LET ME TELL YOU A STORY
by Ken Sumrall

I plan to publish some of the stories in the chit-chat that I wrote in my book, F0RGIVE AND MOVE ON. The following story illustrates the injury reaped through bitterness. A number of you have purchased the book, but some of you have not yet received a copy for yourselves or your friends. It would make a great Christmas present for your children or others you wish to honor. To order the 400 plus page book, send a donation of $12.00 plus $3.00 postage to our office designated for “book order.” Papa Ken

PLEASANT OR BITTER?
During the period of the Judges, when everyone did what was right in their own eyes, Elimelech, an Israelite from Bethlehem, moved his family from Israel to Moab. God forbade such a move, but Israel was in the middle of a devastating depression and Elimelech was looking for a job to make ends meet for his family. No doubt, he had planned for his family to stay just long enough to get through the depression. He knew God was not pleased to have his people dwell in Moab or any other pagan nation, but he reasoned that God would understand his need to look for a job.

But things do not always work out the way we plan, especially when we leave God out of our plans. The Scriptures say “ And they came into the land of Moab, and continued there” (Ruth 1:2). That short phrase speaks volumes: They “continued there.” After awhile they became accustomed to the culture of the people of Moab and both of their sons married Moabite women. So what had been scheduled as a short journey to Moab to “get on their feet” turned into a long stay. They would not have believed that the worst case scenario would happen to them. First, Elimelech died, leaving his wife Naomi a widow in a foreign land. After ten years, both Mahlon and Chilion, their sons, died also, leaving three widows without any men to look out for them.

In the meantime, the economy in Israel began to flourish. When Naomi heard about the prosperity of Israel, she chatted with Orpah and Ruth, her daughters in laws, and told them of her plans to return home to Bethlehem. Both women immediately began to prepare to go with her to her homeland. But Naomi did her best to persuade them to remain with their own people and culture. “Turn again, my daughters: why will you go with me? …it grieves me much, for your sakes, that the hand of the Lord has gone out against me. And they lifted up their voices and wept again. And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law (good bye), but Ruth clave unto her.”

What a sad and touching scene! Three desolate women: one who turned back to the gods of Moab. Another who in her heart, and with her confession, made Jehovah her God and Israel her people. And then there was Naomi, who had become a bitter old woman who blamed God for her predicament. History proved that Ruth made the right choice. She became the grandmother of Jesse, who was the father of King David. Ruth is mentioned in the lineage of the Lord Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew. I, as well as a host of Christians, love the book of Ruth, How often have the words of Ruth been read at a wedding ceremony: “And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God….So they two went until they came to Bethlehem. And it came to pass, when they were come to Bethlehem, that all the city was moved about them, and they said, Is this Naomi? And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi (pleasant), call me Mara (bitter): for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, and the LORD hath brought me home again empty: why then call ye me Naomi, (pleasant one) seeing the LORD hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me?”

When Naomi left Bethlehem with her family, she was a pleasant person and easy to love. Ten years later, she had become cynical and bitter. She renamed herself “Mara” which means “bitter.” She blamed God for her husband’s death, her son’s deaths, and her desolate condition. She considered all that had happened negatively in her life to be “acts of God.” It took a miracle of God to bring Ruth out of paganism in spite of Naomi’s angry testimony concerning God’s nature. After all, why should Ruth trust a God who Naomi said was so unfair in His treatment of her. But the Spirit of God overruled Naomi’s disposition and wooed Ruth to believe in Him.

FROM THE UTTERMOST TO THE UTTERMOST
Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. Heb. 7:25

In a like passage Paul writes to Rome: “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God to salvation to the Jew (the religious people) and also to the Gentile or the pagans.” Romans 1:13.

Does God love the homosexuals? I mean: Does He love them enough to die for them and save them? A better question may be: Do we love them and the others who thumb their noses at God’s truths and live in debauchery and wickedness? Do we believe the gospel is powerful enough to make the worst of sinners the best of saints?

Paul, called to be a missionary to Rome, described the pagans as hardened sinners: He wrote:
“ Instead of believing what they knew was the truth about God, they deliberately chose to believe lies … Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. And the men, instead of having normal sexual relationships with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men and, as a result, suffered within themselves the penalty they so richly deserved. When they refused to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their evil minds and let them do things that should never be done. Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, fighting, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They are forever inventing new ways of sinning and are disobedient to their parents. They refuse to understand, break their promises, and are heartless and unforgiving. They are fully aware of God’s death penalty for those who do these things, yet they go right ahead and do them anyway. And, worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too.”

The unbelieving Romans enjoyed seeing Christians killed by lions. They roared approval when they saw a Christian run-through with a sword. But Paul saw the Romans as prime candidates for sainthood through repentance and faith in Christ Jesus. Not too long after he wrote this Epistle, he was beheaded for His faith. I wonder how many who witnessed his death were later smitten in their conscience and were washed clean by the blood of Jesus.

When I was on the radio in Hattiesburg, Ms. in 1957, I declared there would be no homosexuals or fornicators in Heaven. But there would be many in Heaven who had lived in those kinds of sins at one time. A man who belonged to a Church that taught adultery as the unpardonable sin rebuked me at a service station on my way home. His words were: “I wiil never listen to you or let any of my family ever listen to you again. “ “What’s the matter with you Fred? I thought we were friends.” He repeated what I had said over the radio stating that I was leading people astray with that teaching.

I said: “Come sit in the car with me and let’s talk. After he was seated, I read these verses to Him from the Bible: “ Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.” (1 Cor 6:9-10)
He quickly responded: “See, I told you so. You judged your ownself.”

Then I handed the Bible to him and said: “Fred, you read the following verse.” He slowly read: “And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.” 1 Cor 6: 11.

Fred could hardly believe what he had read. His comment was: “Well, I’ll be dog gone. I did not know that was in the Bible.” The next Sunday he brought his whole family to New Hope Baptist Church at Sumrall, Mississippi, and as far as I know they are still connected there.

Dear beloved people, take note: Before long ministers will probably go to prison in our nation for writing or speaking these truths regarding some of the sins mentioned above. These passages need no interpretation. Read them for yourselves. The Word of the Lord is plain. The gospel (good news) is that God is good and does not desire that any perish. (2 Peter 3:9). We must take sides with God against these listed sins in order to escape God’s wrath. God is calling on the people of this nation to repent and turn to Him for forgiveness through faith in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

I have preached thousands of funerals in my 59 years as a minister of God’s Word. I understand the need of the bereaved to be comforted and I certainly attempt to do so. But whatever I or any other preacher says at a funeral, some of those we bury are likely in Hell as we speak. That is a terrible thought and hard for a compassionate preacher to say, but true nonetheless. God grieves when sin pays its wages. It does not have to be so. He has paid the price for you and me to be declared “NOT GUILTY.” Hopefully someone who reads these admonitions will reject sin and be saved.