Love Opens Doors - Part 1

Today on Fellowship in the Word, Pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ. You see, the reason that FOMO exists is that we were created for more, and we're missing out, and we try all the wrong substitutes. We think, boy, if I could have just more, more money, more power, more prestige, you know, if I could have that, boy, if I could have more of what I want to write on my Facebook page, if I could just have more of that, but you know, if that's where you decide to go for more, it's insatiable.

You'll never be satisfied, because that's not what you were created for. Thank you for joining us today on this edition of Fellowship in the Word with Pastor Bill Gebhardt. Fellowship in the Word is the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible Church located in Metairie, Louisiana.

Let's join Pastor Bill Gebhardt now as once again he shows us how God's Word meets our world. According to an article by Jeffrey Mohan in the Los Angeles Times, he writes that a lot of studies have been done, and the conclusion is this. Going on Facebook tends to depress people. Now, he writes that Facebook, for a lot of people, is a chance to enhance your image. You get photos of yourself that really are, you end up looking better than you really do.

You list all your accomplishments, but your failures are cleverly omitted. For many people, as they read other people's Facebook page, they come away feeling diminished, that their life is not really measuring up to apparently what other lives are. There is now a epidemic, I won't call it, but I'm sure our culture will, a disease that is electronically transmitted, and it even has a name. Dr. Shirley Turkle of MIT calls it FOMO, F-O-M-O, the fear of missing out. She says apparently we're afraid that other people are doing more interesting things than we are, that other people are making a lot more friends than we have, that other people will find better ways to get in shape or better ways to save their money. In fact, Mindy Kaling wrote a book that implies FOMO in the title. The title of her book is Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? She writes, We keep reading online about how wonderful experience our friends are having. Sometimes in real time, and are increasingly afraid that our lives are dull and insignificant by comparison.

Stephen Furtick warns us though, he said, Never compare your behind the scenes life with everyone else's highlight reel. FOMO, fear of missing out, is part of the original sin. Amazing when you think about it. What did the serpent say to Eve?

He said, God knows that when you eat of the fruit of that tree, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God. And so her fear of missing out on that was one of the contributing factors to the fall. And yet for all its dangers, FOMO does tell us something very important about ourselves as people.

One is this. We have a longing for a better life than the one we're living. We have a longing for a better life than the one we're living. And secondly, we have an insatiable appetite for more.

We want more. I'm sure that many of you have heard of Ron Popeil. Ron Popeil is the infomercial man. He is really the king of the infomercial men.

I read this week his net worth is well over one hundred million dollars. Maybe you know some of the products. You may even have some of those.

Not working probably at the moment. The vegematic. The dicematic.

The dolomatic. And my favorite. Hair in a can. And when you watch his infomercials, and he was the first to pioneer this and do this, there's something that he does. As you get going in a commercial and get close to the middle and the end of it, there's something that he does.

He interjects this phrase. But wait. There's more.

And the reason that works is because of us. More. You mean I could have two cans of hairspray?

Two cans for just $19.95. But you know what? If we were really able to handle what is real, the fear of missing out in our lives. If we were able to deal with it the way God intends for us to deal with it.

We wouldn't have that disease anymore. Open your Bibles to Ephesians chapter 3. Ephesians chapter 3. The last two verses of that chapter. It's right near the end of the first section where Paul spends three chapters telling us who we are in Christ. Telling us what it means to be a believer.

All of the blessings that God has bestowed on us. And then in chapter 4, he goes to the applicational part of the epistle and talks to us about how to live out our faith. But right at the end of chapter 3, fittingly, he gives what is a benediction.

But it has tremendous meaning, especially if you suffer from FOMO. In verse 20, he says this. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think. According to the power that works within us. To him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations.

Forever and ever. Amen. That verse 20. Look what that verse says. God is able to do what we ask. God is able to do what we ask. God is able to do whatever we ask.

That's an amazing thing. God is able to do in your life whatever you ask. But there's more. God is able to do what we ask. And God is able even to do what we think. God is able to do what we ask and what we think or even what we imagine. God is able to do what you ask and even what you imagine.

But wait, there's more. God is able to do more than we ask or could even think or imagine. God is able to do more than you ask than you could even think. But wait, there's more. God is able to do far more than what we ask or what we think.

Wow. God is able to do far more with your life than what you ask and what you think. You know, if you really embrace that through faith, you don't have a need of the fear of missing out.

Not at all. You see, God knows something about us. He knows that we have a longing for more. He gets that. And he said, that's exactly what I offer. Think of Jesus Christ and what he's offered. Just what he has offered. Now, we know that he comes and he offers himself as a sin bearer. He offers himself as the savior of the world. He offers himself as your savior. He says, I will bear your sins on the cross. You see, I will be the substitute for you for the judgment of God.

Wow. But he says, but wait, there's a lot more to it than that. See, there's a lot more to it than that. He says, your sins will be forgiven. You'll have a reconciled relationship with the God who created you. You have the certainty of heaven ahead of you.

But he says, but wait, there's more. I will indwell you through my spirit. You can do all things as I strengthen you. You see, you can cast your anxiety upon me because I care for you. You see, you're not part of my kingdom.

He says, but wait, there's more to it than that. Think of the kingdom of the Lord where the least will be the greatest. He says, the least will be the greatest.

If you suffer from FOMO, if you constantly are putting yourself down and think you're so insignificant as an individual. He says, in my kingdom, the least or the greatest. The weak will become strong. Servants will become leaders. The marginalized will be loved and cherished. Where people who die to self will find life and they'll find it abundantly.

It's going to be the place where your little life becomes part of the life of the greatest story ever told. You see, the reason that FOMO exists is that we were created for more. And we're missing out.

And we try all the wrong substitutes. We think, boy, if I could have just more, more money, more power, more prestige. If I could have that, boy, if I could have more of what I want to write on my Facebook page.

If I could just have more on that. But you know, if that's where you decide to go for more, it's insatiable. You'll never be satisfied because that's not what you were created for. You don't want to spend your whole life looking for a mirror like Narcissus.

It's no way to live. What I proposed this morning is you look for a door. I've been speaking on doors for the last several weeks, how God opens up doors. And what I want to say today is that one of the most important ways to go through the door, open the right door in your life, is through love. Love opens doors.

Think about it. God so loved the world, that's you and me. God so loved me that He opened the door and sent His Son for me.

You see, He did that. The Son so loved me and you that He willingly went to the cross to die for me. Love opens doors. And not just from God's point of view or His Son's point of view, but from our point of view. Jesus knew it when He was asked, what is the greatest commandment?

They thought they had trapped Him and He didn't even hesitate, He said, oh, that's so easy. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength. You love others as yourself.

You see, He understood. Why? Because love opens doors. I want to illustrate that in a very warm story, the story of Ruth. Let's turn back to Ruth chapter 1 in the Old Testament, Ruth chapter 1. And the first thing I want to say is this. Love finds doors that personal protection and safety will never find.

Love finds doors that personal protection and safety will never find. Look at the context here. It says, now it came about in the days when the judges governed that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem and Judah went and sojourn in the land of Moab with his wife and two sons.

They're starving. They're in Judah. They decide to go to the land of Moab. The Moabites are the archenemy of God. They are just like the Canaanites.

In fact, they are part of that overall group. The Moabites are such an enemy of God. In Deuteronomy chapter 23 and verse 3, God says through Moses, no Moabite will ever be allowed to enter the temple for 10 generations.

For 10 generations, no Moabite's ever going to enter the temple of God. And they have to go to the archenemy, the land of Moab, because there's food there. And it says the name of the man was Elimelech. And Elimelech had a wife, and her name was Naomi. And the names of his two sons were Malon and Killian. They were Ephrathites in Bethlehem. It doesn't mean they were some kind of special people. Remember Micah wrote, O Bethlehem, Ephrathah, so small among the clans of Judah, the Messiah is going to come from you. That's what they called a resident of Jerusalem was an Ephrathite.

And so he says, now they enter the land of Moab, and they remain there. And Elimelech, Naomi's husband died. She's left with two sons.

Now this goes from bad to worse. First of all, we're starving, and then we have to become refugees, and then we go to our archenemies, and now my husband's dead. Now please understand, Naomi doesn't go in and cast a life insurance policy at this stage. There's nothing and no one to take care of her, and especially in a foreign land.

No one will take care of her. But she does have two sons. So it says the two sons then, she was left with the two sons, they took for themselves a Moabite woman as wives.

The name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other was Ruth. And they lived there about 10 years. So at least they're eating. And the sons have taken on Moabite wives.

It's really a good idea from the law point of view, but they've taken them on. And then it says, then both Malon and Killian also died. All gone from bad to worse to now tragic. Now she's in the land of Moab, her husband's dead, and now her two sons are dead. She has virtually no one to take care of her. Pretty much in the state that she's in, normally in that culture, you have to resort to a life of begging. And it says, and the woman was bereft of her two children and her husband.

But something changes now. It says, and then she arose with her daughters-in-law that she might return from the land of Moab, and she had heard in the land of Moab that the Lord had visited his people and was giving them food. Wow, someone said by word of mouth back in Judah, you can get a meal. There's enough food back there after 10 years to go back, and she realizes this is my only hope. I have some family back there.

It's the only chance I have. So she's going to leave. And it says, so she departed from the place where she was and her two daughters-in-law with her, and they went on their way to return to the land of Judah. So they're on a road trip.

It's a walking road trip. And it says, and Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, go, return each of you to her mother's house. May the Lord deal kindly with you as you have dealt with the dead and with me.

And may the Lord grant that you will find rest each in her own household. And then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices, and they wept. These three women have a lot in common. Two men that they loved are dead. They have no children. They're in a lot of despair for all of them, and now they're about to separate.

And so they do what women do so much better than men. They wept. They embraced and hugged and cried. And they said to her, no, but we will surely return with you to your people. But Naomi said, return, my daughters.

Why should you go with me? Have I yet sons in my womb that they may be your husbands? Return, all my daughters.

Go, for I am too old to have a husband. If I said I have hope, if I should even have a husband tonight and also bear sons. She said, look, if I got married tonight and got pregnant tonight, how can I help you? She says in verse 13, would you therefore wait until they're grown?

Would you therefore refrain from marrying? No, my daughters, for it is harder for me than for you, for the hand of the Lord has gone forth against me. She said, I know why my life is so terrible. God's making my life terrible. I don't want your life to be like mine.

There's no hope for you. Now, please understand this idea of marrying these girls getting remarried, it has nothing to do with romance. It has everything to do with survival. If they don't find someone to marry them, they may not survive. That's the way it works.

And the Moabites have a tradition very similar to the Jews in Judah, and that is family members come in and bring you into their household. It says, and they lifted up their voices and wept again, and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law. See, Orpah's thinking it through and she said, you know what?

She thinks what happens, she's done what you and I do all the time. You know, that makes sense to me. That makes sense. I mean, after all, I have to look out for myself as well. It makes more sense that I go back into Moab and find a relative to see if they'll take me in. It's a logical thing to do. You see, right here at this moment, there's a door. You see, there's a door to stay or a door to leave. But these are not doors of a right door and a wrong door.

God's never asked either one of them to do anything. That's the way often it is with doors. You have a choice to whether walk through a door or not. And Orpah says, that is good advice.

I'm going to go back. And then it says this, though, but Ruth clung to her. Ruth embraced her. And Naomi says to Ruth, behold, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods, returned after your sister-in-law. This is the third or fourth time she said, please go, please. And it makes sense. If personal protection is part of your life and you make decisions, it makes sense to go.

But you know something? A lot of times love doesn't make sense. A lot of times love doesn't seem rational. And Ruth said this, and I don't know if there are more beautiful words written about love in the entire Bible than these words. Ruth said this, do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you. For where you go, I will go. And where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people and your God, my God. Where you die, I will die. And there I will be buried. Thus may the Lord do to me.

And worse, if anything but death parts you and me. And when she saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more to her. Wow. What is she doing? She's doing something that's unreasonable. See, she's doing something that God didn't ask her to do and it seems unreasonable. She puts all of her eggs in the love basket.

All of it. I mean, think about that, of what she's saying. She's not saying, hey, I'll go back to the land with you and then go back home. I'll make sure you get there safely. She said, I love you, I'm in. I'll be with you for the rest of your life. I'll take care of you in your old age. And when you die, I will stay there until I die so that I can be buried where you're buried. How do you think Naomi felt when you heard that? How would you feel when you hear someone loves you that much?

And by the way, something I haven't said yet, but put it through your own grid. This is a daughter-in-law talking to her mother-in-law. Yeah, she's not talking to her mom. She's talking to her mother-in-law.

You see, love finds doors that personal protection never could find. You've been listening to Pastor Bill Gebhardt on the Radio Ministry of Fellowship in the Word. If you ever miss one of our broadcasts, or maybe you would just like to listen to the message one more time, remember that you can go to a great website called OnePlace.com. That's OnePlace.com, and you can listen to Fellowship in the Word online.

At that website, you will find not only today's broadcast, but also many of our previous audio programs as well. At Fellowship in the Word, we are thankful for those who financially support our ministry and make this broadcast possible. We ask all of our listeners to prayerfully consider how you might help this radio ministry continue its broadcast on this radio station by supporting us monthly or with just a one-time gift. Support for our ministry can be sent to Fellowship in the Word 4600 Clearview Parkway, Metairie, Louisiana 7006. If you would be interested in hearing today's message in its original format, that is as a sermon that Pastor Bill delivered during a Sunday morning service at Fellowship Bible Church, then you should visit our website, fbcnola.org.

That's fbcnola.org. At our website, you will find hundreds of Pastor Bill's sermons. You can browse through our sermon archives to find the sermon series you are looking for, or you can search by title. Once you find the message you are looking for, you can listen online, or if you prefer, you can download the sermon and listen at your own convenience. And remember, you can do all of this absolutely free of charge. Once again, our website is fbcnola.org. For Pastor Bill Gebhardt, I'm Jason Gebhardt, thanking you for listening to Fellowship in the Word.