You know, when you really understand by revelation from God the true nature of His grace, what it is, and I know most of you are like me. I grew up talking about grace, singing about grace, but I really didn't know what grace was. Grace to me, to put it simply, before I really heard the gospel, was God helping me to help myself. Of course, that's a saying, God helps those who help themselves.

It's not in the Bible, because the Bible portrays us truly, our true sickness and condition that we're helpless. We are helpless people. When it comes to salvation and a right relationship with God, there's nothing that we of our own nature and will can do because we're against it. That's the problem. Somebody says, well, that doesn't sound right. Well, you better read your Bible.

And then when you find out the true nature of grace, that it's unearned, totally unearned, totally undeserved, that God gives it to his enemies, and he gives it as he will. It's sovereign grace. There's no other kind of grace. It's free grace, it's sovereign grace. God says, I'll be gracious to whom I will, and I'll be merciful to whom I will. So then, it's not of him that runneth, it's not of our works, and it's not of him that willeth. It's not of our decisions. It's of God that shows mercy.

And then you look in the scripture and you find out that not everyone finds grace. We know that Noah found grace, it says that. We're gonna see here, Ruth found grace in the eyes of Boaz, and Boaz is a type of Christ, and we'll talk about that. But have you found grace?

And here's the point. You didn't find it because you were seeking it. Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus was not seeking grace, was he? The thief on the cross hanging there, he wasn't seeking grace. But they found it. And it's because grace found them. So Noah found grace. If we know Christ, and our confidence and our hope, our peace, our motivation, our aim is unto him and for him, believing in him and resting in him, pleading his blood alone for all our sins and his righteousness alone for our justification. That means we found grace.

Now there's a lot of other people that I know and you know that haven't found it. And we know that if they're going to find it, God's going to have to find them and give it to them. It's not that he doesn't know where they are. God knows where his people are. Christ came into the world to save sinners.

So we might ask the question, why have I found grace? I ask that a lot. Why have I found grace? Why was God gracious to me? There was nothing in me to draw his grace. There was nothing that I've done. There was no decision I make that caused him to respond in grace because that's not the way God works. We're the responders to his grace. So why did God show me grace? Why not somebody else, somebody more worthy? Well, grace is not for the worthy. Grace is for the guilty.

And so what's the answer? Well, there's only one answer given in the Bible, and I'm gonna get to it here. Look at verse 10. When Ruth understood Boaz's attitude towards her, and how he, when he saw her. Then she fell on her face and bowed herself to the ground and said unto him, why have I found grace in thine eyes?

That thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I'm a stranger. I'm a foreigner. I'm from Moab. I'm not even an Israelite. I'm not even your countryman, but Moab was an enemy of Israel. Moab was God's washpot, the psalmist said. Moab was full of idolatry and sin. Now again, as I told you a couple weeks ago, there was sin and idolatry in Israel too. But they did have Moses and the law, even though they didn't follow it. It's kind of like America, you know. The gospel's here. It's here. The truth is here. But how many people follow it? How many people seek it? How many people know it? Man left to himself will not follow it, will not seek it, and will not know it. The natural man, okay? But why have I found grace?

She was overcome and humble by Boaz, a mighty man of wealth, remember, a very prominent citizen of Bethlehem, Ephratah, and Judah. And she was overwhelmed by a sense of his goodness and his attitude towards her because of her own unworthiness. She knew she had no claim upon him.

Now I know he was a kinsman redeemer because of her connection with Naomi, having married her son. And so there was a connection there, but the kinsman, remember the law of the kinsman redeemer was not an obligation if the man had to be willing. He had to be a kinsman redeemer, he had to be able to redeem, and he had to be willing to redeem.

We'll see that later on in another episode here in these few chapters. But Ruth, when it says here she fell on her face, you ought to remind me, and I've got this listed in your lesson, Revelation 117. That's the Apostle John in Revelation, when he saw the glorified Lord, he said he fell at his feet as a dead man.

And I thought about that because, you know, that's what we do. Maybe not literally, but we do in our hearts. When God shows us his holiness and his justice and our sinfulness and the fact that we deserve nothing from God but condemnation and death, it overwhelms us. It causes us to fall at his feet, per se, so to say, and beg for mercy.

You see such a difference there in the parable of the Pharisee and the publican, don't you? Luke 18, the Pharisee, Lord, I thank thee that I'm not like other men. Now I understand the first words that come out of his mouth was he was thanking God. He wasn't attributing it to himself. He was giving God credit for it. But what was he giving God credit for? Not for grace, for enabling me to do what I should have done. I'm not like other men. I fast twice in the week. I give alms more than the tithe and all that stuff. And you know, that's kind of like those in Matthew 7.

I'm going to refer to that today in the message on take heed. where they say, Lord, haven't we prophesied in your name? They didn't preach in their own name, they preached in the name of Christ. But they really weren't preaching in his name. Because they thought their preaching is what got them right with God.

You understand what I'm saying there? The only thing that makes this center here right with God is the grace of God, the blood and righteousness of Christ. My preaching does not make me right with God. My preaching is the right thing to do. And it's a good work, not because I'm perfect or anything like that, but because it honors God. I'm telling you about the God who justifies the ungodly. But God is absolutely sovereign in these matters. And he does what he will among the heavens and in the earth. He's the God who works all things after the counsel of his own will.

And you know that's his glory, I've got in your lesson these two verses listed, Exodus 33, 18 through 19. You look that up, you know what happened there. That's when Moses said, Lord, show me your glory. You remember what the Lord said to him? I'll have mercy upon whom I will have mercy. And I'll be gracious to whom I will be gracious. And Paul quoted that in Romans 9, 15 and 16.

That's his glory. He's the potter, we're the clay. But you think about it. Well, what is the answer? Well, turn to Matthew chapter 11 with me. Why, Ruth asked, have I found grace in thy sight? We asked the Lord, why? Why me, Lord? You remember that song? Why me, Lord? I don't know the words to it, so I'm not gonna quote it. That's a good question. And here's Matthew 11, where Christ makes this statement.

In verse 25, this is after he talked about the responsibility of those who'd seen the miracles and heard the truth but rejected it. He says in Matthew 11, 25, at that time, Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and the prudent and hast revealed them unto babes. Now the wise and the prudent there are those who are self-righteous and think they're right in their own mind. The babes are those of God's children who are totally, totally, totally dependent upon Him.

And here's the answer, verse 26. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight. Why? because it seemed good in God's sight. Not that we seem good, because we're not. There's none good, no not one. But for him to do this to this particular individual and that particular individual, it was good in his sight. And why is it good in his sight? Because it glorifies him and honors him. And so look at verse 27 of Matthew 11.

All things are delivered unto me of my father, and no man knoweth the son but the father. Neither knoweth any man the father save the son, and he to whomsoever the son will reveal him. And that's when he says, come unto me, all ye that labor heavy laden, I'll give you rest.

Go back to Ruth chapter two. Look at verse 11. Now Boaz answered and said unto her, it hath been fully showed me all that thou hast done unto thy mother-in-law, how Ruth had treated Naomi, since the death of thine husband, and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother in the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knowest not heretofore. What Boaz is doing is he's taking notice of Ruth's conversion. He's not saying, I'm doing this because you did some good works. You know, when it talks about Bob, he had heard about all the things that Ruth had done to Naomi and how she left her people. She left her nation behind.

That's an issue of repentance. That's a gift from God. And how she followed Naomi and said, your God will be my God. That's faith, all of that. And so Ruth's work was the work of grace and of faith, not work done to earn God's favor. Not trying to work her way into heaven, as they say.

You know, God does take notice of the works of his people, but not as meritorious. And I've got a list of scriptures down there that shows you that. It's not that God puts Himself in a position where He makes Himself obligated to pay you or to reward you for your works.

Because in Romans chapter 4, I've got that listed somewhere in this lesson. When He's talking about Abraham, He said, Our salvation, our justification, our reward, and it's singular there, is not a matter of debt. Because if it's debt, it's not mercy, it's not grace. It's a matter of grace.

And the reward, he's gonna mention a reward here. Well, look at verse 12. The Lord recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the Lord, God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust. Now, what is our reward? Well, our reward is all that Christ, who is our reward, the scripture says, has earned for us. That's our reward. So you see, when God blesses us, and he blesses us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, he doesn't look down and he doesn't say, now brother Jim, you didn't miss a service.

So therefore, I'm gonna give you, and Brother Frank, you missed several, so you're not gonna get it. No, that's not the way God operates. Where do you find that in the Bible? Now, under the old covenant, there was a system of rewards and punishment, but that was not salvation. You gotta understand that. That was a temporal covenant. And their prosperity in that land was conditioned on their obedience, and they failed. That covenant ended. That was not salvation.

But in the covenant of grace, yes God, he said he's not unrighteous to forget your labor of love. It's the work of faith. It's the work, as God says in Ephesians chapter 2, 8 through 10. Remember what it says? For by grace are you saved, through faith, that not of yourselves. It's the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, not because of, but unto good works, which God hath before ordained that you should walk in them. The good works of a believer are the ordination of God. And it's his working through us. Paul wrote about that in Philippians 1 and 2. Set in your mind to continue and to persevere, but it's God that worketh in you. Didn't he say that? It's the Holy Spirit.

In other words, you can't take credit for it. I read an article the other day, I've written on this too, that God does take notice of the good works of his people, but they don't count. And some people got upset about that. What do you mean they don't count?

He's talking about the accounting. You know, the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 14 that everybody must give an account, right? Gotta give an account. But what is the account of every believer? Now keep in mind now, you gotta interpret scripture with scripture.

Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It's God that justifies. Who can condemn us? It's Christ that does. What is our account? Sin's not on our account. Else we could be charged. See what I'm saying? Our sins were charged to Christ. He was made sin. What is our account? Righteousness by virtue of Christ's righteousness imputed to us.

And He is our reward, blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. And I'm going to tell you something, if you know yourself, you're glad of that. Christ is my reward. So he says in verse 12, the Lord can recompense thy work and a full reward be given thee of the Lord God of Israel under whose wings thou art come to trust. Now I love that phrase.

Under whose wings thou art come to trust. You know what that's talking about. I read John Gill on this. He's pretty reliable. He says that phrase, under whose wings thou art come to trust, is expressed in light of the true and living God, whom Ruth professed to be her God, and whom she determined to serve and worship, whose grace and favors she expected, and to whose care and protection she committed herself. And he said the historic reference is either to fowls or birds who cover their young with their wings to keep them warm and safe and comfortable.

And I thought about Matthew 23, when Christ said, oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how oft I would have gathered you as a hen gathers her chicks. And that's what he does for us. But Gill went on to say, and I agree with him, it's more likely to be a reference to the wings of the cherubim overshadowing the mercy seat in the tabernacle. Remember, you had the Ark of the Covenant, the box, the sides and the bottom was wood, chetim wood, overlaid with gold, and then you had the solid gold lid. and they put the broken law inside the box and then covered it with the lid, and on that lid you have the cherubims with their wings over it, facing each other, pointing to the mercy seat. And that's what Christ is for us. He's our mercy seat. And so all of that shows the evidence that Ruth was a child of God. And Boaz recognized that. Look at verse 13.

Then she said, let me find favor in thy sight, my Lord, for that thou hast comforted me, and for that thou hast spoken friendly, or peacefully, or to the heart, as one writer said, unto thine handmaid, though I be not like unto one of thine handmaids, though I'm not by nature, anything worth saving. I'm not an Israelite. I'm a foreigner. See, she wasn't like his other maidens, his other servants, and all of that. She was a Moabitess. And she never forgot it.

And that's the way we are. Once God saves us, we never forget that we're sinners saved by grace. And I think about Paul writing to Timothy in his old age, this is a faithful saying worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am chief presently. And that's a great illustration of God and his people. It's a relationship of sovereign grace and mercy. Why? Have I found grace? I know that in finding grace for me, and if you know that in finding grace for you, it glorifies God, then that's enough.

That's a good answer. For his glory in our good. And then look at verse 14. And Boaz said unto her, at mealtime cometh 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 that's the provision of God's grace, that not only does he save us, but he keeps us, he fulfills us, he preserves us, feeds us, gives us everything we need, and that's what we have in Christ. In Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and you're complete in Him. He is all and in all, the scripture says. He's all we need for salvation, for preservation, to inner glory, and to remain there forever. Christ is our sufficiency. So Boaz not only took her in, he cared for her. And that's what Christ does for his people.