What a fantastic morning in church. Mark Wilkins picked up on our Ruth series speaking from chapter 3.
We continue to see the great theme of grace and love flow from this story of Ruth and her family.
Chapter 3…this is our romantic bit of the story! Our RomCom!
Risqué moment where Naomi advises Ruth on what to do at the wild end of harvest party
Ruth 3:5-18
By her actions Ruth prompts Boaz to propose to her. Boaz responds in a godly way...with a heart of righteousness. He recognises that there might be a much closer redeemer, suitor from Naomi's family. We see a possible mismatch between them, rich and poor. He is not under any legal obligation to do this...yet he loves her!
Boaz says 'I will redeem you!'
God is under no legal obligation to redeem us. Yet he chooses through his Son to save us by his grace.
He lavishes grace and favour upon her...just like God continues to pour his grace and favour on us.
This is an incredible picture of the sovereignty of God at work
Boaz did the right thing
Ruth had to put a lot of faith and trust in him
Faith is taking risk
Sometimes we put faith in our own steps and yet the best way is to trust God's way...walk his path.
Jesus did it all for us!
He paid the price...let us trust him!
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Monday, January 10, 2011
Ruth 2
Great day in church yesterday. In the morning we continued our series on the book of Ruth. I spoke on 'God in the Midst of Blessing'.
Ruth Chapter 2
Some people put a lot of weight in “luck.”
The Bible doesn’t talk at all about luck. Instead, it talks about ‘favour’; ‘grace’; ‘blessing’; ‘providence’.
We can often think of God’s favour in the same way others think about luck. Instead of blind chance, the Bible points us to a personal God who pours grace and favour on people.
How do we receive and know God’s favour/blessing in our lives?
Naomi and Ruth could certainly have blamed bad luck for their circumstances but from this story we will see an amazing story of God’s favour
Ruth 2:1 - Now Naomi had a relative on her husband’s side, a man of standing from the clan of Elimelek, whose name was Boaz
Boaz…Man of standing; man of wealth; mighty man.
Ruth 2:3 - So she went out, entered a field and began to glean behind the harvesters. As it turned out, she was working in a field belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelek
“As it turned out” - gives the impression of blind chance/luck. However the writer is using an ironic tone to grab our attention and turn our focus to the invisible hand of God’s providence at work in the daily affairs of ordinary people.
It just so happened she ended up in Boaz’s field...Of all the fields in all the places, she ends up in Boaz’s! Is this a coincidence? Or is God involved? God’s involvement in the affairs of people, guiding them to his intended end is what we call providence.
“A chance in outward seeming, yet a clear shaping of her course by unseen hands. Her steps were divinely guided to a certain field, that God’s good purpose should be worked out” (Anon)
God is constantly at work behind the ‘seen,’ arranging the events and people in our lives to flood us with his favour. For you…maybe the first time he took you to church and found faith in Jesus Christ. Luck or providence?
4 steps to knowing God’s favour/blessing in our lives…
1. RECOGNISE GOD’S HAND IN YOUR LIFE
We must learn to recognise God’s providence at work in our “coincidences”. If we look, we’ll see God’s hand in it!
Ruth’s request was unusual - not just to glean, but “gather among the sheaves.” Ruth asks for more than she is entitled to. She asks for provision. The picture is of a holy boldness and a confident patience, as she worked in the fields awaiting the answer.
Boaz’s answer is amazing. She got the job! Boaz gives her permanent work, meaning she doesn’t have to looking elsewhere. He also gives her protection. This is far more than she could have hoped for! She has received favour! Boaz becomes the source of God’s blessing to Ruth. If she hadn’t made the bold request, she wouldn’t have gotten the bold response. This is the second step to receiving God’s favour…
2. REQUEST GOD’S FAVOUR
We must be willing to ask God to grant us favour. James, in the NT speaking about wisdom, says “You do not have because you do not ask.”
Ruth 2:10 - At this she bowed down with her face to the ground. She asked him, “Why have I found such favour in your eyes that you notice me—a foreigner?”
Ruth responds to the grace and favour of Boaz with an expression of gratitude. But all this overwhelming favour leads her to ask a significant question: “Why?” “Why are you doing all this for me?” It shows a remarkable humility, rather than an entitlement mindset.
Let’s look at Boaz’s answer to Ruth’s question of “Why?” As we do, we will learn something essential about why and to whom God bestows his favour.
Boaz replied, “I’ve been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband—how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before. May the LORD repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.”
It is Ruth’s faith that Boaz has responded too. She was faithful to Naomi, showing her commitment to her by leaving her homeland and going with Naomi, even after her husband died. And she has shown her faithfulness to God. She has taken refuge under his wing.
He asks God to “reimburse” her, give her the wages of faith. God rewards faith. In the NT we find these words:
Hebrews 11:6 - And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him
3. REMAIN FAITHFUL
Ruth had a lot of “good luck” that day! Getting the “lucky breaks” is more than just being in the right place at the right time. When we are faithful to God, we will find God’s favour and blessing on our lives. Ruth’s faithfulness wasn’t a flash in the pan. She didn’t reap this abundant favour just for having one good day.
Remember her words to Naomi back in Chapter One…
“Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God”
Her faith was evident for a long time. If you want God’s favour, commit yourself to faithfulness for the long haul.
Later on in this chapter we see Naomi’s expression of praise, a reflection of her grateful heart – she is thankful! Not too long ago, she was *bitter*, but now she sees God working on her behalf, and she sees the favour bestowed upon her, and she recognizes that God is behind it, so she gives thanks.
When we realise that we have received God’s favour, it should make us grateful. This is the fourth step in receiving God’s favour. We must:
4. RESPOND WITH THANKS
When God gives us his favour, blessing, grace…we should return to him with thanksgiving. Too often we expect God’s favour, get mad if we don’t receive it, and then fail to thank him when we do.
The classic illustration of this is the 10 lepers that Jesus healed. Of the 10, only 1 returned and gave thanks. How often can we be like that?
Ruth Chapter 2
Some people put a lot of weight in “luck.”
The Bible doesn’t talk at all about luck. Instead, it talks about ‘favour’; ‘grace’; ‘blessing’; ‘providence’.
We can often think of God’s favour in the same way others think about luck. Instead of blind chance, the Bible points us to a personal God who pours grace and favour on people.
How do we receive and know God’s favour/blessing in our lives?
Naomi and Ruth could certainly have blamed bad luck for their circumstances but from this story we will see an amazing story of God’s favour
Ruth 2:1 - Now Naomi had a relative on her husband’s side, a man of standing from the clan of Elimelek, whose name was Boaz
Boaz…Man of standing; man of wealth; mighty man.
Ruth 2:3 - So she went out, entered a field and began to glean behind the harvesters. As it turned out, she was working in a field belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelek
“As it turned out” - gives the impression of blind chance/luck. However the writer is using an ironic tone to grab our attention and turn our focus to the invisible hand of God’s providence at work in the daily affairs of ordinary people.
It just so happened she ended up in Boaz’s field...Of all the fields in all the places, she ends up in Boaz’s! Is this a coincidence? Or is God involved? God’s involvement in the affairs of people, guiding them to his intended end is what we call providence.
“A chance in outward seeming, yet a clear shaping of her course by unseen hands. Her steps were divinely guided to a certain field, that God’s good purpose should be worked out” (Anon)
God is constantly at work behind the ‘seen,’ arranging the events and people in our lives to flood us with his favour. For you…maybe the first time he took you to church and found faith in Jesus Christ. Luck or providence?
4 steps to knowing God’s favour/blessing in our lives…
1. RECOGNISE GOD’S HAND IN YOUR LIFE
We must learn to recognise God’s providence at work in our “coincidences”. If we look, we’ll see God’s hand in it!
Ruth’s request was unusual - not just to glean, but “gather among the sheaves.” Ruth asks for more than she is entitled to. She asks for provision. The picture is of a holy boldness and a confident patience, as she worked in the fields awaiting the answer.
Boaz’s answer is amazing. She got the job! Boaz gives her permanent work, meaning she doesn’t have to looking elsewhere. He also gives her protection. This is far more than she could have hoped for! She has received favour! Boaz becomes the source of God’s blessing to Ruth. If she hadn’t made the bold request, she wouldn’t have gotten the bold response. This is the second step to receiving God’s favour…
2. REQUEST GOD’S FAVOUR
We must be willing to ask God to grant us favour. James, in the NT speaking about wisdom, says “You do not have because you do not ask.”
Ruth 2:10 - At this she bowed down with her face to the ground. She asked him, “Why have I found such favour in your eyes that you notice me—a foreigner?”
Ruth responds to the grace and favour of Boaz with an expression of gratitude. But all this overwhelming favour leads her to ask a significant question: “Why?” “Why are you doing all this for me?” It shows a remarkable humility, rather than an entitlement mindset.
Let’s look at Boaz’s answer to Ruth’s question of “Why?” As we do, we will learn something essential about why and to whom God bestows his favour.
Boaz replied, “I’ve been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband—how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before. May the LORD repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.”
It is Ruth’s faith that Boaz has responded too. She was faithful to Naomi, showing her commitment to her by leaving her homeland and going with Naomi, even after her husband died. And she has shown her faithfulness to God. She has taken refuge under his wing.
He asks God to “reimburse” her, give her the wages of faith. God rewards faith. In the NT we find these words:
Hebrews 11:6 - And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him
3. REMAIN FAITHFUL
Ruth had a lot of “good luck” that day! Getting the “lucky breaks” is more than just being in the right place at the right time. When we are faithful to God, we will find God’s favour and blessing on our lives. Ruth’s faithfulness wasn’t a flash in the pan. She didn’t reap this abundant favour just for having one good day.
Remember her words to Naomi back in Chapter One…
“Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God”
Her faith was evident for a long time. If you want God’s favour, commit yourself to faithfulness for the long haul.
Later on in this chapter we see Naomi’s expression of praise, a reflection of her grateful heart – she is thankful! Not too long ago, she was *bitter*, but now she sees God working on her behalf, and she sees the favour bestowed upon her, and she recognizes that God is behind it, so she gives thanks.
When we realise that we have received God’s favour, it should make us grateful. This is the fourth step in receiving God’s favour. We must:
4. RESPOND WITH THANKS
When God gives us his favour, blessing, grace…we should return to him with thanksgiving. Too often we expect God’s favour, get mad if we don’t receive it, and then fail to thank him when we do.
The classic illustration of this is the 10 lepers that Jesus healed. Of the 10, only 1 returned and gave thanks. How often can we be like that?
Sunday, January 02, 2011
Ruth 1
Great start to 2011 in church today. Paul Benger started our new series from the book of Ruth.
God in the Midst of Suffering
Ruth is written from a woman's perspective. 52% of the book is conversation!
Great themes...God is sovereign; God is kind he's not angry; God redeems...he buys back; God restores....it's not over til it's over
It's a prophetic book...it's about you and me, that Jesus is going to redeem us...an undeserving people can be redeemed!
A theme of Grace
Ruth is seen as an undeserving person...a Moabite woman. And yet she becomes a person in the line of David...where Jesus is born
Ruth Chapter 1
Naomi is retuning back to Bethlehem after the famine. She has become bitter.
Key verse in chapter one...verse 14
Ruth clung to her! Orpah leaves her.
When suffering comes...remember what matters...remember your convictions. Stay true to what you believe!
Ruth stayed true to her convictions...true to her confession.
Judges 21:25
Elimelek under pressure makes the decision...goes down into Moab for bread. He forgets what matters. Fellowship staying in Bethlehem...he forgets worship. There won't be a place of worship in Moab. He's not been captured and yet he's making a bad choice.
It's not easy in tough times to remember what is right But it's important that we do! Stay together.
Ruth 1:14, 16-17
It says that Elimelek was going to Moab just for a short while
Just a 'temporary' thing...and yet he wavered and stayed there 10 years.
When we are in times of trouble stay true to your convictions...fellowship, worship, faithfulness
How do we feel in the midst of suffering? Noami is open with her feelings.
From this chapter...
1.Even in the midst of suffering God is still at work
Romans 8:28
2. Gods people are more important than you think
Psalm 92:13
There is a turnaround coming!
He does this for a girl who stays true to her convictions.
Faithfulness is key for us today
God in the Midst of Suffering
Ruth is written from a woman's perspective. 52% of the book is conversation!
Great themes...God is sovereign; God is kind he's not angry; God redeems...he buys back; God restores....it's not over til it's over
It's a prophetic book...it's about you and me, that Jesus is going to redeem us...an undeserving people can be redeemed!
A theme of Grace
Ruth is seen as an undeserving person...a Moabite woman. And yet she becomes a person in the line of David...where Jesus is born
Ruth Chapter 1
Naomi is retuning back to Bethlehem after the famine. She has become bitter.
Key verse in chapter one...verse 14
Ruth clung to her! Orpah leaves her.
When suffering comes...remember what matters...remember your convictions. Stay true to what you believe!
Ruth stayed true to her convictions...true to her confession.
Judges 21:25
Elimelek under pressure makes the decision...goes down into Moab for bread. He forgets what matters. Fellowship staying in Bethlehem...he forgets worship. There won't be a place of worship in Moab. He's not been captured and yet he's making a bad choice.
It's not easy in tough times to remember what is right But it's important that we do! Stay together.
Ruth 1:14, 16-17
It says that Elimelek was going to Moab just for a short while
Just a 'temporary' thing...and yet he wavered and stayed there 10 years.
When we are in times of trouble stay true to your convictions...fellowship, worship, faithfulness
How do we feel in the midst of suffering? Noami is open with her feelings.
From this chapter...
1.Even in the midst of suffering God is still at work
Romans 8:28
2. Gods people are more important than you think
Psalm 92:13
There is a turnaround coming!
He does this for a girl who stays true to her convictions.
Faithfulness is key for us today
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