The Gospel of Ruth - Part 2

Q: What does the Bible say about redemption?

The Bible teaches that redemption is the act of Christ purchasing believers from sin through His sacrifice. In the biblical narrative, especially illustrated in the book of Ruth, redemption is a profound concept that highlights God's initiative in saving His people. Ruth's relationship with Boaz serves as a typological foreshadowing of Christ. Just as Boaz redeemed Ruth and her family line by fulfilling the role of a kinsman-redeemer, Christ redeems those who are spiritually impoverished by paying the full price for their sins. Scripture emphasizes that through His sacrificial death, Jesus satisfies divine justice, allowing believers to be brought back into communion with God (Ruth 4:9-10, Matthew 1:5-16).

Q: How do we know God's grace is sufficient for salvation?

God's grace is sufficient for salvation as it is taught through Scripture that we are saved by grace through faith. The New Testament presents the concept of grace as fundamental to the believer's salvation, encapsulated in Ephesians 2:8-9, which states that we are saved by grace through faith, and that not of ourselves; it is the gift of God. Additionally, the story of Ruth exemplifies grace as Ruth, a Moabite with no rightful claim to God's blessings, is graciously chosen and redeemed by Boaz, indicating that God's grace extends beyond cultural and ethnic boundaries. The inclusion of Ruth in the lineage of Christ highlights that salvation is entirely a work of God's grace, both for the Jew and the Gentile (2 Timothy 1:9).

Q: Why is the concept of providence important for Christians?

Providence is vital for Christians as it assures us that God governs and orchestrates all events for His glory and our good. The doctrine of divine providence reassures believers that nothing in their lives is random but is orchestrated by God's sovereign hand. This is illustrated in Ruth's journey from Moab to Bethlehem, where God uses seemingly ordinary events—such as famine and death—to accomplish His redemptive plan. Christians can take comfort in Romans 8:28, which promises that all things work together for good to those who love God. The account in Ruth reminds believers that even in trials and uncertainties, God's hand is at work, guiding them toward His intended purpose and ultimate redemption through Christ (Proverbs 16:9).

Thank you, Brandon. Turn with me, if you would, to the book of Exodus. Exodus chapter 14. We'll start in verse 30 and we'll, we'll read through the first 11 verses in chapter 15 also starting in Exodus chapter 14 verse 30. Thus the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea, the seashore. Israel saw that great work, which the Lord did upon the Egyptians and the people feared the Lord and believed to the Lord and his servant Moses. Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the Lord, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously.

The horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. The Lord is my strength and song, and he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation. My Father's God, and I will exalt him. The Lord is a man of war. The Lord is his name. Pharaoh's chariots and his host has to cast into the sea. His chosen captains also are drowned in the Red Sea. The depths have covered them. They sank into the bottom as a stone.

Thy right hand, O Lord, has become glorious in power. Thy right hand, O Lord, hath dashed in pieces the enemy. And in the greatness of thine excellency, thou hast overthrown them that rose up against thee. Thou sentest forth thy wrath, which consumed them as stubble. And with the blast of thy nostrils, the waters were gathered together. The floods stood upright as a heap, and the depths were congealed in the heart of the sea.

The enemy said, I will pursue. I will overtake. Hear all those I wills. Isn't that our nature? The enemy said, I will pursue. I will overtake. I will divide the spoil. My lust shall be satisfied upon them. I will draw my sword. My hand shall destroy them. Thou didst blow with thy wind. The sea covered them. They sank as lead in the mighty waters. Who is like unto thee, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like thee? Glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders.

We'll end our reading there. You take your hymn books and stand while Sean leads us in our song. OK, if you would turn to song number 222. We'll sing There Is A Fountain. 222. There is a fountain filled with blood, drawn from Emmanuel's veins. And sinners plunge beneath that flood, lose all their guilty stains, lose all their guilty Lose all their guilty stains. And sinners plunged beneath that flood, Lose all their guilty stains. The dying thief rejoiced to see that fountain in his day.

And there may I, though vile as he, wash all my sins away. Wash all my sins away. Wash all my sins away. And there may I, though vile as he, wash all my sins away. dear dying lamb thy precious blood shall never lose its power till all the ransomed church of God be safe to sin no more be safe to sin be safe to sin no more. Till all the ransomed Church of God be safe to sin no more.

E'er since, by faith, I saw the stream Thy flowing wounds supply. Redeeming love has been my theme, And shall be till I die. And shall be till I die. And shall be till I die. Redeeming love has been my theme. die. When this poor lisping, stammering tongue lies silent in the grave. Then in a nobler, sweeter song, I'll sing thy power to save. I'll sing thy power to save. I'll sing thy power to save. Then in a nobler, sweeter song, I'll sing thy power to save.

♪ Sweet hour of prayer, sweet hour of prayer ♪ ♪ That calls me from a world of care ♪ ♪ Me and my Father's throne ♪ ♪ Make all my wants and wishes come true ♪ In seasons of distress and grief, my soul has often found relief and oft escaped the tempers snared by thy return and sweep. Sweet hour of prayer, sweet hour of prayer, Thy wings shall my petition bear, To Him whose truth and faithfulness engage The waiting soul to bliss. And since he bides me seek his face, Believe his word and trust his grace, And cast him my every care, And wait for thee, sweet Aurora. Sweet hour of prayer, sweet hour of prayer, may I consolation share. Till from Alpisca's lofty height I view my home and take my flight. This robe of flesh shall drop and rise to seize the everlasting prize and shout while passing through the air, farewell, farewell, sweet owl. Gary and Heather, thank you. That was a blessing. That was rich. Brother Mike Walker is here with us and we have been praying for you as we have been.

What a blessing this weekend has been that the Lord would see fit to use sinners to declare a word from God and to bless sinners through a word from another sinner. This is just a miracle and we're thankful that he's seen fit and answered prayers And that said, let's open the service and prayer. Then you come preach for us, OK?

Our Holy Father, we thank you for. Blessing this time that we've had together that you've seen fit to send your spirit and meet with us. Above and beyond what we could ever possibly ask or imagine or think abundantly above, you've seen fit to bless us. We thank you for your goodness and for your holiness.

We pray that you be with our brother Mike as he comes in and declares your word, that you strengthen him and give him a word from you. We think of our pastor and pray that you be with him. Strengthen and heal and comfort according to your will. What we pray for ourselves here, we pray for others as they meet even now.

In other congregations, that you bless the word, bless your name being declared. continue to call sinners to repentance according to your will. We pray this thankfully in Christ's name, amen. All right, brother. Who would be turning to the Book of Ruth? While you're turning, I want to say how much I've enjoyed this weekend. I think I can speak for myself and Sandy, my wife.

It's amazing how God began on Friday night with the first message. He that was rich, he didn't say he was made poor, he became poor. That ye through his poverty, by being made rich, and every message is just saying, it's just a continuation of that. And that's what every time we hear the gospel is. It's not that we're trying to find something new, something deep, nobody had never discovered.

Just preach Christ unto me. Give me the water of life. Give me the bread of life. Give me Christ or we perish. Thanks for the singing, for that song. I wished I had and could, but it's only by God's grace if we ever do spend an hour in prayer. But one day we'll say goodbye. And this will be forever. You think we come from different backgrounds, we have different personalities, but God has gathered us together and knit our hearts together as believers. And in the book of Ruth, God has seen fit to give us this little glimpse in how he saves sinners. As Walter mentioned several times, he mentioned about the Jews.

Ruth is not a Jew. She's a wicked Moabite who can't, does not have the right to go into the temple of God for 10 generations. Her father's name was Lot. His daughters got him drunk, and they conceived, and he had the Moabites and the Amorites. And this is where she come from. Well, where did Rahab come from?

There's another Gentile. Where did, who did Judah go to in Genesis 38? He went to a Gentile. A lot of times men think because of titles that makes him a leg up on grace. He's not a Jew, which is one outwardly. He is a Jew, which is one inwardly, and circumcision is that not of the flesh, It's of the heart, and all God's elect are his spiritual Jews, sons of Abraham, and they are circumcised in the heart. So let's turn to the book of Ruth. It's a beautiful book about how God allowed death to come to bring the gospel to Moab.

And as I was sitting there thinking about my notes, Naomi's husband died. I never read that she remarried. We don't know how old she was. Well then, they had two sons, Malian and Chilian. Well, if just one of those boys had survived and one of those girls, he would have been responsible to have married that girl.

But that was not God's plan. God's going to bring them. Now watch this. This is how God saves sinners. He brings them from here to right here and he makes them want to leave. It's something because we have human ties with family members, with our mother and our father and our brides and our husbands and wives. She left it all because of what Naomi told her. We tell sinners that salvation is by grace, and it's found in Christ. And most of them just shrug their shoulders and say, well, big deal.

If God ever makes you willing, She even tried to discourage her from going. She said, no, I'm going. You can't stop me. The kingdom of God suffers violence. And the violent take it by force. Because it seems like everything wants to hinder and to stop. God intended to save Ruth. And if God ever intends to save you, he's going to save you. He'll make you so sick of yourself. You go, how can I be that bad? Ashamed to even show your face. Ashamed to look in a mirror. And she tells Ruth. She comes back, when she comes back to Bethlehem, Judas went out full, come back empty.

But they didn't sit there and sell pity. Didn't wait on somebody to bring them something. I don't know if it doesn't say which one brought it up, Naomi or Ruth, but how are we going to get something to eat? Well, I'm thankful there's a barley harvest. There's plenty of it.

And you know all you have to do, you don't go buy it. You don't go up to the man who owns the field and say, can I work for it? No, it's free. Are you poor? Are you a stranger? There'll be plenty left in the field. That'll be all you need. We're just gleaners looking for something, looking for him. So she meets Boaz in a barley field. This man's going to be her husband. She may not know it right now. But he's going to be her husband. He gets her attention. He speaks well of her. He speaks to her.

And he says, you have every right. You can glean in my field till the harvest is over. She had every right. She didn't have to worry about somebody running me off. They come up and said, you can't be here. He said, you didn't go talk to Boaz. Let me tell you this. As a child of God, you have all the rights to be here. And you'll be glad that he brought you to his field. He said you can stay here to the end of barley harvest. And barley harvest comes to an end. It's time to put the grain in the barn. It's time to separate the wheat from the chaff. I saw a man do this when I was a young boy and I never forgot it.

He grew some, I call field peas. What you do, you would grow them and you'd just let them dry on the vine, and then you would pick them. You'd go, who would eat that? But what he would do, you don't, you don't, how am I gonna fix this? He had a fan, big fan. And he put the peas in a bag and he took something and just beat them in that sack. He turns the fan on and he takes the sack and starts pulling it up like this. And that wind blows the junk and the trash away, and the peas, salt, and the grass. That's how God winnows you. He separates the wheat from the chaff. You know all the chaff does? It protects the wheat.

And that's where we come to chapter three of Ruth. Then Naomi, her mother-in-law, said unto her, said unto Ruth, my daughter, shall I not seek rest for thee, that it may be well with thee? Basically, shall I not seek you a husband? This woman needed a husband. She needed someone to redeem her. She can't redeem herself. Naomi knew it. Naomi, I think, is a picture of the church.

She instructed her, and she's going to tell her in Chapter 3, Where is she going to find Boaz? I'll ask you a question this morning. Where will you find the Lord Jesus Christ? I know he's everywhere. I know he's omnipotent. But where is he at? Where will you find him? Well, two or three are gathered together in my name. He said, I'll be in a minute.

She knew where he would be found. And she tells Ruth. She said, verse two, and now is not Boaz our kindred with whose maidens thou wast. Behold, he went with barley tonight in the threshing floor. Naomi knew exactly where he'd be. You know why she knew where he would be? I believe she'd been there before. This is his. This is his barley. This is his wheat. And that's where he's at. He's down there at night. He never slumbers nor sleeps. This grain was for his people. He is there. He went at the barley tonight in the threshing floor.

And Naomi was seeking the spiritual welfare of Ruth. Every one of us in this room has family, friends, neighbors who are lost. And I pray God would open their eyes. But she told Ruth, she said, verse 3, Thyself therefore and anoint thee and put thy raiment upon thee and get thee down to the floor.

You need to go down there to where he's at. But make not thyself known to the man until he has done eating and drinking. You don't go down there just barging in. That's religion. He ought to just do something. Ain't you glad I'm here, Boaz? She goes in, here's how we do it, we go in there slipping in. It's almost like we think we can steal it. That's the woman with the issue of blood. She comes sneaking in through the crowd and she touched the hem of his garment. Then she snuck out, it's almost like she, I gotta steal it.

You don't have to steal the mercies and the grace and the blessings. But she said, here's what you are to do. Now, you listen to me. This is what you need to do. He's going to be down there, and you go down there, and you just sit and wait. The hardest thing for any of us to do is to wait. She told her to wash herself and anoint her and put on raiments upon thee and get thee down to the floor.

If Ruth was to be married to Boaz, it's all up to Boaz. It's all up to him. Ruth must let him know she's interested, boy. He makes me want to be interested. Ruth must seek him as an unworthy Sinner. Sinner. Why is she going to the confession floor? She's going there to just look about wheat.

She's going to seek him. If you seek him, now I know that there's none seeketh after God, but if you'll seek him with all your heart, you'll find him. You'll find him. You'll find him. Naomi told her to wash herself. When he lays down, you lay down at his feet and don't say a word. As Ruth washed herself, we must come to Christ in repentance, separating ourselves unto him. If we would find Christ, we must put ourselves in the place where he is to be found, in the assembly. of his people. We come as believers. You know what? We come by God's grace. He's put his spirit within us. We come seeking him. And sometimes it seems like it's so dry and so dead and we're so buried. But you know what? We keep coming back seeking him.

In verse five, And she said unto Naomi, all that thou sayest unto me, I will do. Just like childlike faith, whatever you tell me to do, that's what I'll do. That's what I'll do. She believed, now listen, she believed this woman. Ruth believed Naomi. She believed her. And she went down to the floor and did according to all that her mother-in-law had bid her to do. Verse seven, when Boaz had eaten and drunken and his heart was merry, he went to lay down at the end of the heap of corn. And she came softly and then covered his feet. He just laid down and didn't say anything.

This is how we tell sinners to come to Christ. Come and listen. There's a guy, a young man, been coming to our church for several months. First man, when he first came to me, all he wanted to do was argue. He knew everything, or he thought he did. And I tried not to argue with him. It was hard not to. But I said, why don't you just come and listen? If you wanna find out who Christ is, you wanna find and hear the gospel, come and listen.

You know what he's been doing? Coming. He brings his wife and his daughter. Where's his wife from, Sam? Imagine a woman all the way from the Philippines. He goes all the way over there and brings her over here. Why? Oh, he thinks he's in love with her, and he may be. But I know something greater. It was for that woman to hear the gospel. And then they have a daughter.

Every time the doors are open, they're right there just listening. I couldn't be happier. Their attitude's changed. He don't argue anymore. He heard, he's listening to what he was told. But we want to try to straighten somebody out. I can't straighten myself out. But that's what Naomi told Ruth to do. You go and you just sit down there. Well, how long am I supposed to sit? Just keep sitting. How long am I to sit? I'll tell you how long, until he speaks. And when he speaks, you'll know it's him.

It's said, and it came to pass at midnight. You ever notice how many things happen in the Old Testament or in the scriptures at midnight? What is midnight? It's a time between two days. It's the end of one day and the beginning of the other. Well, when does that happen? Midnight. The darkest of night. When was the Passover lamp? At midnight. at midnight. And at midnight, we don't know how long she's been laying.

And I'd say her probably doze off. And he said, verse nine, who art thou? Now he knows who she is. But he asked her, who are you? And she answered, I'm Ruth, your handmaid. Spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid, for thou art a near kinsman. She had prayed back in chapter two, verse seven, that he would allow her to glean in his field. And he is, when he asked her who she was, she had to confess. I'm not just Ruth. I'm a stranger. I'm a rebel. I'm a morbid. One of the hardest things for us to do is to admit who we are. We think we're so special. We're nothing but nobodies. I am a Ruth, a stranger. without claim or merit before you.

I'm your servant at your disposal. You can do with me as you see fit. You can show me mercy or you can tell me to get up and leave. That's what she's saying. But she's got a request. Would you take your skirt? and spread it over me. You know what she's saying? Would you take me to be yours? Would you take me and would you marry me?

Now I want you to see something. Who's here? Ruth and Boaz. This is between you and him. You need to come and listen and you need to get along with him. Naomi's not here. Faith is a personal thing between you and him. Faith in Christ, it's a personal thing. Faith without works is dead. But here she spreads herself, her condition, her need before Boaz.

Then she made one claim, she said, you're a near kinsman. Do you know, she pleaded who he was. How did she know who he was? Well, Naomi told her. I'm glad this morning I've got a near kinsman. Old riders used to call him our elder brother. I don't know about that. No, he's my brother, he's my lord, he's my savior, he's my king. Thou art a near kinsman. With that claim she was saying you have the right and the power to redeem me. With the claim came the plea of her soul. Will you redeem me? There was a leper come to our Lord one day. A leper. Lepers couldn't just be out in the public. Lepers just couldn't be around the community, around people. He come up to our Lord and you know what he asked?

He said, if you will, you have the ability, but if you will, you can make me whole. Now, in our text, verse 9, he said, who art thou? She said, I'm Ruth, thy handmaid. Spread thy fore there, skirted over thy handmaiden, for thou art a near kinsman. And he said, blessed be thou of the Lord, my daughter, for thou hast showed more kindness in the letter in than at the beginning. And as much as thou followest not young men, Neither poor nor rich. She didn't run after every religion coming around. She was not interested in him.

She's interested in one man. That's Boeth. We're not interested in the fake gods of this world. We're interested in one person. You tell me about him. Tell me about him. Verse 11, and now my daughter, my daughter, fear not. Why would he tell us not to fear not? Because we are filled with fear. What if he says no?

What if he tells me to leave and go back to the house? I don't know. I've never been in this situation before. I don't have the answers. He said, fear not. I'll do everything you ask. Or do you just ask? He said, I will do everything you ask. Ask, ask. When was the last time you asked him? Ask and he shall be given unto you good measure, shaken together. I'll give it to you.

I'll do all that thou requirest, because all the city of my people doth know that thou art a virtuous woman." She was not a virtuous woman by nature. Her sister-in-law is a woman named Orpha. They were both wicked, vile people. He has made her virtuous. He has singled her out.

And now it is true, don't you see this? that I am thy near kinsman. I am your near kinsman. However, there is a kinsman nearer than I. And that kinsman, he must be dealt with righteously and justly. She didn't know anything about it, he tells her. He says, there's a kinsman nearer to the night. I could see her heart maybe sink a little bit. But he said, you just tarry all night. And it shall be in the morning. You stay right here all night. Probably the best night's sleep she'd had in a long time. You just tarry right here. You just wait till in the morning. If he will perform unto thee the part of the kinsman will. Let him do the kinsman's part. But if he will not do the part of the kinsman to thee, then will I do the part of the kinsman to thee, as the Lord liveth, lie down unto the morning. Either way, it's going to be all right. I'm going to address him. And if he can redeem you, he will. But if he doesn't and doesn't want to and can't, I'll redeem you. Do you believe it? And she lays down at his feet. And she rose up before one could know another and he said, verse 14, let it not be known that a woman came into the floor.

He said, bring the veil which thou hast upon thee and hold it. And when she held it, he measured six measures of barley and laid it on her and went into the city, and when she came to her mother-in-law, after she'd been there all night, she said, who art thou, my daughter? Someone said it. She said, are you Miss Boaz? And she told her all that the man had done to her. And she said, these six measures of barley gave you to me.

For he said, go not empty. Go not be empty unto thy mother-in-law. Then said she, sit still, my daughter, till thou know how the matter will fall. For the man, watch this, the man will not rest until he hath finished the thing this day. I can tell you one thing, Ruth. Mark it down. He's going to do what he said he was going to do. You can rest assured. He won't rest. He will not rest till the work's done.

So she said, Ruth and Naomi are together, they're excited about the possibility of being married to Boaz, but the work's not finished. There is a legal transaction that must take place. You that are married, and you maybe one day that will get married, It is a legal process. You have to go to the clerk of court, you have to get a marriage license, and you have to get a minister, a licensed minister, to perform the ceremony or it's not legal. I remember when me and Sandy got married, I assume it was 16 years ago. That's hard to believe she put up with me that long. But it'll be 16 years in June. And Rupert Robin Barton, y'all may know Rupert, he performed a ceremony. Got married on Sunday evening, and he called me on Monday.

He said, we may have a problem. I said, really? He said, yeah. He said, you got married in Wilkes County, but you got your marriage licenses in Colwell County, where Sandy lives. And I said, well, I didn't ask them. And they said, the law used to be whatever county you get the license in, you have to get married in that county. I said, but it's not like that anymore. He said, well, we're fine. He said, Betty wanted me to call you last night, and I wasn't calling you.

But you see, I never forgot it. But it was that legal process. She's my wife. She carries my name. I love her, and she loves me. I bought her. She's my wife. And that's what he's going to do. He's going to buy. He must redeem Ruth. All this has brought him to the place where he is going to pay the sin debt. He's going to redeem her and buy back everything that was lost in that family.

When Adam's sand in the garden, it affected every one of us. You just imagine what he lost. The world is under the curse. We're under the curse. We live in a world that thorns grow up because of the curse. But everything, everything that Adam lost, Christ redeemed.

Everything. Like somebody used to say, lock, stock, and barrel. And I found out what that meant. He was just talking about a gun. You got your lock, you got your stock, and you got your barrel. He bought the whole shebang. He bought it. Now verse 1 of chapter 4.

Then went, he went down to the threshing floor. Our Lord came down to this earth. But he went up to the gate. and sit down there. Why did he sit down? The work's finished. When you see there where he said he went up at the gate in biblical times, this is the place where business was carried out. You know where Lot sat when they went in to get, when Lot was in Sodom, he was sitting in the gate. He was on the city council. Why does Boaz go to the city gate?

And he sat down there. And behold, as he sits there, the kinsman of whom Boaz spake came by, and Boaz said unto this kinsman, Ho, such a one, turn aside and sit down. And he turned aside and he sat down. And Boaz took ten men, witnesses to what he's getting ready to do.

And he, in verse five, four, chapter four, and I thought to advise, went back in verse three, and he said unto the kinsman, Naomi that is come again out of the country of Moab, she's selling a piece of land, which was our brother Elimelech's, which was Naomi's husband.

She's gonna sell a piece of property. Would you wanna buy it? It's up for sale. She needs to sell it. She needs someone to buy it. And I thought to advise or advertise these saying buy it before the inhabitants and before the elders of my people. You buy it and there'll be witnesses.

If thou will redeem it, if you will redeem it, redeem it. But if thou will not redeem it, then you tell me and I'll redeem it. For there is none to redeem it beside thee, and I am after thee. And he said, I will redeem it. He jumped all over it. I'll redeem it. Wait a minute. There's a stipulation here.

And he said, what day that you buy the field of the hand of Naomi, thou must buy it also of Ruth the Moabitess. the wife of the dead to raise up the name of the dead into his inheritance. You not only gotta buy the field, you gotta marry Ruth. And he says, I can't do that. What is, who is this other kinsman that he's dealing with here?

It's the law. The law has to be dealt with. The law cannot redeem. It cannot save without miring its own itself in the very character of God. The law identifies sin, but it can't forgive it. Here's what men don't understand. The law identifies it, but it can't remove it. It was never given for that reason. But someone must satisfy the law, keep it perfectly. He did, like you said, we never did. We never hit the bullseye one time. We never even come close. And we think we did. I shot better than someone else, and look at me, look what I've done. But he said, he's dealing with this man. And he tells him, you gotta buy the whole thing.

Ruth is the top of the church. The world is a great field. And the church is a treasure hidden field. Remember that story? Remember what he said he did? He said, when a man found the treasure hidden field, that's hid. Most people, all they see when they see a field is a piece of ground covered up with grass where cattle or something like that can eat. But he saw inside that field was a treasure. And to get the treasure, you know what he did? He bought the whole field.

You go, what are you saying, preacher? In one essence, Jesus Christ did redeem all men. He redeemed the sovereign right to do with all men as he sees fit. He will show them mercy or he will leave them alone. But he bought the whole thing to get her. And when he's done with the rest of it, he'll just fold it up like a garment and just throw it away. But he redeemed the whole thing. This world is his. This is my father's world. But the law can never redeem it, can never forgive sin. The law condemns us all, but changes none. The law slays, but it can never save. Let me read on. Verse 9, and beware sin to the elders and to all the people.

Back in Versailles, the kinsman said to Boaz, buy it. For thee, and so he drew off his shoe. That's what they did. They pulled his shoe off. And I don't know the significance of that. It doesn't really matter. But that's what they did. That was the custom.

And Boaz said to the elder and to all the people, you're witnesses this day. You've witnessed this transaction. You've witnessed what I'm just getting ready to do. I'm going to buy a roof. I don't want to marry her. You are witnesses this day that I bought all, now watch this, I bought all that was Emilex, all that was Chileans, and all that was Malon's of the house of Naomi, of the hand of Naomi.

Did he buy it? He sure did. Ask the angels of glory, did he buy it? He sure did. Ask the angels, the demons of hell, did he buy it? He sure did. Ask the father of glory, he bought it. He bought it. Ask those 500 that he revealed himself to after he rose from the grave, did he buy it? Oh yeah, is he alive? Oh yeah, he's alive. You know why God raised him from the dead? Because he paid the sin debt and he satisfied the justice of God, and God declared as his witness, this man has put away sin.

Moreover, Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Malian, have I purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance, The name of the dead be not cut off among his brethren, and from the gate of his place you are witness this day. And all the people that were in the gate and the elder said, we are witnesses. We are witnesses to the fact that he's God. Witnesses.

The Lord make the woman that is come into thine house like Rachel, and like Leah, who's Rachel and Leah, Jacob's wives, which too did build the house of Israel. And do thou worthily in Ephrata and be famous in Bethlehem. Verse 12, and let thine house be like unto the house of Phares, whom Tamar, Tamar married bear unto Judah and the seed which the Lord shall give thee of this young woman. Verse 13, here's the climax. Here's what you've been waiting for.

Did he marry her? After all this, did he marry her? Did they live happily ever after? Well, surely did. And he took Ruth. He didn't take everybody. He took Ruth. It is against the law. I guess it still is. Last time I checked, it was against the law for a man, he could only be married to one woman or one husband at one time. Anything else was called polygamy. He said, I'm marrying her. I bought her. He didn't, our Lord didn't give himself to every man that ever lived. And you think, there's no hope there. But he died for somebody. He's married to somebody. And when we're married to him, you know what we do? We take his name. By this name shall she be called the Lord our righteousness. And this is the name by which he shall be called the Lord our righteousness. Well, what about verse 14, hurry up.

And the woman said to Naomi, blessed be the Lord, which has not left thee this day without a kinsman, that his name might be famous in Israel. and she shall be unto thee, he shall be, talking about Boaz, a restorer of thy life and a nourisher of thine own age, for thy daughter-in-law, which loveth thee, is better to thee than seven sons hath borne thee. He said, your daughter-in-law, Ruth, is better to you than seven sons. She didn't think she'd ever have a grandson. This is the Lord's doing, and it's marvelous in our eyes. And he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine old age. For thy daughter-in-law, which loveth thee, is better to thee than seven sons hath borne them. And Naomi took the child, and laid in her bosom, and she became nurse to it.

Is this the same Naomi said, I went out full? They come back empty. Who would want to redeem me? What this is, that's the evidence of that union. She's holding that child that God gave her. Someone said about grandparents, after you have your grandchildren, you find out why they call them grand. One of the reasons is you can spoil them all you want to and send them back home. And someone said, if I knew I'd love my grandkids this much, I'd have had them first. But this is now, you see the joy of this woman. Life. Only he can give life. And he brings it through that union. How does God save sinners? through his church, his bride, going out into the world, and he brings forth sinners unto him.

They gave him a name. There is a son born to Naomi, and they called his name Boaz. He's the father of Jesse, the father Now that means something to us because we've read a little bit more of the story. We've read the next book, you know. This is Obed. He's the father of Jesse, who's the father of David, who's king of Israel.

Christ, our Lord, is going to come through the lineage of David. He's going to sit upon the throne of David. He's going to rule over the kingdom of God, and he's going to save his people. Why did God give us those genealogies? Like I read the other day, if you read the first part of Matthew chapter one, you know what the book of Matthew is about? About the king. Matthew sets forth Christ to show men from witnesses and examples and scriptures, Jesus Christ is the rightful king. He's not a pasted king, he's not a pretended king, he's king. Jesus Christ, our Lord, is king.

He's of the house and lineage of David. I heard something Mr. Fortner said one time and it stuck with me. You know, they questioned our Lord about a lot of things. You're not the Messiah, you're not this, you're not that, but they never questioned his genealogy. They could have checked it.

Do you know it says he was numbered among the transgressors? That began even when he was born. Why was he born in the house of Bethlehem? Why did he have to go to Bethlehem to be born? He had to go. It was prophesied. And where it said they were taxed, that means there was a register. I want to know how many people are under my kingdom. Well, on such and such a day, there was a child born to Joseph and Mary, and his name is called Jesus, because he's gonna save his people from their sins. It was on the register. Let me read on.

A woman, her neighbors gave her a name and called his name Obed, the father of Jesse, the father of David. Now these are the generations of Phares. Phares beget Hesron. Hesron beget Ram, and Ram beget Abinadad, and Abinadad beget Nasa, and Nasa beget Salmon, and Salmon beget Boaz, and Boaz beget Obed, and Obed beget Jesse, and Jesse beget David.

Most of the time we get down to verses 18 to 22, and we think, well, them's just words to fill up space. Hey, they're just to fill up space. It's important. These people were real. These people were set apart to bring the son of God into this world. He was born of a woman made under the law to redeem them that was under the law. May God give you grace to believe him. and trust him is your only hope. And you sit and you just listen, just keep listening, listening and maybe one day he'll say, I don't talk to you. I hope that's gonna help. Amen.

Brother, thank you. We're going to have a time of fellowship afterward and some food. But let's pray before Sean comes and dismisses us with a song. Our Father, thank you. We thank you for blessing this weekend that we had together, blessing your word as you promised. We thank you for who you are. We thank you for your faithfulness to us. Time and time again, you see fit to declare your name here to edify saints and call sinners to repentance. All for Christ's sake, we thank you.

Pray that you continue to be with us, be with those that are traveling today and give traveling mercies as they return home. Pray that you can continue to be with us through this week. The truth that we've heard, keep it in our hearts and in our minds that we may continue to worship you throughout this coming week. We pray this thankfully in Christ's name for his sake, amen. Okay, Sean. After we sing, then we'll be dismissed. Okay, if you would, turn in your hymnals to song number 187 and stand as we sing, Bless Be the Tithe that Binds, 187. Bless be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love.

The fellowship of kindred minds is like to that above. Before our Father's throne, we pour our ardent prayers. Our fears, our hopes, our aims are one, our comforts and our cares. We share our mutual woes, our mutual burdens bear, and often for each other flows the sympathizing tear. When we asunder part, it gives us inward pain. But we shall still be joined in heart and hope to meet again.

The Gospel of Ruth - Part 2

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What does the Bible say about redemption?

How do we know God's grace is sufficient for salvation?

Why is the concept of providence important for Christians?

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The Gospel of Ruth - Part 2

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about redemption?

How do we know God's grace is sufficient for salvation?

Why is the concept of providence important for Christians?

Sermon Transcript

About Mike Walker

Comments

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