The lesson this morning will
be taken from Ruth chapter 4. We'll be looking at verses 9
and 10. And the subject of these verses
is a matter settled at the gate. Let's read these verses together.
Ruth chapter 4 and verse 9. And Boaz said unto the elders
and unto all the people, ye are witnesses this day that I bought
all that was a limalex, and all that was chileons, and all that
was melons of the hand of Naomi. I bought it all. Moreover, Ruth
the Moabitess, the wife of Melon, have I purchased to be my wife,
to raise up the name of the dead upon the inheritance, that the
name of the dead be not cut off from among his brethren and from
the gate of his place. Ye are witnesses this day. And all the people that were
in the gate, And the elders said, we are witnesses. Now back in
verse 1 of this chapter, having left Ruth with the promise of
redemption and a token of his love, it says, then went Boaz
up to the gate and sat him down there and called for the kinsmen
in question and ten elders of the people. The gate of the city
is where all important business, business that had to do with
everybody was done at the gate. The gate of the city is where
all important business and business of a public nature was settled,
was at the gate. It's kind of like we do at our
courthouse. We go to the courthouse over
matters like this. And there are certain things
that are of a private nature, and these things are settled
quickly and usually between the priest and the offended party,
or between two parties that are offended or separated over some
issue. They don't go to the gate. They're
not a matter of public knowledge or public interest. It's just
between two parties. But the matter of redemption
and the ownership Specific things, property, is not a private matter. That's why this thing of the
gospel is not done in secret. It's done in the open. It's done
before witnesses. And especially in Israel, where
the property was divided unto them of God, it was typical of
their inheritance in heaven, Canaan. It was the promised land,
a picture of heaven itself, and especially then in Israel. And especially concerning the
promised seed that was to come out of one of their own. These
things concerned him. And redemption is a matter of
concern to all of God's elect, represented by the nation of
Israel. Israel is typical of this. That's
what I told you in the beginning. that we're studying is typical,
it's symbolic. And symbolically, for them to
lose the ownership of what God had given to them was to lose
their inheritance in the kingdom of God. That's why it was so
important. And to ensure this would never
happen, there was a day set called the year of Jubilee. Now, if
you went back, as I suggested, and studied those passages in
Leviticus 25 and Deuteronomy 25, you'll see in there, mixed
in with those statutes, is the day of Jubilee. That's how the
price was determined when you redeemed a piece of property,
is how many days from that time till the Jubilee. If it was way
far away, then the price was high. If it was near, the price
was lower. Every 50 years, a succession
of seven-year sabbaths. Every seven years, there was
a sabbath year. And seven consecutive sabbath
years was 49. The 50th year was the year of
jubilee. All debts were cancelled. All debts were forgiven. All
property was returned to its rightful heir, except for a few
exceptions mentioned in those passages. And the amount paid
by the Redeemer was measured from that time. And you believe
pictures clearly that redemption accomplished by Christ by which complete restoration
was made and reconciliation for all Israel. The kinsman Redeemer
that we're studying here and the redemption accomplished by
him is a picture of the redemption of Christ as it's manifested
to his elect through the gospel, through the revelation of God,
which is the gospel. What is it? Well, it's the declaration
of Jubilee. Is that not what it is? The Lord
said in the book of Luke, he read that passage in Isaiah,
he said, this day is the scripture fulfilled in your ears. He sent me to preach the gospel.
Who are you going to preach it to? To the poor. To preach deliverance. To the captives. Recovering a
sight to the blind. Now listen, the acceptable year
of the Lord, that's the year of Jubilee. He is the fulfillment of that
year. And so the proclamation of that
comes in time. How does it come? It comes through
the Gospel. It comes into the ears of His elect. through the
gospel, and that's what this is a picture of. This is not
a redemption of all Israel, this is a redemption of Naomi and
Ruth. The kinsman redeemer was an act
involving a specific person or persons, such as Naomi and Ruth,
and while the great redemption of Jubilee is incorporated in
it, this is particular to the individual. And redemption is
of little value to me unless I can see myself as one for whom
Christ died. You see what I'm saying? This is a picture of how it comes
to pass. How do I come to know that I'm
redeemed? I just sit still. Isn't that
what Naomi told Ruth? Just sit still and see how the
matter follows. Well, that's what you're going
to do. When I'm done preaching, I'm not going to give an altar
call. I'm not going to sing 29 verses just as I am and tell
you a sad story about a dog and try to get you to come down the
aisle and make a profession of faith. When I'm done preaching,
I'm going to leave it in the hands of God because that's where
it's at. At the beginning, in the middle,
and at the end. You see what I'm saying? Just
sit still. That's what Naomi said. You sit still and see how
the matter will fall. Jubilee meant nothing to the
Moabite unless that Moabite found herself somehow connected to
the promise. Just the one who stayed in Moab,
Chileon's wife, the one who stayed in Moab, she had no interest
in the promise. But Ruth did, and she could see
it. Redemption is a provision brought
to individuals through the gospel. The good news of accomplished
redemption is a matter settled at the gate and it's settled
before witnesses and it's established in the eyes of the public. It
becomes a public issue. I've told you once before my
concern about baptism when it's done in the church It was never
done in the church in the beginning. It was done in the creek. It
was done in the lake. It was a public thing, a public
confession of Christ. And religion likes to evaluate
the circumstances and make allowances for certain situations and certain
individuals. They like to vary on their judgments
and costs and losses. The byword of religion is how
a matter seems. There's a way that seems right,
but the end thereof is destruction. It's what we think. That's the
byword in religion. What do you think? What do you
think? With God, it's a matter of law
and strict justice. That got your ear, didn't it?
Redemption is a matter of strict law. Strict law. The law sets the requirements
and the standards of God, and until these demands are met,
there can be no redemption. The law has to be honored. It's obvious to me that the kinsmen
redeemer loved Ruth. Boaz loved Ruth. And he wanted
her as his wife. And he had the money to do it.
But he didn't do it that way. He knew the law of God had to
be honored. He was a believer. God's law
had to be honored before this union could come about. It says
the Redeemer, this is Isaiah talking, he said the Redeemer
shall exalt the law and make it honorable. So here then is
the lesson. It's a matter settled at the
gate. Ruth is with Naomi waiting to
see how the matter will fall back in Ruth 3 verse 18. And
this is true of every sinner to whom the Redeemer begins to
manifest His affection. Otherwise, they just go about
their business. It's just business as usual. It's like the man on
Mars Hill. Well, that's interesting. We'll
hear you again someday. But boy, when Boaz, when Christ
shows his affection to the sinner, it's a whole different story.
Now they want to hear. Now they're interested in how
the matter will fall. Now there's a connection. There's
a hope between the sinner and salvation. It's an evidence of his affection
when he extends to you a morsel by his own hand. Isn't it? By grace are you saved through
faith and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. God gives
you that morsel of understanding. There's no faith apart from understanding.
Who gives you that understanding? We know that the Son of God has
come and given to us an understanding. He's given it to us. It's a sign. It's an evidence
of His affection. It was a sign of Boaz's affection
when his servants said, come and glean in this field. You
meet the requirements. Sit down. Sit down. And it's a sure sign of his love
when he commands handfuls of purpose to fall into your hands. Isn't it? This is an evidence
of God's provision for his affection. He's showing you his affection.
That's what Boaz is doing. And it's a sure and open manifestation
of his interest in you When he fills your sack with his personal
flour, he said, take your sack, in her
case it was an apron, and hold it out. And he filled it up. He said, now you take that home
and give it to your mother-in-law. All of those redeemed by Christ
will be brought to sit still to see how the matter will fall.
But they have so many evidences and so many signs of God's affection
that they sit there not without hope, but in hope. In hope. Naomi never had a doubt about
it. She said, this man ain't gonna rest until this thing's
settled today. Today. How many times do you
say that in Hebrews chapter 3? Today is the day of salvation. Harden not your hearts. Today. Today. Today. It's going to be
finished today. The sound is going to go forth.
The gospel is going forth. And it's going to trigger something
in the hearts of those who believe. Today. God doesn't need time. Do you think He needs time to
do something in your heart? You need time, time to think,
time to reason. God's not subject to time. He
can bring it to pass in an instant. How do you know that? Because
He did it in me. That's how I know. He can turn you the opposite
direction in a short amount of time. And only He can do it. All those redeemed by Christ
are going to be brought to sit still to see how the matter will
fall, and this redemption's not just in your hands, but it's
in His. And this redemption is not something
that demands your presence and your input. She wasn't even there. You weren't in my study. You
were in my head. And you were in my heart. But
there was nobody in my study but me and the Spirit of God." Well, she wasn't there. She was
waiting to see how the matter was going to follow. It's all in the Redeemer's hands. Now let's look at four things
settled at the gate and see if we can get a clear picture of
what's going on here. First of all, Boaz states his
intention. He's there to redeem. Isn't that
what he told us? Boaz's presence at the gate is
the gospel of Christ being declared on behalf of the chosen sinner.
And redemption is the subject. Satan has to sidetrack. He never
faces the true issue. He always sidetracks. He likes to cause his ambassadors
to chase rabbits. He likes lawyers, like those
lawyers that hounded Christ. They like loopholes. I like what one man said one
time, he said, goat's butt, sheep follow. Boaz has one thing in mind when
he goes to the gate, redemption. Redemption. And apart from full
redemption, there can be no marriage union, no inheritance restored,
and no seed raised up for the dead. Everything hangs on redemption. And the matter of redemption
is always the theme of gospel preaching. I don't care what
my subject is, before I get done, I'm going to talk to you about
redemption. And then secondly, redemption
is a matter of strict law. And the reason why Boaz is at
the gate is because redemption requires the satisfaction of
God. These demands had to be met.
The law of God must be honored. The law is pictured here by the
near kinsman. And this kinsman, as it were,
had a prior claim on Ruth and Naomi. They owe the debt. Who said so? The law. The matter of public information. I've got a house for sale. And
I was talking to him about all the things that I've done to
the house and the worth of the house now as compared to what
I paid for it then. He said, well, what you paid
for it's a matter of public record. Every kind of transaction that
we do under the law is public. You can go online. You can see about anything you
want to know. You can go on there and find it. It's a matter of
life. And this prior kinsman had a
prior claim on Ruth and Naomi. They owed a debt that they couldn't
pay. And the law has a claim on every
sinner, and no sinner can ever be redeemed until the law is
honored and justice satisfied. This is a work that can only
be done by one who has the price that it demands. The willingness
to go to the gate and the heart to do what the law demands for
the glory of God, that all rests on the Redeemer. And then thirdly,
redemption has to do with the absolute certainty of the outcome. What do you mean by that? There
is no partial redemption. Now you let that sink in. Well, I'm partly redeemed. No, there's no such thing. The
Redeemer's not required by law to do the best he can do and
leave the rest up to the impoverished widow. That's what religion preaches. God's done all he can do, now
it's all up to you. That's not redemption. You can't
find it in a picture and you can't find it in plain declarations.
Redemption requires the full restoration of the one being
redeemed. And the truth of redemption has
to do with the absolute necessity of its efficacy. It has to do with God's purpose
and the aim of it, the aim of its action, and the fact that
the glory of God is tied up in the success of it. You see, that's
the problem with the message of religion. Religion has nothing
to say about the glory of God. The glory of God is tied up in
the law. It's not just the salvation of
your soul that hangs in the balance, it's His glory. For God to lose
one sinner that He chose and for whom Christ died would be
for God to cease to be God. His glory is tied up in this
thing. Redemption is either a matter
of complete restoration, or it's a total failure, or a manifestation
of the Redeemer's inability. Either way you want to look at
it. And then, fourthly, redemption's requirements must be met. Redemption requires that the
one enslaved through poverty be set free of all claims to
the law. The law can't touch them anymore. Their debt's been paid. Their
debt's been paid. It requires that the Redeemer
marry the dead relative's widow. It's not just a matter of, well,
I'm going to let it go this time. That's what religion says. We're
going to let it go this time, but don't let it happen again.
Uh-uh. No. It requires that the Redeemer
marry, marry, a marriage union of the dead relative's widow and raise up a lineage, a lineage
through her. And redemption requires the full
and complete restoration of name and possession of their inheritance
given to them by God. I'm going to talk to you in a
little bit about the God of hope. But there can be no hope apart
from redemption. The full satisfaction of the
law is what gives us hope. Is it not? The redemption of Christ restores
all that was lost in Adam and all that was lost by our own
actions. It also sets us free from the bondage of the law and
enables us, by union with Christ, to raise up seed for the glory
of God. Boaz came to the gate to redeem. All right? Secondly, because
of the nature of redemption, the matter of it must be settled
publicly. The gospel is a public declaration. It requires witnesses. It has
to be established in the presence of two or more witnesses. That's
exactly what Christ told those Pharisees. And I've heard a lot
about private witnessing, but I've never seen anything established
by it. The matter of manifest redemption
is a matter requiring witnesses, those who will vouch for it.
And his church is being represented at the gate of Bethlehem as the
place where redemption is manifest and vouched for. I preach the
gospel to you and somebody comes to you and says, boy, that sounds
pretty good. What are you going to tell them?
No, no, I don't think so. No, you're going to say that's
exactly right. That's exactly right. If we're
in agreement. What was settled on the cross
was witnessed and testified of. The resurrected Christ, it says,
was seen of over 500 brethren at one time. He spent nearly
a month after his resurrection on the earth to establish his
resurrection. No doubt about it. And even in
glory, the Spirit of God came and was poured out. Think about that. poured out
upon his church as a witness that Christ now sat at the right
hand of God. If I sin not to the Father, the
Comforter is not going to come. Did the Comforter come? Yes,
he did. What's that tell you? That's
a witness. Is it not? That's a witness. There were witnesses that the
near kinsmen could not redeem and witnesses that Boaz could
and did. Your witnesses this day, he tells
them. John the Baptist, it says, bear
witness of him. John the Apostle said, this life
was manifested and we've seen it and bear witness and show
unto you that eternal life. They're witnesses. And you here
in this place are witnesses of the gospel I preach and the reaction
of those to whom are gathered to hear it. You're witnesses.
You see what's going on. Do you not? Redemption is a matter
of public record. And this is where baptism finds
its place. It's an answer of a good conscience
toward God. As all those who believe God
walked up that plank into the ark. Peter said that's a picture
of baptism. They're all going to be buried
in the ark. They all walk into the ark. Nobody twisted their
arm. They heard the gospel. They heard
what Noah preached. And when he was done preaching,
came the day. God said, come into the ark.
And they all went in. They all went in. And then thirdly,
and I'll quit with this, redemption is a matter of utmost importance.
And when it's presented and understood aright, it becomes a matter of
life and death. I get weary of people who come
for a while, leave for a while, come for a while, leave. You
ain't hearing what I'm saying. Not yourself. When you hear the
gospel, it becomes a matter, it's a crucial matter, it's a
matter of life and death. This is either a matter of her
remaining with Naomi and her poverty and starving to death
or being redeemed completely. You see what I'm saying? It's
a matter of great importance. And that's why we hunger to hear
it. There's only one hope for Ruth, and that was to wait and
see how if her Redeemer could redeem
her. And He did. The gospel of God's
redeeming grace in Christ tells the seeking sinner, Christ bought
it all. He bought all that was limelight.
How long had he been dead? Quite a while. All that was chilly
on, he died next. All that was mail on, this day, he said, I bought it
all. I bought it all. Jesus paid it all. And now what
does the Psalm say? All to Him I owe. Redemption cannot satisfy God,
honor the law, or purchase anything unless it buys it all. That's what the Bible teaches.
takes full possession of it. And the Redeemer, by representation,
buys it all, marries his chosen bride, and glorifies God in the
whole matter. The glory of the gospel is that
Boaz did what he came to do. May the Lord help this poor preacher
to be a faithful witness of that accomplished redemption in Christ.
And tell you, Jesus paid it off. He paid it off.