Thank you, David. If you would, turn with me to
the Book of Ruth. Book of Ruth. You know, the gospel is so clearly
set forth in the book of Ruth, isn't it? I trust the Lord would
enable me to preach it with clarity because it's such a beautiful
picture of redemption. Beautiful picture of redemption.
And before we start, I'll remind you real quick about the people
we are introduced to in the book of Ruth. First of all, we have
Boaz. I say first of all, we have Boaz
because without Boaz, there would be no redemption. Without Boaz,
there is no redemption. He is the key to this story because
he's the Redeemer. Boaz, of course, serves as a
type or picture of the Lord Jesus Christ, our kinsman Redeemer. He had the right to redeem as
a near kinsman, and he was willing and able. Those are three important
qualities in a redeemer, aren't they? The right to redeem, the
ability to redeem, and the desire to redeem. And Boaz is described
as a mighty man of wealth. a mighty man of wealth, to show
that he was more than able to redeem." More than able. Makes me think of Isaiah 40 verse
2 that says, "'Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her
that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned.
For she hath received of the Lord's hand double for all her
sins.'" That's the kind of redemption we have. And when you read about
Boaz here in Ruth, you find that he was a generous, gracious,
and kind man. No doubt all pictures of the
Lord Jesus Christ, who as we read in Hebrews, who can have
compassion on the ignorant and them that are out of the way. And of course we have Naomi and
Ruth, the ones who are redeemed by Boaz in this story. They picture to us all the elect. They picture to us all the elect,
both Jews and Gentiles, those that are redeemed by the Lord
Jesus Christ. And we see, as we read through
this and Ruth and Naomi's lives, we see God's providence, his
calling them, Ruth humbling herself before Boaz, which are all types
and lessons that we have in this book. And I don't believe I could
sum this book up or comment on this story any better than what
the women of Bethlehem told Naomi. If you would, turn over to chapter
four. This is, if you want to understand the book of Boaz, I don't think we could read any
two verses that would give us a better understanding of it.
This is the gospel right here. This is the gospel beginning
and we'll start reading in verse 13 for context. So Boaz took
Ruth and she was his wife. And when he went in unto her,
the Lord gave her conception, and she bare a son. And this
is what the woman said, verse 14. And the women said unto Naomi,
Blessed be the Lord. Blessed be the Lord, which has
not left thee this day without a kinsman, that his name may
be famous in Israel. Blessed be the Lord, which has
not left thee. That's all it would take for
me to be lost forever. That's all it would take for
God just to leave me to myself, just to let me go my own way. I don't want anything to do with
free will religion or salvation by works. I want
a redeemer. I want a redeemer. I'm so thankful
that God has a people in this world whom he has loved with
an everlasting love from all eternity. who he has not left
without a Redeemer. And if you are one of his sheep
here this evening, this verse is true about you. And we should
read verses like this to ourselves often. Read it to yourself when
you're troubled with your sin. Read it to yourself when your
heart gets cold. Read it to yourself when you're
wrestling with the old man and you just feel the wickedness
and how sinful and evil we are. Read this verse, blessed be the
Lord, which has not left the Austin Groover without a kinsman. That's the only thing that comforts
me. That's all my hope. God did not
leave me without a redeemer. Where would I be? Where would
you be without the Lord Jesus Christ? Now, we know how the story ends
for Ruth and Naomi. We just read it here. They're
redeemed by Boaz. But you know what else is such
a blessing about this story? Is that their redemption was set up before
Naomi and Ruth were ever born. Their redemption was set up before
they were ever born. The story of redemption actually
began by God setting up the way of redemption before Naomi and
Ruth were ever born. If you want to look at this,
turn with me to Leviticus chapter 25. Leviticus 25. God set forth some
laws about the selling of land and how to buy it back and how
it could be redeemed. The Lord told them, I'm giving
you the land. This is my land. So he set up
the rules for the land. This is God's world, right? I don't know why man by nature
just has a problem with that, but this is his world. He sets
up the rules. But when the land was divided
up amongst the children of Israel, every family was given a possession
of the land. Now, if someone were to fall
into poverty, that person out of necessity could sell his possession
for a season. But the buyer of that land was
not allowed to keep it forever. The buyer had to return the property
under one of the following three conditions, and that's where
we'll start reading here in Leviticus verse 23. The land shall not be sold forever,
for the land is mine, for ye are strangers and sojourners
with me. And in all the land of your possession,
ye shall grant a redemption for the land. If thy brother be waxen
poor, and hath sold away some of his possession, and if any
of his kin come to redeem it, then shall he redeem that which
his brother sold. And if the man hath none to redeem
it, and himself be able to redeem it, then let him count the years
of the sale thereof, and restore the overplus unto the man to
whom he sold it, that he may return unto his possession. But
if he be not able to restore it to him, then that which is
sold shall remain in the hand of him that bought it until the
year of jubilee, and in the jubilee it shall go out, and he shall
return unto his possession." So these were the three conditions
in which the land would be returned unto someone who sold it. First,
the year of jubilee was reached, and that year all debts were
forgiven and lands were returned. The second, the person who had
sold the land, if by God's good providence he had obtained the
means to buy it back, he could buy it back himself. Or third,
if one of his kin, it had to be akin to that person, if one
of his kin who had sold the land was willing and able to buy it
back for that person. So in Naomi and Ruth's case,
the way of redemption was set up by God by putting a law in
place that made Boaz an eligible redeemer for them. They certainly
couldn't redeem the land for themselves, and who knows how
many years were left for the year of Jubilee, but Boaz could. He was an eligible redeemer because
of this law. So we see that Naomi and Ruth's
method of redemption was set up before there was ever a need.
And my friends, God has a people who he has determined to redeem
before the foundation of the world. And yes, the Lord has
set up the way of redemption. The way. not options one, two
and three, like the redemption of the lands, the way of redemption
set up an eternity and the everlasting covenant, the covenant of grace. This covenant between the father,
the son and the Holy Spirit sets forth the plan of redemption
in which God gets all the glory for saving a bunch of hell deserving
centers. yes there is a Redeemer the Lord
Jesus Christ Ephesians 1 7 says in whom we have redemption through
his blood the forgiveness of sins according to the riches
of his grace for tonight though for a few minutes I want us to
look at just chapter 1 chapter 1 and Ruth if you'll
turn back with me I have four things I want us
to see in this first chapter. The first is titled, what I see
is people turning to Moab. People turning to Moab and dwelling
there. Verses one through five. Now
it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled that there was
a famine in the land, and a certain man of Bethlehem Judah went to
sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. And the name of the man was Elimelech,
and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons
Mahon and Chilion, Ephratais of Bethlehem Judah. And they
came into the country of Moab and continued there. And Elimelech,
Naomi's husband, died, and she was left and her two sons. And
they took them wives of the woman of Moab, the name of the one
was Oreph, and the name of the other Ruth, and they dwelt there
about ten years. And Mahon and Chilion died both
of them, and the woman was left of her two sons and her husband."
Now, I can't imagine what living through a famine is like. We
live in such a blessed country, in such a time, we have so much. If a person can work, that person
can eat in this country. I know there's poverty and many
people struggle, but there's food to be had. But in a famine, and a really bad famine, and
a true famine, it doesn't matter how hard you work, there's just
no food. It doesn't matter what you do, there's no food to be
had. And that's a pretty good picture
of natural man's condition. A horrible famine. A horrible
famine, no spiritual life. No spiritual life. He can try
and do good works. He can try and keep the law of
God. He can try. He can try. But we're spiritually
dead. It's a famine. And millions of
people, millions of people turn to Moab. What do I mean by turn
to Moab? Well, what do we know about the
land of Moab? First, it was a land of idolatry
and false religion. And it was a land that, worldly
speaking, was prospering at this time. And this is what man does
by nature. They turn to Moab. Some are in Moab, consumed with
getting more and more out of this world. We were just talking
about that in the study. Apparently, when Elimelech and
Naomi left Judah, they were full. We see that in verse 21, if you
want to look down there, it says, I went out full and the Lord
hath brought me home again empty. Apparently they had gone out
full. It's never enough for the flesh. It's never enough. We just keep. Men by nature just
consume with the things of getting as much as they can out of the
land of Moab. How foolish is man by nature! What did our Lord say? For what
is a man profited if he shall gain the whole world? If you
could gain the whole world and lose your soul. Or what shall a man give in exchange
for his soul? Others are in Moab thanking their
worshiping God. thanking their worshiping God,
and nothing could be further from the truth. Zealous, but not according to
knowledge. That's what we read in Romans,
right? For they, being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going
about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted
themselves unto the righteousness of God. I don't believe Elimelech thought
he was going into Moab to die. I don't think that was his big
plan. Pack up, move into Moab, and
die. I'm sure maybe he thought he'd
go there, spend some time, accumulate some wealth, maybe come back
in a few years. Yet he and his two sons died
in Moab. Moab leads to death. That's the
point. Moab leads to death. Moab is
the Broadway. Our Lord said, Enter ye in at
the straight gate, for wide is the gate, and broad is the way
that leadeth to destruction. And many there be which go in
thereat, because straight is the gate, and narrow is the way
which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." So here are Naomi and Ruth. in Moab, widows, widows in Moab. And they would have stayed there
and died and died there, except they hear a message of good news. They would have stayed there
and died there, except they hear a message of good news. And God
draw them out. God sends his word to his people.
And that brings us to my second part. There's bread in Judah. There's bread in Judah verses
6 and 7. Then she arose with her daughters-in-law
that she might return from the country of Moab for she had heard
she heard faith cometh by hearing she had heard in the country
of Moab. how that the Lord had visited
his people and giving them bread. Wherefore, she went forth out
of the place where she was, and her two daughters-in-law with
her, and they went on the way to return unto the land of Judah. What brought Naomi out of Moab? She heard the good news, what
the Lord had done for his people. That's the good news. What the
Lord has done for his people. The Lord had visited his people
and giving them bread. That is what brings God's people
out of Moab when they hear the good news. The gospel is good
news to a sinner. And God uses his word to call
out his people. That's why it's so important
that we preach the gospel and support the gospel message. Romans
it says for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall
be saved How then shall they call on him in whom they have
not believed? Believed and how shall they believe
in him of whom they have not heard and how shall they hear
without a preacher? Now Naomi heard that there was
bread in Judah I Want to talk to you about the bread of life
I want to talk to you about the bread of life, the Lord Jesus
Christ. Our Lord said, I am the bread
of life. He that cometh to me shall never
hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. Christ
is called the bread of life because he gives life to dead
sinners. He gives life to dead sinners.
We are born into this world spiritually dead, dead in trespasses and
sins, and everything else that a person feeds upon leads to
death. But Christ, the true bread, gives
life, and we are sustained by Him. He is the good news, the
only hope for sinners. We quote this verse a lot from
Paul's message in Acts. Be it known unto you, therefore,
men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you
the forgiveness of sins. And by him, all that believe
are justified from all things from which you could not be justified
by the law of Moses. Justified from all things. That's what I need. That's good
news. Everything that a sinner needs
is in Christ. Everything. Forgiveness of sins. I need I need that. I need the
forgiveness of sins. There are more than I can count.
And I've sinned against a holy. God. And I have nothing to pay
with. I need this free forgiveness
of sins that's in Christ Jesus. Righteousness that God can accept. The Lord Jesus Christ is my righteousness. His righteousness is charged
to my account. Reconciliation with God. What
do we read in Colossians 1, 21 and 22? And you that were sometime
alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now
hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death to
present you holy and unblameable and unreprovable in his sight. This is what brings us out of
Moab. The good news to hear what the
Lord has done. What has the Lord done for his
people? Not what we've done, not what
you can do, not what you, what Christ has done, plus something
that you're going to add. That's, that's no comfort. That's
still Moab. I want to hear about what the
Lord has done for his people this morning in Sunday school.
We studied from Romans, and that verse there pretty much summarizes
the gospel, or to me it does. Romans 5 verse 6, for when we
were yet without strength, without strength, without anything to
offer unto God, without any method of payment, in due time Christ
died for the ungodly. Christ died for the ungodly.
You know who rejoices in that message? The ungodly. The ungodly. The self-righteous
are unmoved. They don't need that message.
They don't need that message. But to the ungodly, that's all
our hope. That's all our hope. I'm thankful by the grace of
God. I'm trusting the Lord Jesus Christ for all my salvation. I'm a sinner through and through,
and the gospel of God's free grace in Christ is good news
to me. I hope it's good news to you. Good news to you. All right. That leads us to our third heading. Oroph turned back, but not Ruth. Verses 12 through 17. Turn again, my daughters, go
your way, for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say
I have hope, if I should have a husband also tonight, and should
also bear sons, would you tarry for them till they were grown?
Would you stay for them from having husbands? Nay, my daughters,
for it grieveth me much for your sakes that the hand of the Lord
is gone out against me.' And they lifted up their voice and
wept again. And Oroph kissed her mother-in-law,
but Ruth clave unto her. And she said, Behold, thy sister-in-law
is gone back unto her people and unto her gods. Return thou
after thy sister-in-law. And Ruth said, Entreat me not
to leave thee. or to return from falling after
thee? For whither thou goest, I will
go, and where thou lodgest, I will lodge. Thy people shall be my
people, and thy God my God. Where thou diest, will I die,
and there will I be buried. The Lord do so to me, and more
also, if ought but death for thee and me. Orath turned back,
but not Ruth. Or Ruth claimed, why did Oruth
turn back and not Ruth? Maybe a better question would
be, why didn't Ruth turn back as well? Why didn't Ruth turn
back as well? Two truths that we see in the
Word of God are here presented so clearly again. God's election
and sinners being made willing. God's election and sinners being
made willing. First of all, God's election.
God elected a people before the foundation of the world in Christ
Jesus. Not because of anything he saw
in those people, not because of anything they would do, not
because they were greater than others. He did so because he
would. As the scriptures say, according
to the good pleasure of his will. to the praise of the glory of
His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the Beloved. Ruth was one of God's sheep,
who, as Peter wrote in 1 Peter 1-2 says, was elect according
to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification
of the Spirit and to obedience and sprinkling of the blood of
Jesus Christ And Ruth was made willing to go with Naomi.
She wanted to be with Naomi. God did a work in Ruth, and Ruth
believed God, and she wanted to be with God's people. That's
why Ruth didn't turn back. There was nothing better about
Ruth, when you think of Ruth and Ora. Both had grown up in
false religion. There was nothing better about
Ruth, but God loved Ruth. God called Ruth, and Ruth was
made willing, and she went with Naomi. That's what Psalms 110
verse 3 says. Thy people shall be willing in
the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the
womb of the morning thou hast to do of thy youth. And that
leads us to the last point of this message. We see it's the
beginning of barley harvest. Let's start reading in verse
22. So Naomi and Ruth are on their
way into Bethlehem. Verse 22, so Naomi returned and
Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, with her, which returned out
of the country of Moab, and they came to Bethlehem in the beginning
of barley harvest. Here come Naomi and Ruth. They're leaving Moab, and they're
on their way into Judah, where they've heard that there's bread.
They've heard that there's bread in Judah. And so they make their
way into Judah. When they arrive, what do they
find? It's the beginning. It's just
the beginning of barley harvest. It's a time of plenty. It's a time of plenty of food.
It's a feast. It's not the end of the harvest
season. There's not just scraps and leftovers. There's plenty
for them. There's plenty. You know, I picture
a sinner first hearing the gospel, first hearing the gospel. Maybe
someone here today under the power of the Holy Spirit and
that sinner first coming to Christ. And what do they find? There's
plenty. There's plenty as redemption.
The Lord Jesus Christ is full of mercy and grace. And every
sinner that comes to Christ finds him to be all that they need.
And we continue to come, don't we? As it's always harvest time,
you know, I was thinking about this. I guess, I'm not a farmer,
but I've never farmed, but I can imagine the harvest season as
a time of joy after you've put in all the work and then the
harvest comes. But can you imagine the harvest
after a famine? Can you imagine what things were
like there in Bethlehem? Just joy, joy over this harvest. And when we come to hear the
Word of God, I hope that we come famished. I hope that we come
famished. You know, when we're out during
the week, it's a famine out there. It's a famine, but I'm thankful
when the Lord enables us to hear it's just the beginning of barley
harvest. May the Lord bless His Word.