Turn with me if you would to
Romans chapter 8. Romans chapter 8. As we mention each time, normally
we don't go through a book on Sunday morning, we've been going
through Ruth for the last few weeks. And each week We mentioned
the fact that this story of Ruth is our story. This is my story. The precious story of grace,
that's what this is. Ephesians 1 calls it the gospel
of your salvation. I love that. Not just salvation,
the gospel of your salvation. Well, the things that took place
there in the book of Ruth, they are the same things that take
place with every child of God who is brought to Christ. Every
single one. Look here in Romans 8. Verse
28 says, And we know that all things work
together for good to them that love God to them who are the
called according to his purpose." Everything that God does to and
everything that God does for each of his children, he does
it on purpose. Boaz said, he told his men, you
let fall some of the handfuls of purpose. Not just handfuls
on purpose, handfuls of purpose. The story of every child of God
is the same. It's the same. They may have
some minor differences. Some, they may have come to Christ
at a younger age. Some at an older age. Some may
have been converted very easily. The Lord opens their eyes to
the Word and that's it. Some may have come through difficulty
to it. Some come out of the gutter.
Some come out of the pew, which is the gutter. But the means and the result
are always the same. They're always the same. The
means and the result, they're always the same. Look at Romans
8 verse 29. For whom he did foreknow, that
means before this world was ever made. God knew every single person
that He chose to love before this world was ever made. Whom
He did foreknow, He also did predestinate. He destined them
before this world was ever made. To be conformed to the image
of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.
Moreover, whom He did predestinate, Them he also called. Do you know how he calls each
of those people? By his gospel. He calls them
by his gospel. And it says, Whom he called,
them he also justified. Do you know how they are justified
in the world in that moment in time? By faith. Now they're justified in the
blood of Christ. He is the just and justifier.
And God predestinated a particular people to hear his gospel and
be called, and he said Abraham was justified by faith, believing
on the Lord Jesus Christ. And it says in verse 30, Whom
He justified, them He also glorified. That is Ruth's story. That's
the story we're looking at. That is our story. If we belong
to Him, that's our story. Go with me now over to Ruth chapter
2. Chapter 1 began with the lamb
slain from the foundation of the world, and it ended with
the grace of God calling a sinner unto himself by the gospel message
of grace. Chapter 2 began with grace sending
that sinner to the field of the only man who could help her,
and his name was Boaz. In him is strength. And she gleaned
in his field, and what she gleaned was the promise of his word. He brought her to his field,
he opened her eyes to glean in that field, and she saw the promise
and heard the promise of his word, just like every one of
us did. Chapter 2, verse 8 says, Then
said Boaz unto Ruth, Hearest thou not my daughter? Go not
to glean in another field, neither go from hence, but abide here
fast by my maidens. Let thine eyes be on the field
that they do reap, and go thou after them. Have I not charged
the young men that they shall not touch thee? And when thou
art athirst, go unto the vessels and drink of that which the young
men have drawn." The mercy of God to a sinner. is that he would
cause a sinner to glean in the field of this Word. That's the
mercy of God to a sinner. The end is near. The end is near. And there's only going to be
one thing that matters when we cross over. Has God caused me
to glean Christ in His Word? That's all that's going to matter. That's the mercy of God to a
sinner. That he would cause a sinner to drink of the water of his
word and feast on his word. Look at verse 14. It says, And
Boaz said unto her, At mealtime come thou hither, and eat of
the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar. And she sat beside
the reapers, and he reached her parched corn. And she did eat,
and was sufficed and left. And when she was risen up to
glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, Let her glean even
among the sheaves, and reproach her not. And let fall also some
of the handfuls of purpose for her, and leave them, that she
may glean them, and rebuke her not. So she gleaned in the field
until even, and beat out that she had gleaned, and it was about
an ephah of barley. Now our text begins in verse
18. And verse 18 begins by saying, And she took it up. She took it up. What did she take up? She gleaned
in this field, and what did she take up? She took up the precious
promise of this Word. She took it up. The Word of God,
the fruit and the blessings of His favor. The blessings of His
favor are in this field. And God caused her to glean them,
and it says she took them up. I love what the scripture says
about Mary. When our Lord was born, everything
that happened, and there's an account of Him in the temple
at 12 years old, everything that He said, everything that was
said about Him, Luke says, Mary kept all these things and pondered
them in her heart. She kept all of them and pondered
them in her heart. Well, the gleaning of this word,
it brings the fruit and the blessing of His favor. The fruit and the
blessing of His favor. And it says, Ruth took it up.
Go with me to Proverbs chapter 3. Proverbs 3 verse 1 says, My son, forget not my law, but
let thine heart keep my commandments. Now can we keep God's commandments?
Not the way God has told us to. That means guard them. That means
love them. That means hold them close. Keep
them in your heart, that's what it means. My son, forget not
my law, but let thine heart keep my commandments. For length of
days and long life and peace shall they add to thee. Let not
mercy and truth forsake thee. Bind them about thy neck. Write
them upon the table of thine heart. So shalt thou find favor
and good understanding in the sight of God and man. Trust in
the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him,
and He shall direct thy paths." Keep my commandments. She took it up. Keep them. Back over in Ruth, verse 18 says,
And she took it up and went into the city, she went
home, and her mother-in-law, that's Naomi, that's Grace. Grace saw what she had gleaned
and this chosen sinner, it says, brought forth and gave to Grace
that she had reserved after she was sufficed. Now there's something
very specific that takes place in the heart of a sinner When
a sinner comes to a true knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, true
knowledge of His Word, when God calls a sinner, when God brings
a sinner, when God opens a sinner's eyes, opens his ears, his understanding,
causes a sinner to glean, He puts fruit in the heart of that
sinner. Every single time That sinner
will give everything he has received to grace. You know that? The grace of God. Every single
time. They'll give it all to grace.
They'll bring it all back to grace. I owe it all to grace. You know why I'm saved? Grace. The grace of God. That's why
I'm saved. Do you know that very few people
believe that? Do you know that? Why are you saved? If God has
saved you, why are you saved? Well, it's because I go to church,
not me. There's a lot of church-going
people who are not saved. It's because I was baptized,
not me. There's a lot of baptized people
who are not saved. Why are we saved? Why have we received what we've
received? Grace. Until God does all that to a
sinner, this is what the sinner will say. I ascribe it all to my own works. I ascribe it all to my own will.
It was my decision. I made the decision. But if God ever opens a sinner's
eyes to the Lord Jesus Christ, and if he ever sees everything
that he's done, if he ever sees how unworthy
he is, do you know that if God does not open a sinner's eyes
to how unworthy he is, that sinner will never see it? Never see
it. The mercy of God is that He would
open a sinner's eyes to his unworthiness. That's the mercy of God. If a
sinner ever sees that, he's going to give it all to grace. The
grace of God. The gift of God. That gift... What's the gift of God? For God
so loved the world, He gave a gift. His only begotten Son. It was
the blood of His only Son. We sing a song that says, O to
grace, how great a debtor! Daily I'm constrained to be.
I am what I am by the grace of God. That's it. The grace of
God. We give it all to grace. Saved
by grace. Verse 18 says, And she took it
up and went into the city, and her mother-in-law saw what she
had gleaned, And she brought forth and gave to her that she
had reserved after she was sufficed. And her mother-in-law said unto
her, Where hast thou gleaned today? And where wroughtest thou? You did such a good job. You're
the best gleaner I've ever seen in my life. That's not what Grace says. That's not what grace is. Most religious organizations
are motivational speaking sessions. Grace is the opposite. A person comes in, and they're
down, and they're low, and they're hurting in this world, and grace
says, you're nothing. Well, that makes me feel worse
than I did before. Well, it doesn't really matter
because you're dead. You can't feel anything anyway. Everything you do is a filthy
rag. God hates everything you've done. Everything. It's all a stench
in His nostril. That's what Grace says. And then
Grace says, Now let me tell you about somebody. His name is Jesus
Christ. Everything he's ever done is
glorious in the eyes of God. All of his works are a sweet
smelling savor in the nostrils of God. He is well pleased with
him. He has a field. I'm going to
show you where it is. I'm going to bring you to it.
I'm going to give you something out of it. You're going to take
it home. You're going to feast on it.
And then you're going to give it all back to Christ and say
everything is of Him. Oh to grace, how great a debtor. Daily I'm constrained to be. This is what grace tells a sinner.
Look at verse 19. And her mother-in-law said unto
her, Where hast thou gleaned to-day? And where wroughtest
thou? Blessed be he that did take knowledge
of thee. Grace says, You remember where
all of that came from. Psalm 100 says, Know ye that
the Lord, He is God. It is He that hath made us, and
not we ourselves. We are His people and the sheep
of His pasture. Remember that. Verse 19, Grace
said, Where hast thou gleaned today, and where wroughtest thou? Blessed be He that did take knowledge
of thee. And she showed her mother-in-law
with whom she had wrought, and said, The man's name with whom
I wrought today is Boaz. Ruth didn't know much, but she knew one thing. This
is all I know. His name is Boaz. I know who the master of the
field is. I know the one who the Reapers
are working for, who everything's going to. His name is Boaz. That's all I know. Listen to
this song. It says, I know not why God's
wondrous grace to me he hath made known. Why did he choose
me? Nor why unworthy Christ in love redeemed me for his own. But I know whom I have believed.
Why did God save me? I don't know. I don't know. Were you worthy? Absolutely not. I know not how this saving faith
to me He did impart. I don't know how He gives me
this faith. I know it's by His Spirit. I
understand all that. Nor how believing in His Word
wrought peace within my heart. But I know whom I have believed.
I do know that. I know not how the Spirit moves
convincing men of sin. God's mercy is if His Spirit
will go forth and lay it on the hearts of somebody and tell them,
you're the biggest sinner you could ever imagine. And make them lost. Make them
lost. I think this is the only house
in Kingsport that is trying to get people lost. Come on here
and we'll get you saved. Not in here. If you come in here,
we'll get you lost. I know not how the Spirit moves,
convincing men of sin, revealing Jesus through the Word, creating
faith. That's rotten in him. I don't
know all that, but I know whom I have believed. I know not what of good or ill
may be reserved for me. What's going to come today or
tomorrow? I don't know. Is God going to bless the work
here? I don't know. Is God going to shut it down? I don't know. Of weary ways or golden days
before his face I see, but I know whom I have believed. I know not when my Lord may come,
at night or in the middle of a message or noonday fair. or if I walk the veil with Him,
or meet Him in the air, but I know whom I have believed. And I'm
persuaded that He's able to keep that which I have ascribed to
grace against that day. I don't know much, but I know
His name is Boaz. That's all you need to know,
honey. That's all you need to know. Verse 19, she said, The man's
name with whom I wrought today is Boaz. And grace said unto
this chosen vessel of mercy, Blessed be he of the Lord, who
hath not left off his kindness to the living and to the dead.
And grace said to the sinner, The man is near of kin to us,
one of our next kinsmen. That's what grace tells the sinner. Do you have a margin in your
Bible? It says, the one that hath right to redeem. Let me tell you who Boaz is. He is the one person that has
the right, you know I don't have the right to do anything. Well,
I know my rights. According to the laws of the
land, I ought to be in jail. There is one that has the right
to redeem. This poor beggar gleaned in His
field, received the fruit of the blessing of His favor. Why
did she receive all this? His favor. That's it. And then
grace said, let me tell you who that really is. I'm going to
tell you who that really is. Blessed be he of the Lord. Go
with me to Genesis 14. Genesis 14 verse 19. And he blessed him and said,
Blessed be Abram of the Most High God. Who is Jesus Christ? Boaz represents Jesus Christ. Who is Jesus Christ? Well, we're
going to come here to hear about somebody named Jesus. I don't
know much, but I know we're here because of a man named Jesus.
Let me tell you who he is. He's the Most High God. The Most High God. He says, The
Possessor of Heaven and Earth. That's who He is. Grace told
that sinner, You have found favor with the Most High God. The Possessor
of Heaven and Earth. That's pretty good news. The One that has the right to
redeem you. Boaz is your kinsman redeemer. Now, if a woman had lost her
husband, this was the law back then, if a woman had lost her
husband and lost her land and lost everything she had, had
something and lost it, and Adam had something and he
lost it. But if she had something and
lost it, she could be redeemed, redeemed, brought back. Everything
could be brought back for her by another. But by law, there
were some requirements that must be met in order for her to be
redeemed. First, her redeemer must be near of kin. That's the law. Near of kin. Well, listen to this, ruin sinner.
I'm going to tell you some doctrine. Maybe it will bless your heart. God became a man. Can you believe that? The mighty God became near kin
to us. Was Jesus Christ really God? 100%. Now let me ask you this question.
God walked this earth, right? Let me ask you this question.
Was Jesus Christ really a man? 100%. 100%. He became near kin to us. Made in the likeness of sinful
flesh. Look at verse 20. Naomi said,
The man is near of kin to us. Both of us. He's kin to God and
he's kin to man. He's kin to both of us. The law also said that the redeemer
must be able to redeem. That's what the law said. It
means he must have the money. If he's going to do it, he's
got to have all the money. He's got to have it in hand. He must be able to pay it in
full. We're not going to make payments on this thing. That's
the point. We're not financing this. You must be able to pay
it in full right now. Well, listen to this, ruined
sinner. The Lord Jesus Christ, He is able to deliver thee. He
is able to deliver thee, though by sin oppressed. Look to him
for rest. He's able. He paid it all, all
the debt you owe. Sin had left a crimson stain.
He washed it white as snow. The law said he must be near
of kin. He must be able to redeem. And he must be free from the
need of redemption himself. That means his record must be
spotless. Spotless. Perfect. How's your
credit? Perfect. He's perfect. Listen to this, Ruin Center.
He who knew no sin hath made himself to be sin for us, that
we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. He had to be kin,
He had to be able, He had to be spotless, and here's the last
one, He had to be willing. He didn't have to. He did not have to. Well, dear rue and sinner, let
me tell you that there was a leper one time that walked up to the
Lord Jesus Christ, our Redeemer. And he said, Lord, if thou wilt,
thou canst make me clean. And the Redeemer said, I will. I will. Be thou clean. Go with me to Job 29. This is
a precious verse. Job 29. Every ruined sinner will
enter into Job 29 verse 13. It says, The blessing of him
that was ready to perish came upon me. And I caused the widow's
heart to sing for joy. That's what happened to both
Ruth and Naomi. I caused the widow's heart to
sing for joy. The fruit and blessing of His
favor. Go back over to Ruth 2. Verse 20 says, And Ruth the Moabitess
said, He said unto me also, thou shalt keep fast by my young men
until they have ended all my harvest. And Naomi said unto
Ruth, her daughter-in-law, it is good, my daughter, that thou
go out with his maidens, that they meet thee not in any other
field. Our Lord said, the harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers
are few. Pray ye therefore the Lord of
the harvest that he will send forth laborers into his harvest."
We are in the harvest. We're in the harvest. And our God has said to his people,
and his people want to, keep fast by his young men until they
have ended all his harvest. At some point this harvest is
going to be over. And that is exactly what I want to do. I
want to glean from Brother Tom through his Word. And I want
to glean from Brother Todd and Brother Paul and Brother Marvin
and Brother Henry through this Word. I don't want to be out
by myself in left field. I want to be in this field by
his young men. I want to get to the gospel.
Get to the gospel. Get to it. Our Lord has promised
his people that he's not going to leave them without a witness.
If there was only one, if he only had one witness, I want
to find that man by God's grace. I want grace to bring me to that
man. I want to glean from God's word, glean from his field. Verse
22 says, and Naomi said unto Ruth, her daughter-in-law, It
is good, my daughter, that thou go out with his maidens, that
they meet thee not in any other field. Grace tells the sinner. Grace instructs and speaks wisdom
to the sinner. Don't seek comfort and don't
seek rest and don't seek peace and don't seek satisfaction anywhere
else but in Jesus Christ. Nowhere else. in Christ and His
Word, in Christ and Him crucified, in Christ and His Gospel. Believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ alone. That's what grace says. Verse
23, So she kept fast by the maidens of Boaz, to glean unto the end
of barley harvest, and of wheat harvest, and dwelt with her mother-in-law. She dwelt with grace. By God's
grace, He will keep us all all the maidens of Boaz to glean
all the way to the end. All the way to the end. She came
at the beginning and she's going to be there till the end. By
God's grace and only by His grace, He's going to keep us in this
field. He's going to keep us in this field. And go with me over to Deuteronomy
13. I want to close with Deuteronomy 13. By God's grace, this is what
we'll do. Deuteronomy 13 verse four. You shall walk after the Lord
your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his
voice and you shall serve him and cleave unto him. By God's
grace, that's what we'll do. That's what Ruth did. Ruth claved
to grace, claved to Christ alone. Grace alone. By God's grace,
every child, every child of God will do the same thing. Lord,
keep us cleaving to thyself, still believing, till the hour
of our receiving, promise joys with thee. All right, let's stand
together.