He Cares For You
1 Peter 5:6-7 (NKJV) 6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
- Growing a culture of care – slowly.
1.1. Let’s focus on how to be the one being cared for. 1.2. Being cared for is a hard thing to do.
1.3. Being cared for means being vulnerable.
1.4. Being cared for means opening up.1.5. Being cared for means allowing people to see you.
1.6. Being cared for means allowing people to come close. - You are cared for.
Vs. 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
2.1. People have a hard enough time believing God cares for us.
2.2. So to think that we can cast our care upon Him…
2.3. Jesus is concerned about and interested in.
2.4. Humble ourselves under God.
2.5. Allowing the Lord to exalt.
3. IN DUE TIME.
1 Peter 5:6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,
3.1. Fixed time
3.2.“The time when things are brought to crisis, 3.3. Opportune time
3.4. The right time
3.5. NOT OUR TIME.
4. When dreams turn into dreads.
Ruth 1:1-5 (NKJV) 1 Now it came to pass, in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem, Judah, went to dwell in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. 2 The name of the man was Elimelech, the name of his wife was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion—Ephrathites of Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to the country of Moab and remained there. 3 Then Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, died; and she was left, and her two sons. 4 Now they took wives of the women of Moab: the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth. And they dwelt there about ten years. 5 Then both Mahlon and Chilion also died; so the woman survived her two sons and her husband.
4.1.This story begins with a seemingly hopeless situation unfolding.
4.2. But quickly turns into a story of care.
4.3. A story of loyalty, honor, redemption and the provision of God.
4.4.The story of Naomi, Ruth, Boaz, a widowed-sonless mother, a caring daughter-in-law and a redeemer.
5. Our current circumstances are not a picture of the end but only a part of your redemption story.
Ruth 1:11-17 (NKJV) 11 But Naomi said, “Turn back, my daughters; why will you go with me? Are there still sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands? 12 Turn back, my daughters, go—for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have hope, if I should have a husband tonight and should also bear sons, 13 would you wait for them till they were grown? Would you restrain yourselves from having husbands? No, my daughters; for it grieves me very much for your sakes that the hand of the LORD has gone out against me!”
14 Then they lifted up their voices and wept again; and Orpah kissed her mother-in- law, but Ruth clung to her.
15 And she said, “Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.”
16 But Ruth said: “Entreat me not to leave you, Or to turn back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, And your God, my God. 17 Where you die, I will die, And there will I be buried. The LORD do so to me, and more also, If anything but death parts you and me.”
5.1. So often we allow the circumstance determine our resolve to be loyal.
5.2. If Naomi would have allowed circumstances to be the determining factor she would have curled up into a ball and let life end.
5.3. When life gut punches you:
5.3.1. The loss of a husband, and one son goes, and then the final son.
5.3.2. Naomi must of felt like all the air was sucked from her body, the walls were closing in, and God had it out for her.
5.3.3. When all along there was a different ending to the story already written.
6. We have a redeemer who cares about us.
Ruth 2:1-13 (ESV) 1 Now Naomi had a relative of her husband’s, a worthy man of the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz. 2 And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find favor.” And she said to her, “Go, my daughter.” 3 So she set out and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers, and she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the clan of Elimelech. 4 And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem. And he said to the reapers, “The LORD be with you!” And they answered, “The LORD bless you.” 5 Then Boaz said to his young man who was in charge of the reapers, “Whose young woman is this?” 6 And the servant who was in charge of the reapers answered, “She is the young Moabite woman, who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab. 7 She said, ‘Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves after the reapers.’ So she came, and she has continued from early morning until now, except for a short rest.”
8 Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Now, listen, my daughter, do not go to glean in another field or leave this one, but keep close to my young women. 9 Let your eyes be on the field that they are reaping, and go after them. Have I not charged the young men not to touch you? And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink what the young men have drawn.” 10 Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?”
6.1. Find favor in the sight of the Lord.
6.2. Hard work does not go unnoticed.
6.3. “Why have you taken notice of me?”
Hebrews 2: 6 But one testified in a certain place, saying: “What is man that You are mindful of him, Or the son of man that You take care of him
6.4. The care we show people does not go unnoticed.
7. The Lord repays kindness, loyalty, care, hard work.
Ruth 2:11 But Boaz answered her, “All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told to me, and how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before. 12 The LORD repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!” 13 Then she said, “I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, for you have comforted me and spoken kindly to your servant, though I am not one of your servants.”
7.1. The Lord honors kindness and care.
8. Sincere care is hard to come by.
Philippians 2:19 But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, that I also may be encouraged when I know your state. 20 For I have no one like-minded, who will sincerely care for your state. 21 For all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus
8.1. Paul’s mind was to care for their condition:
8.2. It would be easier to turn and look the other direction.
8.3. And many times tempting to do so.
8.4. Caring does not mean you have to know the answer or solve their problem.
8.5. Trying to care for someone can be intimidating if you feel you should have their solution.
8.6. Caring does not mean you have to fix anything.
8.7. This mindset needs to be on both sides oof the caring.
8.8. Ela… I asked one guy how a friend was doing and he said I don’t know because if I ask it will cost me money.
8.9. Another person said to me once when trying to care… “we have tried to help you” his response was “only with words that’s”
8.10. Like where we started caring is one of the most challenging things to do.
8.11. Then there comes the whole potential for rejection.
8.12. You try to care for people and they up and decide one day that they don’t need your care or like you any more and disappear.
8.13. But you have to get up the next week and try again.