Friday, October 15, 2010
God Is At Work - The Story of Ruth Part III - A Strange Proposal, Part 24 of 31
TEXT: The book of Ruth
IDEA: God also keeps His promises through the “inner-action” of God in His people.
PURPOSE: To help listeners realize that God may work in us when we want Him to work for us.
Recent surveys say that many young people who were very zealous for God in their growing-up years have walked away from the faith as they have gotten older.
Are younger people the only ones who are disillusioned with their faith?
Why do you think this happens?
I. Is it possible that our expectations of God are sometimes contradicted by our experiences with God?
When we think of God working for us to keep His promises, are we tempted to think that He will perform miracles for us?
Why do Christians respond to leaders who urge them to "expect a miracle"?
Is there spiritual danger involved in believing that God’s intervention through a miracle is the only way, or the major way in which God works?
Do you think that it is as easy to believe that God is at work when He INTERACTS with us to carry out His purposes?
Do you think that it is faith to ask God to heal us when we are sick?
Is it a lack of faith to go to a physician or to take medicine when you’re ill?
II. A third way that God keeps His promises to us is through INNER-action in us.
God may not perform a miracle to take us out of a difficult situation. He may not enable us to make a difference in the situation. He simply leaves us where we are, but does something beautiful in our lives. It’s the INNER-action of God in His people.
An example of this working of God took place in the life of the apostle Paul (2 Corinthians 12:7-12). Paul prayed three times to be delivered from a "thorn in the flesh."
Do you have any idea what this "thorn in the flesh" was?
Sir William Ramsey thought it might be recurring malaria.
Perhaps it was poor eyesight (Galatians 4:12-15).
How did God respond to Paul’s prayer?
Did God perform a miracle for Paul?
Did God allow Paul to "pull out the thorn" himself?
God left Paul exactly as he was and did something beautiful in his life. It was the “inner-action” of God in Paul.
Do you see this INNER-action working in the characters in the story of Ruth?
