is what the ark might have looked like and for one man and his family to build something like this was a huge obstacle but Noah overcame the problems and he did it.

It took a lot of hard work, persistence and perseverance for Noah and his family to build the ark but he overcame the obstacles and finished the project.  But this was just the first step, now Noah had to gather the animals and get them into the ark.  Can you imagine the challenge this posed for Noah?  A neighbor of mine has a cat that got out of their home and they have just recently seen the cat in the back of our yards but they have not been able to catch it.  She has been able to sit and talk to her cat, but they have not been able to catch it or trap it.  Can you imagine trying to catch or lead and place 2 of every animal in the ark?  Building the ark may have been the easier part of the job, but God doesn’t abandon Noah to the task.  Because of his faithfulness, God helped Noah overcome this obstacle.  Genesis 7:8-9.  So the animals came to Noah.  Because of his faithfulness, God now worked with Noah to help him overcome this obstacle and there is a tremendous lesson for us to learn here – when we are faithful and work hard and do our best, God helps us.

When we are faced with challenges that seem too much for us, we need to remember that as long as we hold on to our faith, do our best to walk with God and work with God, God will meet us and God will help us.  During a difficult time in my life I was doing my best to walk away from God and when everything fell apart I finally cried out to God for help and when I did that, when I turned back to God - God was right there to help me overcome.  As long as we are running from God, it’s hard for God to help us but as soon as we turn toward God – God is there help us.

Jesus told the story of a young man who had done his best to run from his father.  He insulted his father, took his father’s money and spent it all on himself.  Like the people in Noah’s days, he was living only for himself and his heart was directed to his own pleasure and well being.  When he finally had nothing left and hit rock bottom, the son decided to return home and ask for his father’s mercy and help.  As soon as he turned and began to make his way home the father saw him and ran out to greet him.  When we are willing to walk with God and work with God, God is there, but listen to this, when we are willing to turn toward God and start in God’s direction, God will run out to help us.  God wants to help us overcome and find victory in our lives and we can find it and God will help us overcome if we will turn to Him.

So God helped Noah by bringing to him all the animals which gave Noah the confidence and the courage needed to tackle the next obstacle which was to get inside the ark with the animals.  Think about the confidence Noah must have had in God to get into the ark and shut the door.  There were no flood waters when they started.  People must have thought Noah was foolish to hide away in the ark, but Noah overcame their words and Noah had the courage to close himself in the ark and live with the animals not for 40 days and 40 nights but for a year.  Genesis 7:11-12  and Genesis 8:13-19.

For over a year Noah was on the ark with all the animals.  Once again Noah overcame all the struggles and trials and hard work that must have been required of him during the year.  He endured the smell and the sounds that must have been terrible and after a year it says that Noah and his wife and his sons and their wives came out of the ark.  Here is another important lesson for us to learn, we never overcome obstacles alone.  Noah didn’t face any of the obstacles in his life alone, he had has family to help him and as we saw last week, family is important and family is not just defined as those who are related to us by blood because we a part of the family of God.  God gives us the support, love and encouragement of others to help us overcome and together we can overcome all things.

With our family and with our church family and friends for support, we can overcome the fear of health concerns and the limitations that come with surgeries and cancer treatments.  With our family to help us we can overcome financial setbacks and job losses.  With our family to help us we can overcome marriage and relational problems.  One of the great things about the church family is that whatever we are going through today there is someone here who has gone through the very same thing and they can encourage us or at least share with us the pain and burden.  There are people here who have faced the obstacles we do today and they have overcome them which means that we have a family that can help us overcome.

As part of the next steps this week, we ask you to think about both the obstacles you have overcome in life and the obstacles you face today.  I want to encourage you to identify those areas where you have been an overcomer and open yourself up to sharing how you found victory with others.  If we are willing to help others, God will bring people to us who need our specific help and support.  I also want to encourage you to identify the areas in life where we need to overcome obstacles.  What are the problems we face?  What are the struggles we wrestle with?  As we identify these things we need to ask for help as we are comfortable.   No one is an overcomer alone – God calls us to help and encourage and love others and God places us in families and among friends where we can both offer and seek help and support.

There is one more part of Noah’s story as an overcomer that we can learn from and that is the power Noah found in trusting God’s word.  All Noah had to go on was God’s word.  We don’t know how God spoke to Noah, but in some way God did and Noah had to trust that word.   By trusting God’s word, Noah found victory and by trusting God’s word, Noah and his family were saved and through them all the world was saved.  Trusting God’s word is still important if we want to overcome all that we face in life.

The Bible really does have answers for us today.  There are answers on how to be wise in our finances and how to build healthy marriages and strong families.  There is teaching here on how to develop a solid work ethic and excel in our jobs.  There is instruction on how we should treat others in our world and how to help solve the problems we face as a nation and world.  There is instruction here on how to live as a strong and safe community and if we will trust God’s word and learn how to follow it in our lives, we will find victory and peace.  God’s word helps us overcome all things and so reading it and knowing it and living it is important.

Noah listened and obeyed God’s word and overcame great obstacles in his life but what makes his story truly epic is that it is also a foreshadowing of Jesus.  Jesus overcame great obstacles – the biggest one being the cross and the power of sin and death.  Like Noah, Jesus overcame all things by walking with God and trusting the word of God.  And just as Noah overcame obstacles with the help of others, Jesus also leaned on others for help and support.   Jesus had the disciples for help and when they failed him Jesus had the help of God His father and the power of the Holy Spirit.  Noah overcame many obstacles and his faithfulness saved his family and world, Jesus overcome sin and death and his faithfulness saved the world.  The story of Noah was just a foreshadowing of the story of Jesus who overcame sin and death and brought new life to us all.  

The story of Noah is epic because it teaches us how to overcome.  To overcome we need to walk with God and if we aren’t walking with God then we need to start walking toward God.  We need to look for God’s help because God will help us and we need to trust God’s word, both written and spoken to us in the silence of our hearts.  We also need to remember that we never overcome obstacles alone; God gives us the help of family and this includes the full family of God.  The story of Noah is an epic story of overcoming great obstacles and with God’s help it can be our story of overcoming as well.

 
Next Steps
The Story of Noah


1.  Read the full story of Noah in Genesis 5-9.  List all the things that Noah had to overcome before and after God called him.


2.  Who helped Noah overcome all the challenges he faced?  List all those in your life you can turn to for help in overcoming challenges and obstacles.  Who might turn to you for help?  Would you be willing to help them?


3.  How does the epic story of Noah reflect the story of Jesus?  What did Jesus overcome?  How does Jesus help us overcome sin?  Problems?  Pain?


4.  Where in your life have you been able to overcome obstacles both big and small?  How can you share these victories with others and help them overcome similar obstacles?


5.  What obstacles and challenges do you face today?  Where can you turn to find help from others who have faced similar obstacles?


6. As you feel comfortable, share your responses to #4 and #5 above with family, friends and members of your small group.

EPIC Stories ~ The Story of Ruth

Monologue of Ruth  

The relationship and bonds of a family are important to God.  God created us to be part of a family.  God called Abraham and didn’t bless him alone but said that he would bless his family and make them great.  2 of the 10 Commandments deal with family.  First, God calls us to honor our Father and Mother and then God calls us to honor the vows of marriage with the command to not commit adultery.  So God creates us to be in families and teaches us how to keep families strong and then blesses families in many ways and today we going to look at the epic story of Ruth that teaches us what it means to be a family and how to keep our families strong.

To understand the power of Ruth’s story there are two important things we need to know.  The first is that Ruth was a woman from the land of Moab, and the Moabites and the people of Israel were usually at odds with each other.  The people of Moab were descendants of Lot, who was a nephew of Abraham, but they were pagans who worshipped other gods and the women of Moab were known and sometimes encouraged to seduce the men of Israel and pull them away from God to worship false gods and idols.   The depth of hatred for the people of Moab can be seen in the exclusion of the Moabites from any kind of worship life in Israel.

Deuteronomy 23:3-4 – No Ammonite or Moabite or any of his descendants may enter the assembly of the Lord, even down to the tenth generation.  For they did not come to meet you with bread and water on your way when you come out of Egypt and they hired Balaam to pronounce a curse on you.  So Ruth, as a Moabite, would have had no place among the people of Israel.  She would have been seen as an outcast.  

The second thing we need to understand is the Levirate Law of Marriage.  This was a law that outlined what happened to a woman if her husband died before they had any children and we find this law in Deuteronomy 25:5-6.  This passage shows us again how vital families were to God and to the people of Israel.  It was important for a man to have a son so that his name and his family line could continue and it was important for the women to have a son because a woman’s place in the world was defined by her father, her husband or her son.  Now I know that today that sounds very sexist and patriarchal and it is, but this is how the Jewish culture was established and this particular law was set in place not just to ensure that the family line of the man continue but to protect and care for the women as well.  In a society where men often died young, women needed to be cared for by someone.

So the story of Ruth begins when Elimelech and Naomi, a Jewish couple from Bethlehem, moved to Moab due to a famine.  Elimelech died in Moab which then left Naomi with her two sons, Mahlon and Kilion.  They both married women from Moab, a woman name Orpah (not Oprah) and a woman named Ruth.  Now both Mahlon and Kilion died before they had any children which left Naomi alone in a foreign land with her two daughters-in-law.

With no more men in the family for Orpah and Ruth to marry so that they could have children and be cared for, Naomi told both Orpah and Ruth to return to their families so that their biological families could provide for them.  Orpah returned to her family, but Ruth would not leave her mother-in-law.  Ruth stayed with Naomi and utter words that have been used at weddings ever since.  Where you go I will go and where you stay I will stay.  Your people will be my people and your God my God.  Where you die I will die and there I will be buried.  May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me.  Ruth 1:16b-18

In an epic statement of loyalty and commitment, Ruth sets aside her own well being and all her family ties to remain with Naomi and with this decision and act we begin to see what family is all about.  Fundamentally, family is not about blood or DNA or even legal contracts, it’s about sacrificial love.  Ruth’s connection to Naomi’s was through the marriage to her son and when he died there was nothing forcing Ruth to stay with Naomi.  Ruth was free to return to her family so that they could care for her or so that she could find another husband, but her love and concern for Naomi was so strong that she sacrificed her own wants, needs and future to stay with her.

What makes epic families aren’t great vacations or lots of things to have and do together but acts of sacrificial love that express our care and concern for others.  This love is expressed in many different ways.  I have done many funerals for older parents where the children told me stories about how their mother went without new clothes her entire life so her children could have what they wanted.  Or how fathers worked two jobs to not just put food on the table but to provide the extra things their children wanted for school or sports.  For me, sacrificial love was my Mom sitting in the car for hours and hours while waiting for me at music lessons, choir rehearsals, band practices and youth group meetings.  I grew up in the 1970’s during the gas shortages and gas was expensive and so my Mom wouldn’t drop me off, go home and then pick me up again, she would sit in the car and wait.  She sacrificed so that I could take part in all those things that made my childhood so rich and full.

Sacrificial love in the context of biological families is something we often hear about, but sometimes the epic stories of families are those where we see and hear about how sacrificial love creates a family.  This is the kind of love that welcomes foster children into a forever home.  Or the kind of love that makes sure that children who have lost a mother or father have all that they need in life.  There is a touching video of a young boy starting school and for the first time his father wasn’t going to be there because he died in an accident related to his work as a police officer.  The police force made sure this boy was surrounded by family on that first day of school and they showed up as a family to escort him to school.

Sacrificial love in a family is important but what we see in the story of Ruth is a sacrificial love that makes a family.  Ruth sacrifices her future to go with her mother-in-law to a foreign land to help provide for her.  We can all share that kind of love with others.  We can sacrifice and reach out in love to seniors to remind them that they are not alone.  We can make sure we include single people in our family gatherings so they can experience the joy of birthday parties and holiday meals.  When sacrificial love moves us to care for those in need around us in ways that truly cost us something we are building relationships that go beyond blood and biology and forming a true family.

Ruth’s sacrificial love created a family with Naomi and together they traveled to Naomi’s home in Bethlehem.  These two women didn’t have anything to call their own and they were completely dependent upon others to care for them.  In order to get food to eat, Naomi sent Ruth into the fields of a man named Boaz where she could gather grain.  One of the ways that God made sure the poor were provided for was that He commanded people not to harvest all of the produce from a field but to leave some along the edges for those in need.  Leviticus 23:22.  

So Ruth went to gather grain in the field of Boaz who was a distant relative of Naomi’s husband and Boaz took notice of the new woman in the fields and heard about all that Ruth had done to care for Namoi.  The story of Ruth’s sacrificial love touched Boaz’s heart and so he immediately reached out to care for her.  Ruth 2:8-12.  In time, Boaz fell in love with Ruth and wanted to marry her but due to the Levirate law of marriage, Naomi and Ruth would have belonged to the closest relative of her husband, which was another man in the village.  Boaz went to this man and asked if he was going to redeem them by taking them into his home and having a child with them and when the man said no it opened the door for Boaz to marry Ruth – which he did and another family is created.  Ruth 4:13-17.

This single passage is so full of images of family that we can learn from.  There is the sacrificial love Ruth had for Naomi which was better than the love of 7 sons and kept the family going.  There is the love and loyalty of Boaz who was a kinsman redeemer, the one who made Ruth and Naomi part of his own family.  We see the levirate law at work with Ruth and Boaz having a son but that son didn’t just belong to the two of them, it belonged to Naomi as well.  The bonds of commitment, loyalty and love needed for families is seen throughout the story, but it actually ends with a stunning picture of the family of God.

The final words of verse 18 cannot be overlooked or simply read as part of the genealogy we find throughout the Bible.  Ruth was the great-grandmother of King David.  So in the line of King David was an outcast woman from Moab, who was an enemy of Israel.  But now let’s take that one step farther.  Jesus came from the line of David, so in the line of Jesus we find an outcast woman from a foreign, even enemy, land which tells us that all outcasts are welcome in the family of God.  That Jesus came to love and redeem all people isn’t just something we see in Jesus as he reaches out to lepers and prostitutes and tax collectors, it was foreshadowed by this epic story of Ruth.  Ruth’s story tells us that generations before Jesus was born, the plan of God was for his son to save and redeem all people.  You and I are welcome into the family of God not by biology or DNA but by the love of Jesus.  Once again it is sacrificial love that makes a family.

In fact, that the story of Ruth was to be a foreshadowing of God making a new family out of all people is made clear by the mention of Ruth found in Matthew 1:5-6a.  Salmon, the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse and Jesse the father of King David..  I have to be honest and say that I never noticed that the 2 women included in the genealogy of Jesus were the mother of Boaz and the wife of Boaz – Rahab and Ruth.

Boaz’s mother was Rahab who was a prostitute who helped save the spies of Israel who went in to check out the Promised Land, which means that both women connected to King David and then to Jesus were outcasts.  Both women would have been clearly outside of the family of God and yet through one man, Boaz, they are brought into the family of God and through him are included in the line of David and the genealogy of Jesus.  From the very beginning God’s plan was always to bring Jews and Gentiles together into one family.  The outcast and the chosen were both going to be part of God’s family.

The story of Ruth is the story of family and it reminds us that all families are formed and nurtured and strengthened by sacrificial love.  Today the only way to strengthen our families is through sacrificial love.  The only way to strengthen the bonds with children and parents and heal divisions between siblings and cousins is through sacrificial love.  How can we live out this love story and strengthen our families?

The story of Ruth is also a story of God’s family and it reminds us that we are all part of God’s family because of the sacrificial love of Jesus.  We are all brothers and sisters and we need to see people from all walks of life and all nations and backgrounds as part of our family.  In a world that is increasingly divided along racial lines, political lines, ethnic lines, economic lines and religious lines, the story of Ruth reminds us that God’s desire is that we become one family and the way to form this family is by first accepting the sacrificial love of Jesus and then allowing Christ to live within us so we can truly love one another.

Today, as we share in communion we are sharing in it with brothers and sisters around the world.  The first Sunday of October has been designated as World Communion Sunday where followers of Jesus around the world share in this meal together.  What makes us one family in faith is the sacrificial love of Jesus, seen in the bread and cup and what keeps us together as one family is living a life of sacrificial love and allowing that love to be seen in all we do.


 
Next Steps
The Story of Ruth


1. Read the story of Ruth and identify all the ways that family is seen, created and nurtured through the story.


2. How has sacrificial love helped create, nurture and sustain your family in the past?  Thank those family members who have loved you.


3.  Family is not just biology and DNA.  What larger families are you part of?  What makes these families strong?


4.  All families need ongoing sacrificial love to keep them healthy.  Name three things you can do this week to show this kind of love for your family.
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5.  God calls all of us help create new families and expand His family.   Invite others to be part of your family gatherings and invites others to be part of God’s family by inviting them to be part of worship, small groups, mission and fellowship here at Faith Church.


6.  Share pictures of your family on our facebook page using the hashtag #epicfamily.  Include pictures of your biological family as well as other “families” that make up your life.