“The Best Is Yet to Come” (Ruth 4)

“The Best Is Yet to Come” (Ruth 4)Pastor Cameron JungelsEastside Baptist ChurchWednesday PM, July 15, 2020
The path that God has planned for our good is not always a smooth, straight path.
Ruth 3:12–13 NIV
12 Although it is true that I am a guardian-redeemer of our family, there is another who is more closely related than I. 13 Stay here for the night, and in the morning if he wants to do his duty as your guardian-redeemer, good; let him redeem you. But if he is not willing, as surely as the Lord lives I will do it. Lie here until morning.”
Ruth 4:1 NIV
1 Meanwhile Boaz went up to the town gate and sat down there just as the guardian-redeemer he had mentioned came along. Boaz said, “Come over here, my friend, and sit down.” So he went over and sat down.
Ruth 4:4 NIV
4 I thought I should bring the matter to your attention and suggest that you buy it in the presence of these seated here and in the presence of the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, do so. But if you will not, tell me, so I will know. For no one has the right to do it except you, and I am next in line.” “I will redeem it,” he said.
We have a responsibility to face life’s challenges with wisdom and righteousness.
Ruth 4:1–10 (NIV)
4 Meanwhile Boaz went up to the town gate and sat down there just as the guardian-redeemer  he had mentioned came along. Boaz said, “Come over here, my friend, and sit down.” So he went over and sat down.
2 Boaz took ten of the elders of the town and said, “Sit here,” and they did so. 3 Then he said to the guardian-redeemer, “Naomi, who has come back from Moab, is selling the piece of land that belonged to our relative Elimelek. 4 I thought I should bring the matter to your attention and suggest that you buy it in the presence of these seated here and in the presence of the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, do so. But if you will not, tell me, so I will know. For no one has the right to do it except you, and I am next in line.”
“I will redeem it,” he said.
5 Then Boaz said, “On the day you buy the land from Naomi, you also acquire Ruth the Moabite, the dead man’s widow, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property.”
6 At this, the guardian-redeemer said, “Then I cannot redeem it because I might endanger my own estate. You redeem it yourself. I cannot do it.”
7 (Now in earlier times in Israel, for the redemption and transfer of property to become final, one party took off his sandal and gave it to the other. This was the method of legalizing transactions in Israel.)
8 So the guardian-redeemer said to Boaz, “Buy it yourself.” And he removed his sandal.
9 Then Boaz announced to the elders and all the people, “Today you are witnesses that I have bought from Naomi all the property of Elimelek, Kilion and Mahlon. 10 I have also acquired Ruth the Moabite, Mahlon’s widow, as my wife, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property, so that his name will not disappear from among his family or from his hometown. Today you are witnesses!”
When the good that God has planned for us comes to pass, we should respond with joy and praise.
Ruth 4:11–17 (NIV)
11 Then the elders and all the people at the gate said, “We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the family of Israel. May you have standing in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem. 12 Through the offspring the Lord gives you by this young woman, may your family be like that of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah.”
13 So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. When he made love to her, the Lord enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son. 14 The women said to Naomi: “Praise be to the Lord, who this day has not left you without a guardian-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel! 15 He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law, who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth.”
16 Then Naomi took the child in her arms and cared for him. 17 The women living there said, “Naomi has a son!” And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.
We must remember that the good that God is doing in our lives may not be fully realized during our lifetimes.
Ruth 4:18–22 (NIV)
 
18 This, then, is the family line of Perez:
Perez was the father of Hezron,
19 Hezron the father of Ram,
Ram the father of Amminadab,
20 Amminadab the father of Nahshon,
Nahshon the father of Salmon,
21 Salmon the father of Boaz,
Boaz the father of Obed,
22 Obed the father of Jesse,
and Jesse the father of David.
Main Idea: The life of the godly is not a straight path to glory, but by his grace they do get there.

"Faith that Is Tested" (Luke 7:18-35)

"Faith that Is Tested" (Luke 7:18-35)Pastor Cameron JungelsEastside Baptist ChurchSunday AM, July 12, 2020
Luke 7:18–35 (NIV)
18 John’s disciples told him about all these things. Calling two of them, 19 he sent them to the Lord to ask, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?”
20 When the men came to Jesus, they said, “John the Baptist sent us to you to ask, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?’ ”
21 At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind. 22 So he replied to the messengers, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. 23 Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.”
24 After John’s messengers left, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swayed by the wind? 25 If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear expensive clothes and indulge in luxury are in palaces. 26 But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 27 This is the one about whom it is written:
“ ‘I will send my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way before you.’ 
28 I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”
29 (All the people, even the tax collectors, when they heard Jesus’ words, acknowledged that God’s way was right, because they had been baptized by John. 30 But the Pharisees and the experts in the law rejected God’s purpose for themselves, because they had not been baptized by John.)
31 Jesus went on to say, “To what, then, can I compare the people of this generation? What are they like? 32 They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to each other:
“ ‘We played the pipe for you,
and you did not dance;
we sang a dirge,
and you did not cry.’
33 For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ 34 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ 35 But wisdom is proved right by all her children.”
Main Idea: True faith will believe in Jesus even when things do not happen the way that we expect or the way that we would like them.

"Wisdom and Righteousness under the Providence of God" (Ruth 4:1-12)

"Wisdom and Righteousness under the Providence of God" (Ruth 4:1-12)Pastor Cameron JungelsEastside Baptist ChurchWednesday PM, July 8, 2020
Ruth chapter 1
(Home to Moab and back again)
Loss
Loneliness
Love and Loyalty
Ruth chapter 2
(Home to the harvest field and back again)
Providence
Provision
Ruth chapter 3
(Home to the threshing floor and back again)
Righteous Plans
Righteous Actions
Righteous Character
Ruth chapter 4
(Home to the town gates and back again)
1. The path that God has planned for our good is not always a smooth, straight path.
Ruth 3:12–13 NIV
12Although it is true that I am a guardian-redeemer of our family, there is another who is more closely related than I. 13Stay here for the night, and in the morning if he wants to do his duty as your guardian-redeemer, good; let him redeem you. But if he is not willing, as surely as the Lord lives I will do it. Lie here until morning.”
Ruth 4:1 NIV
1Meanwhile Boaz went up to the town gate and sat down there just as the guardian-redeemer he had mentioned came along. Boaz said, “Come over here, my friend, and sit down.” So he went over and sat down.
Ruth 4:4 NIV
4I thought I should bring the matter to your attention and suggest that you buy it in the presence of these seated here and in the presence of the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, do so. But if you will not, tell me, so I will know. For no one has the right to do it except you, and I am next in line.” “I will redeem it,” he said.
1. The path that God has planned for our good is not always a smooth, straight path.
2. But, we have a responsibility to face life’s challenges with wisdom and righteousness.
Preparation
Ruth 4:1–2 NIV
1Meanwhile Boaz went up to the town gate and sat down there just as the guardian-redeemer he had mentioned came along. Boaz said, “Come over here, my friend, and sit down.” So he went over and sat down. 2Boaz took ten of the elders of the town and said, “Sit here,” and they did so.
Negotiation
Ruth 4:3–6 NIV
3Then he said to the guardian-redeemer, “Naomi, who has come back from Moab, is selling the piece of land that belonged to our relative Elimelek. 4I thought I should bring the matter to your attention and suggest that you buy it in the presence of these seated here and in the presence of the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, do so. But if you will not, tell me, so I will know. For no one has the right to do it except you, and I am next in line.” “I will redeem it,” he said. 5Then Boaz said, “On the day you buy the land from Naomi, you also acquire Ruth the Moabite, the dead man’s widow, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property.” 6At this, the guardian-redeemer said, “Then I cannot redeem it because I might endanger my own estate. You redeem it yourself. I cannot do it.”
Transaction
Ruth 4:7–10 NIV
7(Now in earlier times in Israel, for the redemption and transfer of property to become final, one party took off his sandal and gave it to the other. This was the method of legalizing transactions in Israel.) 8So the guardian-redeemer said to Boaz, “Buy it yourself.” And he removed his sandal. 9Then Boaz announced to the elders and all the people, “Today you are witnesses that I have bought from Naomi all the property of Elimelek, Kilion and Mahlon. 10I have also acquired Ruth the Moabite, Mahlon’s widow, as my wife, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property, so that his name will not disappear from among his family or from his hometown. Today you are witnesses!”
Declaration
Ruth 4:11–12 NIV
11Then the elders and all the people at the gate said, “We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the family of Israel. May you have standing in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem. 12Through the offspring the Lord gives you by this young woman, may your family be like that of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah.”
Consummation
Ruth 4:13 NIV
13So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. When he made love to her, the Lord enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son.
Main Idea: The path that God has planned for our good is not always a smooth, straight path. But, we have a responsibility to face life’s challenges with wisdom and righteousness.

"Compassion and Power" (Luke 7:11-17)

"Compassion and Power" (Luke 7:11-17)Pastor Cameron JungelsEastside Baptist ChurchSunday AM, July 5, 2020
Luke 7:11-17 (NIV)
       11 Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. 12 As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out—the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. 13 When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry.”        14 Then he went up and touched the bier they were carrying him on, and the bearers stood still. He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” 15 The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.        16 They were all filled with awe and praised God. “A great prophet has appeared among us,” they said. “God has come to help his people.” 17 This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country.
Jesus the Son of Man Demonstrated Compassion for People.
Jesus the Son of God Demonstrated Power to Raise the Dead to Life.
Main Idea: Jesus is more than just a great prophet. He is the eternal Son of God, who has power within himself to raise the dead to life.

"A Divinely Appointed Opportunity" (Ruth 3:1-18)

"A Divinely Appointed Opportunity" (Ruth 3:1-18)Pastor Cameron JungelsEastside Baptist ChurchWednesday PM, July 1, 2020
 
1. God’s Providence and Our Plans (Ruth 3:1-5)
Ruth 3:1–5 NIV
1One day Ruth’s mother-in-law Naomi said to her, “My daughter, I must find a home for you, where you will be well provided for. 2Now Boaz, with whose women you have worked, is a relative of ours. Tonight he will be winnowing barley on the threshing floor. 3Wash, put on perfume, and get dressed in your best clothes. Then go down to the threshing floor, but don’t let him know you are there until he has finished eating and drinking. 4When he lies down, note the place where he is lying. Then go and uncover his feet and lie down. He will tell you what to do.” 5“I will do whatever you say,” Ruth answered.
Those who recognize the providential hand of God respond with righteous plans.
2. God’s Providence and Our Actions (Ruth 3:6-9)
Ruth 3:6–9 NIV
6So she went down to the threshing floor and did everything her mother-in-law told her to do. 7When Boaz had finished eating and drinking and was in good spirits, he went over to lie down at the far end of the grain pile. Ruth approached quietly, uncovered his feet and lay down. 8In the middle of the night something startled the man; he turned—and there was a woman lying at his feet! 9“Who are you?” he asked.“I am your servant Ruth,” she said. “Spread the corner of your garment over me, since you are a guardian-redeemer of our family.”
Those who recognize the providential hand of God respond with action and whole-hearted obedience.
3. God’s Providence and Our Character (Ruth 3:10-18)
Ruth 3:10–18 NIV
10“The Lord bless you, my daughter,” he replied. “This kindness is greater than that which you showed earlier: You have not run after the younger men, whether rich or poor. 11And now, my daughter, don’t be afraid. I will do for you all you ask. All the people of my town know that you are a woman of noble character. 12Although it is true that I am a guardian-redeemer of our family, there is another who is more closely related than I. 13Stay here for the night, and in the morning if he wants to do his duty as your guardian-redeemer, good; let him redeem you. But if he is not willing, as surely as the Lord lives I will do it. Lie here until morning.” 14So she lay at his feet until morning, but got up before anyone could be recognized; and he said, “No one must know that a woman came to the threshing floor.” 15He also said, “Bring me the shawl you are wearing and hold it out.” When she did so, he poured into it six measures of barley and placed the bundle on her. Then he went back to town. 16When Ruth came to her mother-in-law, Naomi asked, “How did it go, my daughter?”Then she told her everything Boaz had done for her 17and added, “He gave me these six measures of barley, saying, ‘Don’t go back to your mother-in-law empty-handed.’ ” 18Then Naomi said, “Wait, my daughter, until you find out what happens. For the man will not rest until the matter is settled today.”
Those who recognize the providential hand of God respond by displaying noble character.
Putting It All Together: The providence of God provides us with opportunities to respond with faith-driven plans and righteous character and actions.

"Amazing Faith" (Luke 7:1-10)

"Amazing Faith" (Luke 7:1-10)Pastor Cameron JungelsEastside Baptist ChurchSunday AM, June 28, 2020
 
Luke 7:1–10 NIV
       1When Jesus had finished saying all this to the people who were listening, he entered Capernaum. 2There a centurion’s servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. 3The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. 4When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, “This man deserves to have you do this, 5because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue.” 6So Jesus went with them.
       He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. 7That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. 8For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
       9When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.” 10Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well.
 
Who deserves the grace and kindness of God?
A man who is religious?
A man who is generous?
Who doesn’t deserve the grace and kindness of God?
A Gentile?
A Centurion?
 
1. God’s Grace Ignores Merit and Finds the Most Unlikely Sinners.
 
2. Unlikely Sinners Who are Beneficiaries of God’s Grace May Display Amazing Faith.
 
3. Amazing Faith Simply Trusts and Humbly Submits to the Lordship of Christ.
Faith begins when you see yourself as unworthy before God and you see Jesus as the Lord and Savior who is all-worthy.
 4. God’s Amazing Grace Produces Amazing Faith.
 
Main Idea: Amazing Grace Produces Amazing Faith in Unlikely Sinners.

"Bountiful Grace" (Ruth 2:14-23)

"Bountiful Grace" (Ruth 2:14-23)Pastor Cameron JungelsEastside Baptist ChurchWednesday PM, June 24, 2020
Ruth 2:1–23 (NIV)
2 Now Naomi had a relative on her husband’s side, a man of standing from the clan of Elimelek, whose name was Boaz.
2 And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go to the fields and pick up the leftover grain behind anyone in whose eyes I find favor.”
Naomi said to her, “Go ahead, my daughter.” 3 So she went out, entered a field and began to glean behind the harvesters. As it turned out, she was working in a field belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelek.
4 Just then Boaz arrived from Bethlehem and greeted the harvesters, “The Lord be with you!”
“The Lord bless you!” they answered.
5 Boaz asked the overseer of his harvesters, “Who does that young woman belong to?”
6 The overseer replied, “She is the Moabite who came back from Moab with Naomi. 7 She said, ‘Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves behind the harvesters.’ She came into the field and has remained here from morning till now, except for a short rest in the shelter.”
8 So Boaz said to Ruth, “My daughter, listen to me. Don’t go and glean in another field and don’t go away from here. Stay here with the women who work for me. 9 Watch the field where the men are harvesting, and follow along after the women. I have told the men not to lay a hand on you. And whenever you are thirsty, go and get a drink from the water jars the men have filled.”
10 At this, she bowed down with her face to the ground. She asked him, “Why have I found such favor in your eyes that you notice me—a foreigner?”
11 Boaz replied, “I’ve been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband—how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before. 12 May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.”
13 “May I continue to find favor in your eyes, my lord,” she said. “You have put me at ease by speaking kindly to your servant—though I do not have the standing of one of your servants.”
14 At mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come over here. Have some bread and dip it in the wine vinegar.”
When she sat down with the harvesters, he offered her some roasted grain. She ate all she wanted and had some left over. 15 As she got up to glean, Boaz gave orders to his men, “Let her gather among the sheaves and don’t reprimand her. 16 Even pull out some stalks for her from the bundles and leave them for her to pick up, and don’t rebuke her.”
17 So Ruth gleaned in the field until evening. Then she threshed the barley she had gathered, and it amounted to about an ephah.  18 She carried it back to town, and her mother-in-law saw how much she had gathered. Ruth also brought out and gave her what she had left over after she had eaten enough.
19 Her mother-in-law asked her, “Where did you glean today? Where did you work? Blessed be the man who took notice of you!”
Then Ruth told her mother-in-law about the one at whose place she had been working. “The name of the man I worked with today is Boaz,” she said.
20 “The Lord bless him!” Naomi said to her daughter-in-law. “He has not stopped showing his kindness to the living and the dead.” She added, “That man is our close relative; he is one of our guardian-redeemers. ”
21 Then Ruth the Moabite said, “He even said to me, ‘Stay with my workers until they finish harvesting all my grain.’ ”
22 Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law, “It will be good for you, my daughter, to go with the women who work for him, because in someone else’s field you might be harmed.”
23 So Ruth stayed close to the women of Boaz to glean until the barley and wheat harvests were finished. And she lived with her mother-in-law.

​"Not by Chance" (Ruth 2:1-13)

​"Not by Chance" (Ruth 2:1-13)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Wednesday PM, June 17, 2020
Ruth 2:1–13 (NIV)
2 Now Naomi had a relative on her husband’s side, a man of standing from the clan of Elimelek, whose name was Boaz.
2 And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go to the fields and pick up the leftover grain behind anyone in whose eyes I find favor.”
Naomi said to her, “Go ahead, my daughter.” 3 So she went out, entered a field and began to glean behind the harvesters. As it turned out, she was working in a field belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelek.
4 Just then Boaz arrived from Bethlehem and greeted the harvesters, “The Lord be with you!”
“The Lord bless you!” they answered.
5 Boaz asked the overseer of his harvesters, “Who does that young woman belong to?”
6 The overseer replied, “She is the Moabite who came back from Moab with Naomi. 7 She said, ‘Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves behind the harvesters.’ She came into the field and has remained here from morning till now, except for a short rest in the shelter.”
8 So Boaz said to Ruth, “My daughter, listen to me. Don’t go and glean in another field and don’t go away from here. Stay here with the women who work for me. 9 Watch the field where the men are harvesting, and follow along after the women. I have told the men not to lay a hand on you. And whenever you are thirsty, go and get a drink from the water jars the men have filled.”
10 At this, she bowed down with her face to the ground. She asked him, “Why have I found such favor in your eyes that you notice me—a foreigner?”
11 Boaz replied, “I’ve been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband—how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before. 12 May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.”
13 “May I continue to find favor in your eyes, my lord,” she said. “You have put me at ease by speaking kindly to your servant—though I do not have the standing of one of your servants.”

"Welcome Home" (Ruth 1:19-22)

"Welcome Home" (Ruth 1:19-22)Pastor Cameron JungelsEastside Baptist ChurchWednesday PM, June 10, 2020
 
Ruth 1:15–22 (NIV)
15 “Look,” said Naomi, “your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back with her.”
16 But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. 17 Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.” 18 When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her.
19 So the two women went on until they came to Bethlehem. When they arrived in Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them, and the women exclaimed, “Can this be Naomi?”
20 “Don’t call me Naomi,” she told them. “Call me Mara, because the Almighty  has made my life very bitter. 21 I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The Lord has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me.”
22 So Naomi returned from Moab accompanied by Ruth the Moabite, her daughter-in-law, arriving in Bethlehem as the barley harvest was beginning.
 
God providentially cares for his people and welcomes the foreigner.

"Love and Loyalty" (Ruth 1:15-18)

"Love and Loyalty" (Ruth 1:15-18)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Wednesday PM, June 3, 2020
Loss (Ruth 1:1-5)
Loneliness (Ruth 1:6-14)
Love and Loyalty (Ruth 1:15-18)
Ruth 1:14–18 (NIV)
14 At this they wept aloud again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth clung to her.
15 “Look,” said Naomi, “your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back with her.”
16 But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. 17 Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.” 18 When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her.

"Losing and Leaving" (Ruth 1:6-14)

"Losing and Leaving" (Ruth 1:6-14)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Wednesday PM, May 27, 2020
Ruth 1:6–14 (NIV)
6 When Naomi heard in Moab that the Lord had come to the aid of his people by providing food for them, she and her daughters-in-law prepared to return home from there. 7 With her two daughters-in-law she left the place where she had been living and set out on the road that would take them back to the land of Judah.
8 Then Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go back, each of you, to your mother’s home. May the Lord show you kindness, as you have shown kindness to your dead husbands and to me. 9 May the Lord grant that each of you will find rest in the home of another husband.”
Then she kissed them goodbye and they wept aloud 10 and said to her, “We will go back with you to your people.”
11 But Naomi said, “Return home, my daughters. Why would you come with me? Am I going to have any more sons, who could become your husbands? 12 Return home, my daughters; I am too old to have another husband. Even if I thought there was still hope for me—even if I had a husband tonight and then gave birth to sons—13 would you wait until they grew up? Would you remain unmarried for them? No, my daughters. It is more bitter for me than for you, because the Lord’s hand has turned against me!”
14 At this they wept aloud again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth clung to her.
 
The “House of Bread” Has Bread Again (Ruth 1:6-7).
Ruth 1:6–7 (NIV)
6 When Naomi heard in Moab that the Lord had come to the aid of his people by providing food for them, she and her daughters-in-law prepared to return home from there. 7 With her two daughters-in-law she left the place where she had been living and set out on the road that would take them back to the land of Judah.
 
The Long Road Home after Loss (Ruth 1:8-10)
Ruth 1:8–10 (NIV)
8 Then Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go back, each of you, to your mother’s home. May the Lord show you kindness, as you have shown kindness to your dead husbands and to me. 9 May the Lord grant that each of you will find rest in the home of another husband.”
Then she kissed them goodbye and they wept aloud 10 and said to her, “We will go back with you to your people.”
 
Drinking the Bitter Cup of Loneliness (Ruth 1:11-14)
Ruth 1:11–14 (NIV)
11 But Naomi said, “Return home, my daughters. Why would you come with me? Am I going to have any more sons, who could become your husbands? 12 Return home, my daughters; I am too old to have another husband. Even if I thought there was still hope for me—even if I had a husband tonight and then gave birth to sons—13 would you wait until they grew up? Would you remain unmarried for them? No, my daughters. It is more bitter for me than for you, because the Lord’s hand has turned against me!”
14 At this they wept aloud again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth clung to her.
 
Main Idea: Even in our greatest seasons of loss and loneliness, God continues to provide for and providentially guide his people.

"Where Is God in Times of Distress?" (Ruth 1:1-5)

"Where Is God in Times of Distress?" (Ruth 1:1-5)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Wednesday PM, May 20, 2020 
Ruth 1:1–5 (NIV)
1 In the days when the judges ruled,  there was a famine in the land. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of Moab. 2 The man’s name was Elimelek, his wife’s name was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to Moab and lived there.
3 Now Elimelek, Naomi’s husband, died, and she was left with her two sons. 4 They married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth. After they had lived there about ten years, 5 both Mahlon and Kilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband.
Disorder
Deprivation
Disruption
Death
Where is God in Times of Distress?
 
Main Idea: Disorder, Deprivation, Disruption, and Death are our common lot in this fallen world, but none of these distressing circumstances falls outside the guiding providence of God.

"In the Presence of the King" (Psalm 24)

"In the Presence of the King" (Psalm 24)Pastor Cameron JungelsEastside Baptist ChurchWednesday, May 13, 2020
Psalm 24 (NIV)
Of David. A psalm.
1 The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it;
2 for he founded it on the seas
and established it on the waters.
3 Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord?
Who may stand in his holy place?
4 The one who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not trust in an idol
or swear by a false god.
5 They will receive blessing from the Lord
and vindication from God their Savior.
6 Such is the generation of those who seek him,
who seek your face, God of Jacob.,
7 Lift up your heads, you gates;
be lifted up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
8 Who is this King of glory?
The Lord strong and mighty,
the Lord mighty in battle.
9 Lift up your heads, you gates;
lift them up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
10 Who is he, this King of glory?
The Lord Almighty—
he is the King of glory.
 
1. The King: The Creator of the Universe (1-2)
 
 
2. Coming to Meet the King (3-6)
 
 
3. The Entrance of the King (7-10)

"The LORD Our Refuge" (Psalm 16)

"The LORD Our Refuge" (Psalm 16)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday AM, April 19, 2020
Psalm 16 (NIV)
A miktam of David.
1 Keep me safe, my God,
for in you I take refuge.
2 I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
apart from you I have no good thing.”
3 I say of the holy people who are in the land,
“They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.”
4 Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more.
I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods
or take up their names on my lips.
5 Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup;
you make my lot secure.
6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
surely I have a delightful inheritance.
7 I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;
even at night my heart instructs me.
8 I keep my eyes always on the Lord.
With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure,
10 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
nor will you let your faithful one see decay.
11 You make known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
Overview
A song of trust and confession of faith
A miktam of David
The LORD is worthy of our exclusive loyalty, because he alone is God (Psalm 16:1-4).
Only the LORD can be our refuge (Psalm 16:1).
Psalm 16:1 NIV
1Keep me safe, my God, for in you I take refuge.
Only the LORD is to be worshiped (Psalm 16:2-4).
Confession of Faith (Psalm 16:2).
Psalm 16:2 NIV
2I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.”
Community of Faith (Psalm 16:3).
Psalm 16:3 NIV
3I say of the holy people who are in the land, “They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.”
Corruption of the Faith (Psalm 16:4).
Psalm 16:4 NIV
4Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more. I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods or take up their names on my lips.
The LORD is worthy of our praise, because he has abundantly blessed us (Psalm 16:5-8).
The Blessing of God Himself (Psalm 16:5).
Psalm 16:5 NIV
5LORD, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure.
The Blessing of Provision (Psalm 16:6).
Psalm 16:6 NIV
6The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.
The Blessing of Wisdom (Psalm 16:7).
Psalm 16:7 NIV
7I will praise the LORD, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me.
The Blessing of Peace (Psalm 16:8).
Psalm 16:8 NIV
8I keep my eyes always on the LORD. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
The LORD is worthy of our abiding trust, because he will never abandon us (Psalm 16:9-11).
Complete trust in the LORD brings joy (Psalm 16:9, 11).
Psalm 16:9 NIV
9Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure,
Psalm 16:11 NIV
11You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
Complete trust in the LORD brings security (Psalm 16:9).
Psalm 16:9 NIV
9Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure,
Complete trust in the LORD brings hope (Psalm 16:10-11).
Psalm 16:10–11 NIV
10 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay. 11You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
Main Idea: The LORD alone is worthy of our worship, praise, and trust, because he alone is our security, provision, and hope.

"Citizens of Heaven" (Philippians 3:20–21)

"Citizens of Heaven" (Philippians 3:20–21)Pastor Cameron JungelsEastside Baptist ChurchSunday AM, March 29, 2020
Philippians 3:20–21 NIV20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.
1. A Christian’s true citizenship is in heaven.
​     Two unhealthy ways we focus our attention on the world:
Desire - coveting the world’s pleasures
Distress - fearing the world’s troubles​
Colossians 3:1 NIV1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
2. A Christian’s sure hope is a returning Savior.
Philippians 2:11 NIV11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
3. A Christian’s steadfast confidence is in a sovereign Lord.
4. A Christian’s certain future is a resurrected, glorified existence.
Main Idea: A Christian need not fear uncertain or troubling circumstances, because we have a sovereign Lord and Savior, who is coming again to glorify us and bring us to our true home.

"The LORD our Help" (Psalm 121)

"The LORD our Help" (Psalm 121)Pastor Cameron JungelsEastside Baptist ChurchSunday, March 22, 2020
Psalm 121 (NIV)
A song of ascents.
1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;
4 indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The Lord watches over you—
the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
6 the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;
8 the Lord will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.
1. The LORD is our source of help; therefore, we should look to him (vv. 1-2).
2. The LORD is our vigilant help who never fails to watch over us (vv. 3-4).3. The Lord is our protector who ensures the safety of his people (vv. 5-6).4. The Lord is faithful and eternal, and he will never stop caring for us (vv. 7-8).Main Idea: In times of trouble and uncertainty, we may trust the LORD, who is our vigilant, faithful, protecting helper.

“The Lord Our Helper” (Psalm 124)

“The Lord Our Helper” (Psalm 124)Pastor Cameron JungelsEastside Baptist ChurchSunday PM, July 28, 2019
Psalm 124:1–8 (NIV)
A song of ascents. Of David. 1 If the Lord had not been on our side—        let Israel say— 2 if the Lord had not been on our side        when people attacked us, 3 they would have swallowed us alive        when their anger flared against us; 4 the flood would have engulfed us,        the torrent would have swept over us, 5 the raging waters        would have swept us away. 6 Praise be to the Lord,        who has not let us be torn by their teeth. 7 We have escaped like a bird        from the fowler’s snare; the snare has been broken,        and we have escaped. 8 Our help is in the name of the Lord,        the Maker of heaven and earth.
1. Take a moment to contemplate the thought: “What if God had not been for us?” (verses 1–5).
a. Don’t take God and his help for granted (verses 1a, 2a).
b. Without God’s help we would have been defeated (verses 1–3).
c. Without God’s help we would have been overwhelmed (verse 4).
Psalm 69:2 I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold. I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me.
Psalm 69:1 Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck.
Psalm 144:7 Reach down your hand from on high; deliver me and rescue me from the mighty waters, from the hands of foreigners
d. Without God’s help we would have been lost, gone forever (verse 5).
Psalm 94:17 Unless the LORD had given me help, I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death.
2. Take a moment to rejoice in the thought: “Our God is for us!” (verses 6–8).
a. Because the Lord helped us, he is worthy of praise.
b. Our Lord helped us and accomplished an unimaginable rescue (verse 7).
c. The Lord who helped us is the one who made the universe! (verse 8).
Psalm 121:2 My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.
Jeremiah 32:17 "Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.
d. The Lord, our Helper and our Creator, is for us!
Main Idea: “We live in a world full of dangers and snares, but we have a God who is our faithful helper and will never abandon us.”

“Robbing God” (Malachi 3:6–12)

“Robbing God” (Malachi 3:6–12)Pastor Cameron JungelsEastside Baptist ChurchSunday AM, July 28, 2019
Malachi 3:6–12 (NIV)
6 “I the Lord do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. 7 Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord Almighty.
“But you ask, ‘How are we to return?’
8 “Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me.
“But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’
“In tithes and offerings. 9 You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me. 10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. 11 I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,” says the Lord Almighty. 12 “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the Lord Almighty.
1. God is unchanging, and it is because of his faithfulness to his promises that we are saved (v. 6).
2. The problem is not with God’s faithfulness; the problem is with our unfaithfulness (v. 7).
a. Our track record of unfaithfulness (7a)b. God’s openness and faithfulness to restore (7b)c. Our blindness and cynicism toward our own unfaithfulness (7c).
3. Our unfaithfulness may be manifested in our lack of giving to God and the work of the ministry (8–9).
a. Withholding tithes and offerings from God is robbing from God what rightfully belongs to him (8).b. Withholding tithes and offerings from God may result in discipline (9).
4. A return to faithfulness to the Lord will result in God’s abundant blessings (10–12).
a. The solution to our unfaithfulness: repentance/turning (7b, 10a)b. God’s openness to our returning (10b)c. God’s abundant blessing on those who give generously to the Lord (10b–12)
Main Idea: The Lord promises to take care of his people if they demonstrate faithfulness to him in their stewardship; but he warns his people that he will withhold his blessing if they are ungrateful.

“Faithless People and the Faithful God” (Psalm 12)

“Faithless People and the Faithful God” (Psalm 12)Pastor Cameron JungelsEastside Baptist ChurchWednesday PM, July 24, 2019
1. Prayer for Deliverance (Psalm 12:1–4)*
1 Help, Lord, for no one is faithful anymore;         those who are loyal have vanished from the human race. 2 Everyone lies to their neighbor;        they flatter with their lips        but harbor deception in their hearts.
3 May the Lord silence all flattering lips        and every boastful tongue— 4 those who say,        “By our tongues we will prevail;        our own lips will defend us—who is lord over us?”
2. Promise of the LORD (Psalm 12:5)
5 “Because the poor are plundered and the needy groan,        I will now arise,” says the Lord.        “I will protect them from those who malign them.”
3. Reflection on God’s Promises (Psalm 12:6)
6 And the words of the Lord are flawless,        like silver purified in a crucible,        like gold refined seven times.
4. Prayer for Deliverance (Psalm 12:7–8)
7 You, Lord, will keep the needy safe        and will protect us forever from the wicked, 8 who freely strut about        when what is vile is honored by the human race.
*This lesson’s outline is taken from Willem A. VanGemeren, “Psalms” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, vol. 5, edited by Frank E. Gaebelein (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1991), 135.

“God’s Justice and Faithfulness” (Malachi 2:17–3:5)

“God’s Justice and Faithfulness” (Malachi 2:17–3:5)Pastor Cameron JungelsEastside Baptist ChurchSunday AM, July 21, 2019
Malachi 2:17–3:5 (NIV)
17 You have wearied the Lord with your words.
“How have we wearied him?” you ask.
By saying, “All who do evil are good in the eyes of the Lord, and he is pleased with them” or “Where is the God of justice?”
3 “I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty.
2 But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, 4 and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the Lord, as in days gone by, as in former years.
5 “So I will come to put you on trial. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive the foreigners among you of justice, but do not fear me,” says the Lord Almighty.
1. Questioning the administration of God’s justice is presumptuous and wearisome to God (2:17).
2. Instead of questioning, we should trust in the justice of God and wait patiently for him; because, God will send his messenger, and he will send his Messiah—but in his own time (3:1).
a. The messenger (John the Baptist) will prepare the way for the Messiah (Jesus).b. The Messiah (Jesus) is God and will come to his temple.
3. When the Messiah comes, he will come in judgment, and everyone will be accountable to him (3:2–5).
a. When the Messiah comes, he will judge them AND you.b. The Messiah will purify his true people in preparation for the kingdom of God.c. The Messiah will punish his false people in preparation for eternal judgment.
Main Idea: God is God, and the administration of his justice is completely within his sovereign will. When God does send his Messiah, he will judge everyone, and everything will be made right and just.