Kisser or Cleaver? - Pastor Kong

Kisser or Cleaver?

• 2 Chronicles 16:9
o God is looking for loyal and committed hearts

• Psalm 133:1-3
o We live in a time where loyalty is rare

• Ruth 1:1-2
o A man, his wife and the two children
o They left Bethlehem (the house of God)
o And moved to Moab (a cursed place – a city born out of incest)
• Ruth 1:3
o The husband died
• Ruth 1:4
o Orpah – “stiff necked, stubborn”
o Ruth – “friend”
• Ruth 1:5
o Both her children died
• Ruth 1:8

• Ruth 1:14
o One wept and kissed, then left
o The other one wept and clung onto her mother-in-law
o Every relationship in our lives has to be and will be tested
o We will only know if we are faithful when we are tempted to be unfaithful
o Tests can come financially and with relationships
o For Orpah, she was being tested. If she had gone with her mother in law, would she find a husband? Would she be able to have money? Would she have a future? It was inconvenient. She kissed and she left.
o She was never mentioned in the Bible ever again.
o The spirit of disloyalty is extremely destructive!

o For Ruth, she had loyalty to Naomi.
• “Wherever you go, I will go”
• “Wherever you lodge, I will lodge”
• “Your people is my people”
• “Your god is my god”
o They have built tremendous friendship between them

• Ruth 1:17
o “Till death do us apart”
o Ruth knew that she was going to a hostile land, yet she was willing to go with Naomi because she was loyal
o In the end, her faith was rewarded, and Ruth became the great grandmother of David, the greatest King. And then Jesus Christ, the Messiah
o Whereas Orpah became the great grandmother of Goliath, David’s greatest enemy.

• 2 Timothy 2:13
o He remains faithful

• 2 Timothy 2:2
o “Faithful men”

• Faithfulness is the cornerstone of character
• Similarly, loyalty is the cornerstone of character

• Ephesians 2:21
o “Being fitted together” and thus, “grows”

• Colossians 2:19
o “Knit together by joints and ligaments” and thus, “grows”
• We should be loyal to our:
o Spouse
o Family
o Friends
o And most importantly, God


- ZX