1 00:00:00,880 --> 00:00:04,360 Amen. Praise the Lord everybody today, 2 00:00:04,360 --> 00:00:08,960 the House of the Lord thankful, Amen, for the songs and 3 00:00:09,040 --> 00:00:12,440 musicians and such, Amen. Tonight, each of you in the 4 00:00:12,440 --> 00:00:16,120 House of the Lord, glad for all of our guests here tonight as 5 00:00:16,120 --> 00:00:19,760 well, Amen. For each one of you, glad to 6 00:00:19,760 --> 00:00:22,720 have Patty with us tonight. Amen. 7 00:00:25,200 --> 00:00:30,080 Patty was like MVP help whenever the disaster was over at the 8 00:00:30,400 --> 00:00:34,880 high rise, Patty came here and they ran and got before we even 9 00:00:34,880 --> 00:00:36,960 had coffee made. They was running to Burger King 10 00:00:36,960 --> 00:00:40,160 and bringing coffee back as much as she could and she was just 11 00:00:40,160 --> 00:00:42,480 like a pinball machine. She's just going around. 12 00:00:43,080 --> 00:00:45,400 I told her there's still a rut in the yard where she makes so 13 00:00:45,400 --> 00:00:47,040 many paths. That's a that's a Paddy 14 00:00:47,040 --> 00:00:50,680 dedication right out there where she just made so many paths. 15 00:00:50,680 --> 00:00:54,440 And so we're so grateful, Amen, for her being with us tonight 16 00:00:54,440 --> 00:00:58,360 and Holly again and then all of you that have been coming 17 00:00:58,360 --> 00:01:00,960 whenever you can. I'm so glad that life is allowed 18 00:01:00,960 --> 00:01:02,800 you to be here. Amen. 19 00:01:02,800 --> 00:01:05,280 Jeanette and Tatum love to see you all. 20 00:01:05,560 --> 00:01:09,560 And Jayden, it's Jayden. We have we're on like, you know, 21 00:01:09,840 --> 00:01:13,080 kind of tilt the head terms. We just got it, what's up, you 22 00:01:13,080 --> 00:01:15,360 know, type of stuff. So we're glad to have Jayden, 23 00:01:15,840 --> 00:01:17,720 Amen with us tonight. Amen. 24 00:01:17,720 --> 00:01:20,240 Appreciate him in the House of the Lord. 25 00:01:20,240 --> 00:01:23,280 Also glad to have Ben Benjamin with us this evening. 26 00:01:24,040 --> 00:01:26,800 Benjamin's from Greater Grace Brother Clark's church, but 27 00:01:26,800 --> 00:01:29,440 we're glad to have him here with us, Amen, Tonight. 28 00:01:29,440 --> 00:01:32,600 We appreciate his pastor in that congregation, Amen. 29 00:01:32,600 --> 00:01:35,800 In Oakland City, Going to be turning to the book of Ruth here 30 00:01:35,800 --> 00:01:39,280 today. The Book of Ruth chapter #4 I 31 00:01:39,760 --> 00:01:41,760 want to read a few verses of Scripture. 32 00:01:42,440 --> 00:01:45,320 Amen. From Ruth chapter #4 tonight. 33 00:01:47,720 --> 00:01:49,920 Yeah, I'll tell you right now. It's going to take me just a bit 34 00:01:49,920 --> 00:01:51,560 to get where I need to be. All right. 35 00:01:53,080 --> 00:01:54,960 Now, some of the struggle with me, let me tell you, the 36 00:01:54,960 --> 00:01:58,800 struggle of a, of a minister, he already knows where he's going. 37 00:02:03,080 --> 00:02:06,400 And the difficulty sometimes is for me not to get excited about 38 00:02:06,400 --> 00:02:10,880 where I'm headed before I get there, all right? 39 00:02:11,720 --> 00:02:14,640 But I know it will just be totally meaningless to you 40 00:02:16,360 --> 00:02:20,320 unless you go to trip with me. All right, So I'm opening up the 41 00:02:20,320 --> 00:02:22,280 bus door tonight and say all on board. 42 00:02:23,200 --> 00:02:27,880 All right, help us this evening. Bible says in Ruth chapter #4 43 00:02:28,560 --> 00:02:34,800 and verse #10 moreover, Ruth the Moabitus, the wife I'm alone, 44 00:02:34,800 --> 00:02:38,960 have I purchased to be my wife. This is Boaz speaking. 45 00:02:38,960 --> 00:02:42,680 This I've purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of 46 00:02:42,680 --> 00:02:46,840 the dead upon his inheritance, that the name of the dead be not 47 00:02:46,840 --> 00:02:51,040 cut off from among his brethren from the gate of his place. 48 00:02:51,160 --> 00:02:55,560 Ye are witnesses this day. This is taking place at the city 49 00:02:55,560 --> 00:02:58,280 gates. And all the people that were in 50 00:02:58,280 --> 00:03:01,440 the gate and the elder said, We are witnesses. 51 00:03:02,120 --> 00:03:05,280 This is the the blessing or prayer that was pronounced then 52 00:03:05,280 --> 00:03:08,280 over them. The Lord make the woman Speaking 53 00:03:08,280 --> 00:03:11,680 of Ruth that has come to thine house, Boaz's house. 54 00:03:11,960 --> 00:03:18,600 The Lord make her like Rachel, and everybody say, and like 55 00:03:18,600 --> 00:03:24,920 Leah, which too did build the House of Israel. 56 00:03:26,120 --> 00:03:31,000 And do thou worthily in Ephrata, and be famous in Bethlehem. 57 00:03:31,320 --> 00:03:34,320 Verse 12 And let thy house be like the House of Therez, whom 58 00:03:34,320 --> 00:03:38,520 to mar bear unto Judah, of the seed which the Lord shall give 59 00:03:38,520 --> 00:03:47,280 thee of this young woman. He said Let let Ruth let this 60 00:03:47,280 --> 00:03:54,320 woman be like Rachel and like Leah, which too did build the 61 00:03:54,320 --> 00:03:58,160 House of Israel. This is important tonight 62 00:03:59,000 --> 00:04:04,760 because he didn't just say like Rachel built it or just like 63 00:04:04,760 --> 00:04:08,720 Leah built it. And they are are two vastly 64 00:04:08,720 --> 00:04:13,720 different women. History tells us, but it took 65 00:04:13,720 --> 00:04:19,000 both of them for the building of God's Israel Amen. 66 00:04:19,000 --> 00:04:21,800 For a little while tonight just very simply a phrase pulled from 67 00:04:21,800 --> 00:04:24,240 the scripture. I was betwixt in between what to 68 00:04:24,240 --> 00:04:27,880 call it, but I'm just going to use biblical phrase to did build 69 00:04:28,320 --> 00:04:30,640 If you don't like that. The other thing I was contended 70 00:04:30,640 --> 00:04:35,120 with with kingdoms of contrast. But 2 bit 2 did build 2 did 71 00:04:35,120 --> 00:04:37,000 build. Let's ask the Lord to help us 72 00:04:37,000 --> 00:04:41,120 Father, I love you tonight. I thank you Jesus God for your 73 00:04:41,120 --> 00:04:44,000 spirit God that you have been here with us today. 74 00:04:44,480 --> 00:04:47,640 I pray Lord, you continue to be so Lord Jesus in this place 75 00:04:47,640 --> 00:04:51,360 tonight, God, anoint our minds, anoint my lips of clay. 76 00:04:51,360 --> 00:04:54,720 I pray, O Lord, today convey something God will be Lord 77 00:04:54,720 --> 00:04:57,720 meaningful, helpful. Lord Jesus, God for us and our 78 00:04:57,960 --> 00:05:00,280 Lord walks and relationships with God. 79 00:05:00,280 --> 00:05:03,240 And I'll not Lord, fail to give you the praise Lord, for what 80 00:05:03,240 --> 00:05:06,680 you accomplished Lord, through your word in the lovely name of 81 00:05:06,680 --> 00:05:10,120 Jesus Christ that I pray Hallelujah and Amen of the 82 00:05:10,120 --> 00:05:13,160 church say Amen. You may be seated tonight in 83 00:05:13,160 --> 00:05:20,320 Jesus name. 2 to did build the book of Ruth, of course, is an 84 00:05:20,320 --> 00:05:23,080 interesting book and I'm not going to go into the complete 85 00:05:23,080 --> 00:05:27,560 story of the book of Ruth, but Ruth is peculiar in that the 86 00:05:27,560 --> 00:05:31,280 book of Ruth opens with a few different funerals, but it ends 87 00:05:31,280 --> 00:05:34,640 with a wedding and the birth of a child that brings great 88 00:05:34,640 --> 00:05:38,960 comfort to the family and to Naomi and to Ruth and to Boaz. 89 00:05:39,440 --> 00:05:44,200 And so it's it it ends much more jubilant than it begins as with 90 00:05:44,200 --> 00:05:46,000 the funerals that it opens up with. 91 00:05:46,480 --> 00:05:49,920 But the Bible was describing that Boaz, a character hearing 92 00:05:49,920 --> 00:05:53,080 the story, is meeting with some of the elders at the city gate. 93 00:05:53,080 --> 00:05:56,760 And the city gate, typically customary for those times, was 94 00:05:56,760 --> 00:06:00,440 the place where business was was contracted and where legal 95 00:06:00,440 --> 00:06:04,560 affairs were taken care of. And he met with with a kinsman 96 00:06:04,560 --> 00:06:09,000 that was nearer than he was for acquiring the land of some of 97 00:06:09,000 --> 00:06:12,040 the deceased relevant relatives of Naomi. 98 00:06:12,320 --> 00:06:14,920 Her husband had died, her sons had died. 99 00:06:14,920 --> 00:06:19,840 And so he's there to attempt to purchase those lands and also 100 00:06:19,840 --> 00:06:24,240 take the responsibility for Naomi, who is a widow and Ruth 101 00:06:24,240 --> 00:06:27,840 is a widow and any future children that would come as a 102 00:06:27,840 --> 00:06:32,840 result of of a marriage to Ruth. And the Bible tells us that the 103 00:06:32,840 --> 00:06:36,480 nameless, it's a nameless kinsman Redeemer in Scripture 104 00:06:36,760 --> 00:06:40,960 who refused to redeem any of this land and refused to redeem 105 00:06:41,440 --> 00:06:46,480 Naomi or Ruth or any of them and raise any type of seed into the 106 00:06:46,520 --> 00:06:50,320 deceased name. But Boaz, the Bible says he, he 107 00:06:50,320 --> 00:06:53,120 gladly did it. The Scripture even says in verse 108 00:06:53,120 --> 00:06:57,760 10, he said it says, moreover, Ruth the the Moabitus, the wife 109 00:06:57,760 --> 00:07:01,600 of Malone, he said, have I purchased to be my wife? 110 00:07:01,600 --> 00:07:03,840 This, this is something you must understand. 111 00:07:03,840 --> 00:07:09,360 This is an Israelite purchasing a Moabite wife who has proven 112 00:07:09,360 --> 00:07:13,160 her loyalty to God. It was customarily known in that 113 00:07:13,160 --> 00:07:16,120 day that the Moabites were hated by the Israelites. 114 00:07:16,440 --> 00:07:19,800 They were not on good terms. But here is Boaz that's 115 00:07:19,800 --> 00:07:24,280 purchasing A Moabite wife and he's not just simply taking her 116 00:07:24,280 --> 00:07:28,120 as his wife, but he's perching her, purchasing her to be his, 117 00:07:28,120 --> 00:07:31,120 his wife. And this happens though not in 118 00:07:31,120 --> 00:07:34,560 some corners, somewhere. It's not like some place that 119 00:07:34,560 --> 00:07:37,560 it's just he and Naomi and Ruth where all this is taking place. 120 00:07:37,560 --> 00:07:41,000 This is taking place, if I can use some Southern Illinois talk 121 00:07:41,000 --> 00:07:45,040 smack dab right there at the city gate, just smack dab where 122 00:07:45,040 --> 00:07:49,000 all of the business and the legalities of of the city takes 123 00:07:49,000 --> 00:07:51,480 place. And so there's people there that 124 00:07:51,600 --> 00:07:55,080 that have come to coordinate their business beyond just Boaz. 125 00:07:55,080 --> 00:07:57,840 There's others that have business to take care of that 126 00:07:57,840 --> 00:07:59,360 day. And here they all all are right 127 00:07:59,360 --> 00:08:02,440 in front of all of these people that have come to coordinate 128 00:08:02,440 --> 00:08:06,320 business that day and, and, and in front of the city elders, 129 00:08:06,320 --> 00:08:10,280 this, this thing has been made. And, and the city elders are not 130 00:08:10,280 --> 00:08:12,920 just, you know, just Joe Blow over on the corner. 131 00:08:12,920 --> 00:08:16,480 These elders are, are not necessarily even old men, but 132 00:08:16,640 --> 00:08:19,600 these elders served as leaders within their city. 133 00:08:19,600 --> 00:08:24,520 They, they were known as judges and arbiters of, of, of justice 134 00:08:24,520 --> 00:08:27,320 within their community. These, these were men that were 135 00:08:27,320 --> 00:08:32,600 known for and recognize for the wisdom and their experience and 136 00:08:32,600 --> 00:08:36,559 their integrity and they know the history of Israel and they 137 00:08:36,559 --> 00:08:40,000 want to safeguard her future as well. 138 00:08:40,000 --> 00:08:43,720 They, they understand that what takes place at the city gates 139 00:08:43,720 --> 00:08:47,480 that they have a hand on and they, they can give guidance in 140 00:08:47,480 --> 00:08:50,520 and, and all of this is taking place right here at the city 141 00:08:50,520 --> 00:08:54,400 gates because whatever is decided there, everybody, at 142 00:08:54,400 --> 00:08:56,880 least the elders for sure is going to know there. 143 00:08:56,880 --> 00:08:59,680 There's not going to be any future disputes over the 144 00:08:59,680 --> 00:09:03,960 decisions made at the city gates because it was made in the eyes 145 00:09:03,960 --> 00:09:07,120 and in front of the ears, if you will, of these elders, people of 146 00:09:07,120 --> 00:09:12,000 wisdom and experience that had Israel's best mind, a man at 147 00:09:12,000 --> 00:09:14,760 heart. And so you have these caliber of 148 00:09:14,760 --> 00:09:17,800 men and there's others, of course, that's come for 149 00:09:17,800 --> 00:09:21,080 business. And so part of their affirmation 150 00:09:21,080 --> 00:09:25,640 for Boaz and for Ruth, and for this deal, if you will, that's 151 00:09:25,640 --> 00:09:29,520 taking place at the city gates, they bring an affirmation, even 152 00:09:29,520 --> 00:09:31,440 partly if you want to call it a prayer. 153 00:09:31,720 --> 00:09:35,840 And they say the Lord make the woman that is Ruth that's coming 154 00:09:35,840 --> 00:09:41,040 to Boaz's house like Rachel and like Leah, which too did build 155 00:09:41,040 --> 00:09:45,080 the House of Israel. And the history of Israel is 156 00:09:45,080 --> 00:09:49,560 that she had a small beginning, but she for sure had been built 157 00:09:49,800 --> 00:09:53,960 in her military strength, in her numbers, and in her land. 158 00:09:54,280 --> 00:09:57,360 The House of Israel had come into its own. 159 00:09:57,640 --> 00:10:01,040 It had a feeble beginning, but she's not like what she once 160 00:10:01,040 --> 00:10:03,520 was. She, she began, according to the 161 00:10:03,520 --> 00:10:07,160 Scripture, with a single family through Abraham. 162 00:10:07,160 --> 00:10:11,200 And it struggled through some uncertain times as a single 163 00:10:11,200 --> 00:10:13,880 family. But through Isaac it gained a 164 00:10:13,880 --> 00:10:16,680 little bit more ground. And through the sons of Jacob 165 00:10:16,680 --> 00:10:19,120 and Esau, it gained a little bit more ground. 166 00:10:19,120 --> 00:10:22,880 And then you come through Jacob and you have this whole family 167 00:10:22,880 --> 00:10:25,480 of 12 tribes. So it gains a little bit more 168 00:10:25,480 --> 00:10:27,680 ground. And we read in Scripture that 169 00:10:27,680 --> 00:10:31,600 when they were taken into Egypt and Joseph and his family went 170 00:10:31,600 --> 00:10:35,520 in, they were only 70 souls. But whenever they departed, some 171 00:10:35,520 --> 00:10:38,960 400 years later, the Bible calls them a nation. 172 00:10:39,200 --> 00:10:42,400 So this, this Israel had built itself up. 173 00:10:42,640 --> 00:10:45,880 Israel at the beginning had no central government. 174 00:10:45,880 --> 00:10:50,040 It it just only had patriarchs of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. 175 00:10:50,360 --> 00:10:53,560 And later it had some tribal heads of authority with 176 00:10:53,560 --> 00:10:56,720 government, government. But then there was the judges 177 00:10:56,720 --> 00:11:00,240 even during the time of Ruth. So it's grown in its government. 178 00:11:00,240 --> 00:11:02,800 It's grown in all of its political status. 179 00:11:03,000 --> 00:11:07,120 We even read in Scripture that that Israel just as a claim of 180 00:11:07,120 --> 00:11:09,280 land. The Bible says that Abraham 181 00:11:09,280 --> 00:11:12,200 didn't even have so much to set his foot on anything. 182 00:11:12,480 --> 00:11:16,040 The only thing he had concerning Israelite land was a burial 183 00:11:16,040 --> 00:11:20,640 ground for his family. A meager beginning, but God had 184 00:11:20,640 --> 00:11:24,960 promised them the land of Canaan and Jacob family would 185 00:11:24,960 --> 00:11:27,360 eventually settle in the land of Egypt. 186 00:11:27,360 --> 00:11:31,520 That seems far from where they needed to be but God would take 187 00:11:31,520 --> 00:11:35,760 them and deliver them and settle them in the land of promise in 188 00:11:35,760 --> 00:11:39,280 the days of Joshua. And now you have 12 tribes that 189 00:11:39,280 --> 00:11:42,760 are taking over the whole land of the land of Canaan. 190 00:11:42,760 --> 00:11:46,840 They started small, but they have been built up as a great 191 00:11:46,920 --> 00:11:49,640 nation. And so as the elders are 192 00:11:49,640 --> 00:11:53,720 standing there and pronouncing this blessing upon Ruth. 193 00:11:53,800 --> 00:11:57,760 And so as they're they're alluding to the fact of the idea 194 00:11:57,760 --> 00:12:00,840 that Israel has been built up as a nation. 195 00:12:01,080 --> 00:12:04,320 It's matchless how they have come to the place that they are 196 00:12:04,320 --> 00:12:07,920 politically land wise and with people. 197 00:12:08,120 --> 00:12:12,720 But he says all of that was dependent upon two women. 198 00:12:12,960 --> 00:12:18,120 It was dependent upon Rachel and it was dependent upon Leah. 199 00:12:18,320 --> 00:12:22,040 He doesn't merely refer to them just bearing children, although 200 00:12:22,040 --> 00:12:23,560 they did. Amen. 201 00:12:23,600 --> 00:12:27,360 And at least much more than Rachel and their handmaids bore 202 00:12:27,360 --> 00:12:30,480 children as well. But he's just not referencing 203 00:12:30,480 --> 00:12:33,880 their children. Yes, 12 tribes is definitely a 204 00:12:33,880 --> 00:12:36,560 large amount of children to be born. 205 00:12:36,840 --> 00:12:41,920 But Rachel and Leah built the houses, not so much just by the 206 00:12:41,920 --> 00:12:46,640 fact of children, but by their their way in which they carried 207 00:12:46,640 --> 00:12:51,080 themselves, their own lives, fed into, if you will, the success 208 00:12:51,360 --> 00:12:54,040 of the nation of Israel, their roles. 209 00:12:54,400 --> 00:12:57,800 They were ensuring the promises of God that had come to Abraham 210 00:12:57,800 --> 00:13:00,440 and went down the line from one generation to the next 211 00:13:00,440 --> 00:13:03,280 generation, The building up of the House of Israel. 212 00:13:03,280 --> 00:13:06,120 For them, it wasn't just biological. 213 00:13:06,280 --> 00:13:10,040 They made and created a framework for Israel's identity 214 00:13:10,280 --> 00:13:14,640 of being the greatest nation that the world had ever known. 215 00:13:16,120 --> 00:13:18,480 Everybody doing all right. I'm just trying to get there. 216 00:13:18,680 --> 00:13:21,760 Hey, man, it's interesting that the elders do not mention May 217 00:13:21,760 --> 00:13:25,560 May Ruth make she be like Abraham and Sarah, or may Ruth 218 00:13:25,560 --> 00:13:29,280 be like Isaac and Rebecca. Those would seem good benchmarks 219 00:13:29,280 --> 00:13:31,080 because that's where the nation begin. 220 00:13:31,280 --> 00:13:35,680 But that's not what he says. He says let it be like Rachel 221 00:13:35,840 --> 00:13:40,360 and let their house be like Leah, the builders of the House 222 00:13:40,640 --> 00:13:43,680 of Israel. It was a collection of these 223 00:13:43,680 --> 00:13:45,160 two. And folks, when you start 224 00:13:45,160 --> 00:13:51,120 reading the story of Leah and of Rachel, it represents a messy, 225 00:13:51,160 --> 00:13:56,320 painful, complicated home. Amen. 226 00:13:57,440 --> 00:14:01,200 It's messy. I would have understood if he 227 00:14:01,200 --> 00:14:07,320 said let it be like Rachel rather than Leah because Rachel 228 00:14:07,320 --> 00:14:11,560 was the one that the Bible says that was Jacob's first choice. 229 00:14:13,400 --> 00:14:21,920 The Bible says that Jacob loved Rachel. 14 years of his life had 230 00:14:21,920 --> 00:14:27,840 been spent in order to acquire his marriage with Rachel. 231 00:14:28,360 --> 00:14:31,440 The Bible tells us the first seven years he thought he was, 232 00:14:31,440 --> 00:14:35,720 he was working for her and he married then of what he assumed 233 00:14:35,720 --> 00:14:38,280 to be Rachel. But the Bible says in the 234 00:14:38,280 --> 00:14:44,280 morning it wasn't Rachel, it was her elder sister Leah. 235 00:14:45,720 --> 00:14:47,960 Amen. And the Bible says this is 236 00:14:47,960 --> 00:14:54,680 scripture wording in Genesis 2931 that he, Leah, was hated or 237 00:14:54,680 --> 00:15:00,000 she was loved less than Rachel. I would think that the Scripture 238 00:15:00,000 --> 00:15:03,960 would say let her house be like Rachel, the one that Jacob loved 239 00:15:03,960 --> 00:15:07,320 and the one that he adored. The Bible even describes Rachel 240 00:15:07,360 --> 00:15:10,200 as being a lovely lady, a beautiful lady. 241 00:15:10,200 --> 00:15:13,360 I mean, you want that type of heritage and legacy for the 242 00:15:13,360 --> 00:15:15,920 nation of Israel. Something lovely, something 243 00:15:15,920 --> 00:15:17,120 beautiful. Amen. 244 00:15:17,120 --> 00:15:20,960 Because when you read about Leah, the Bible calls Leah that 245 00:15:20,960 --> 00:15:26,880 she was tender eyed. She's tender eyed or likely 246 00:15:26,880 --> 00:15:30,360 meaning she was weak eyed or a little plain, a little less 247 00:15:30,360 --> 00:15:37,880 striking then what Rachel was. But the elders that knew the 248 00:15:37,880 --> 00:15:40,960 wisdom knew the history. And we're trying to protect the 249 00:15:40,960 --> 00:15:46,600 future of of the nation said we want them to be like these two 250 00:15:46,840 --> 00:15:49,440 that built up the Kingdom of Israel. 251 00:15:49,600 --> 00:15:53,600 She's going to be a glorious nation and an altering Kingdom 252 00:15:53,760 --> 00:15:58,320 because it's built on these two. The Kingdom that we know today 253 00:15:58,520 --> 00:16:02,040 isn't just composed of everything that's been lovely, 254 00:16:02,280 --> 00:16:07,360 of everything that's been. It's not always been flowers and 255 00:16:07,360 --> 00:16:10,080 sunshine. It's not always been lovely. 256 00:16:10,200 --> 00:16:12,360 It's not always been the no, no, no. 257 00:16:12,480 --> 00:16:16,040 He says this thing has had some tender eye moments too. 258 00:16:16,320 --> 00:16:19,120 This thing has had some unwanted moments too. 259 00:16:19,400 --> 00:16:22,640 And he says the way that the Kingdom is built, it's not on 260 00:16:22,640 --> 00:16:26,960 one or the other, but in the Kingdom and in our lives. 261 00:16:27,320 --> 00:16:36,320 It takes the unwanted, yes. Someone say Amen, it is the 262 00:16:36,320 --> 00:16:38,480 scripture. Look at the scripture, Amen 263 00:16:38,480 --> 00:16:42,760 tonight in your word Amen. We see Amen that what we see 264 00:16:42,760 --> 00:16:46,080 here in the word. This existence of the nation of 265 00:16:46,080 --> 00:16:50,960 Israel was due to what was loved and also due to what was hated. 266 00:16:51,200 --> 00:16:55,480 It was due to what was lovely and it was also due to what was 267 00:16:55,480 --> 00:16:59,840 unknown or or unwanted. It strides into the future 268 00:17:00,040 --> 00:17:04,440 because of these mixing of, of these two things. 269 00:17:05,160 --> 00:17:09,800 You asked anybody in that day how did how to achieve a nation 270 00:17:09,960 --> 00:17:15,359 like Israel in terms of numbers and in terms of territory and in 271 00:17:15,359 --> 00:17:19,960 terms of spiritual Fang. Somebody might say, we just got 272 00:17:19,960 --> 00:17:24,400 to get everything just right. Everything's just got to be so. 273 00:17:24,400 --> 00:17:28,800 So in order for that to happen, they might tell you you, you, 274 00:17:28,800 --> 00:17:33,640 you got to surgically remove the unwanted parts of the story. 275 00:17:36,600 --> 00:17:42,200 You got to suppress the plane. You you got to turn out the weak 276 00:17:42,200 --> 00:17:45,280 eyed. But that's not what the elder 277 00:17:45,280 --> 00:17:48,560 said. It said it involves both their 278 00:17:48,560 --> 00:17:52,080 opinion was it's a Rachel and a Leah type Kingdom. 279 00:17:52,240 --> 00:17:55,800 You know why that's interesting? Because the Bible says Rachel in 280 00:17:55,800 --> 00:18:00,360 the earliest part Amen of her her her marriage to Jacob. 281 00:18:00,520 --> 00:18:07,720 The Bible says she is struggling with barrenness for years, but 282 00:18:07,720 --> 00:18:13,640 Leah is bearing children quite quickly and repeatedly. 283 00:18:15,800 --> 00:18:21,880 It is the makeup of the Kingdom of God, Baroness and 284 00:18:21,880 --> 00:18:27,560 fruitfulness. What do you say? 285 00:18:27,720 --> 00:18:33,160 I wish it was all the time. A new birth, a new birth, a new 286 00:18:33,160 --> 00:18:35,240 birth. But there are seasons of 287 00:18:35,240 --> 00:18:39,280 bareness. And sometimes it's the mix and 288 00:18:39,280 --> 00:18:42,160 the muddling of both that builds the Kingdom. 289 00:18:42,640 --> 00:18:45,680 There's moments like Rachel, the Bible says, she said give me 290 00:18:45,680 --> 00:18:49,680 children else I die. She had a longing for it. 291 00:18:49,800 --> 00:18:52,960 She had a passion for it, but she wasn't producing. 292 00:18:53,120 --> 00:18:56,360 But then there's somebody else over here like Leah that's 293 00:18:56,360 --> 00:18:59,640 producing on the left hand and producing on the right hand. 294 00:18:59,840 --> 00:19:03,400 And the Bible says she's giving praise to God for what's taking 295 00:19:03,400 --> 00:19:06,160 place. And so we have a home then here 296 00:19:06,160 --> 00:19:10,320 between Leah and Rachel, they're with rivalry, there's jealousy, 297 00:19:10,480 --> 00:19:14,000 there's emotional imbalance that's taking place inside of it 298 00:19:14,000 --> 00:19:16,240 all. But in all of that, God says, 299 00:19:16,240 --> 00:19:18,120 I'm going to flesh out my purpose. 300 00:19:18,320 --> 00:19:22,000 I'm going to flesh out my plan. And so God took the brokenness 301 00:19:22,000 --> 00:19:24,520 of a family. God took the brokenness of the 302 00:19:24,560 --> 00:19:26,800 unwanted. He took the brokenness of the 303 00:19:26,800 --> 00:19:28,600 Baron. And he says, I'm going to build 304 00:19:28,600 --> 00:19:32,160 a nation. Hallelujah. 305 00:19:32,320 --> 00:19:35,400 I'm going to make this a birthplace for a nation. 306 00:19:35,520 --> 00:19:40,280 Because it takes both to build my house not just in quantity, 307 00:19:40,480 --> 00:19:45,720 but in quality. Rachel has a longing heart. 308 00:19:47,400 --> 00:19:50,760 She's trying to pursue something that seems to be ideal. 309 00:19:51,000 --> 00:19:54,040 But Leah, here she is just a person of duty. 310 00:19:54,200 --> 00:19:57,480 She's being faithful. Hey, man, although maybe 311 00:19:57,480 --> 00:20:01,200 unwanted and not as appealing, she's being faithful. 312 00:20:01,280 --> 00:20:04,960 But when you can blend the passion of a Rachel with the 313 00:20:04,960 --> 00:20:07,880 duty of a Leah, it builds God's Kingdom. 314 00:20:12,040 --> 00:20:16,160 Someone say man, I love the passion of God's people. 315 00:20:17,920 --> 00:20:21,600 Oh yeah, I want to be there when the church is dancing. 316 00:20:22,400 --> 00:20:24,480 I want to be there when the church is shouting. 317 00:20:25,080 --> 00:20:28,520 I want to be that whenever they are pursuing hey man. 318 00:20:28,840 --> 00:20:32,560 But I also want, hey man, I also want people who will marry 319 00:20:32,560 --> 00:20:35,080 themselves just to the duty of walking. 320 00:20:42,720 --> 00:20:44,000 Work a little bit. I got my jacket off. 321 00:20:44,000 --> 00:20:45,560 We'll work a little bit. Amen. 322 00:20:45,560 --> 00:20:47,840 I'm all about shouting and dancing. 323 00:20:47,840 --> 00:20:51,400 I'm all about Amen, the bizarre and the, the miracle and all of 324 00:20:51,400 --> 00:20:54,200 that. But I'm also about Amen the duty 325 00:20:54,200 --> 00:20:56,560 of just walking. I'm about the fan, the, the 326 00:20:56,560 --> 00:20:58,520 fantastic things that take place. 327 00:20:58,760 --> 00:21:01,360 But hear me, you can't just live your life on that. 328 00:21:07,330 --> 00:21:11,850 Because what I know about life, there's more days I'm walking in 329 00:21:11,850 --> 00:21:14,170 life than when I'm running in life. 330 00:21:17,840 --> 00:21:22,240 Yeah, yeah, yeah. These two, these two. 331 00:21:23,000 --> 00:21:27,880 Because on the days that passion is short, duties going to carry 332 00:21:27,880 --> 00:21:38,400 on. It's with good reason, ladies 333 00:21:38,400 --> 00:21:41,840 and gentlemen, that in the New Testament Scripture that Jesus 334 00:21:41,840 --> 00:21:44,040 whenever he was in the wilderness to be tempted of the 335 00:21:44,040 --> 00:21:46,280 devil. It's with good reason that 336 00:21:46,280 --> 00:21:49,320 through the testing that whenever the devil came to him 337 00:21:49,320 --> 00:21:52,800 and said, Son of Man, will you turn these stones into bread, 338 00:21:52,920 --> 00:21:55,920 that Jesus did not do it. It's with good reason that 339 00:21:55,920 --> 00:21:59,200 whenever the enemy tested him and took him to the pinnacle of 340 00:21:59,200 --> 00:22:02,320 the temple and he said, cast yourself down, Amen. 341 00:22:02,320 --> 00:22:04,800 The angels have charge over you thee, that you would not dash 342 00:22:04,800 --> 00:22:08,240 your foot against a stone. It's with good reason that Jesus 343 00:22:08,240 --> 00:22:10,480 didn't do that just to prove him wrong. 344 00:22:10,480 --> 00:22:12,360 Why? Because he's going to leave that 345 00:22:12,360 --> 00:22:14,720 place in the spirit and the power of the Holy Ghost. 346 00:22:14,720 --> 00:22:17,720 The Bible says, and he's going to gather together a Peter and a 347 00:22:17,720 --> 00:22:20,920 Andrew and a James and a John and a Bartholomew that he's 348 00:22:20,920 --> 00:22:23,920 going to be a leader to. And he did not want to start 349 00:22:23,920 --> 00:22:28,440 their process of ministry with the idea that all there is in 350 00:22:28,440 --> 00:22:31,640 this is sensationalism of these great exploits. 351 00:22:31,840 --> 00:22:35,840 He wanted them to understand that along with extreme longings 352 00:22:36,120 --> 00:22:40,280 is the the aspect of just ordinary days that's comprised 353 00:22:40,280 --> 00:22:43,600 of duty and keeping the shoulder to the grindstone. 354 00:22:43,960 --> 00:22:46,440 All of it together builds the Kingdom. 355 00:22:53,400 --> 00:22:56,960 Hey, man, answer me this. What what what made the Apostle 356 00:22:56,960 --> 00:22:59,560 Paul who he was? Was it the healing and this is 357 00:22:59,560 --> 00:23:01,000 in your Bible in the New Testament. 358 00:23:01,240 --> 00:23:04,760 Was it the healing of the land the lame man at Lystra Was it 359 00:23:04,760 --> 00:23:08,760 the casting out of the evil spirit at Philippi or perhaps it 360 00:23:08,760 --> 00:23:11,280 was healing published his father and Malta. 361 00:23:11,480 --> 00:23:15,560 Maybe it was the fact that the apostle Paul a man who survived 362 00:23:15,800 --> 00:23:19,120 A venomous snake biter or escaping from numerous attempts 363 00:23:19,120 --> 00:23:20,520 on his life. Amen. 364 00:23:20,520 --> 00:23:24,000 We read all these things. We read that he was instrumental 365 00:23:24,280 --> 00:23:27,040 in the man that fell off from the third loft and went to the 366 00:23:27,040 --> 00:23:30,800 ground and was taken up as dead, that he brought him back to 367 00:23:30,800 --> 00:23:33,200 life. Many were healed by 368 00:23:33,200 --> 00:23:35,840 handkerchiefs that came from the body of Paul. 369 00:23:36,040 --> 00:23:39,080 The dead were raised. He preached throughout the Roman 370 00:23:39,120 --> 00:23:41,800 Empire. He wrote all of the epistles, 371 00:23:42,080 --> 00:23:45,720 most of them. But among all of those fantastic 372 00:23:45,720 --> 00:23:51,000 things, it's also his portfolio of 2nd Corinthians 11, where he 373 00:23:51,000 --> 00:23:57,240 also mentions ordinary laborers, stripes, being beaten, 374 00:23:57,520 --> 00:24:02,560 shipwrecked, hunger, thirst, code, nakedness. 375 00:24:03,400 --> 00:24:06,200 Which parts made the apostle the apostle? 376 00:24:06,920 --> 00:24:09,640 Both parts made the apostle the apostle. 377 00:24:09,920 --> 00:24:14,920 It takes Aaliyah and a Rachel to build the lovely and the 378 00:24:14,960 --> 00:24:18,440 unlovely, The Wanted and the unwanted, the barren and the 379 00:24:18,440 --> 00:24:32,440 broken. Takes it all just to keep the 380 00:24:32,440 --> 00:24:37,160 lovely parts of the apostles, Paul, Paul's life where they 381 00:24:37,160 --> 00:24:43,040 have something other than Paul. If he's shunned the hated parts, 382 00:24:43,040 --> 00:24:46,360 the unwanted parts Brother Fred, you would not be the Paul that 383 00:24:46,360 --> 00:24:50,920 you and I won't know to remove any part that was good, bad, 384 00:24:50,920 --> 00:24:54,120 whatever love, hated, productive, ordinary. 385 00:24:54,920 --> 00:25:00,800 We would have someone else besides Paul if I did. 386 00:25:00,800 --> 00:25:05,920 OK, so if you don't want the weak lie, eat weak eyed Leah. 387 00:25:05,920 --> 00:25:13,040 You want the unwanted gal was slipped in by her daddy, you 388 00:25:13,040 --> 00:25:16,720 don't want her then you got to remove her offspring. 389 00:25:21,800 --> 00:25:30,000 Leah gave birth to Reuben, and to Simeon, and to Levi, and to 390 00:25:30,000 --> 00:25:34,400 Judah, and to Issachar and to Zebulun. 391 00:25:35,280 --> 00:25:40,200 If you want to exclude the Leah and being in the equation, then 392 00:25:40,200 --> 00:25:42,080 you exclude the offspring of Leah. 393 00:25:43,040 --> 00:25:46,760 And if you don't have a Levi, you don't have a Levitical 394 00:25:46,760 --> 00:25:51,920 priesthood. If you don't have a Judah, 395 00:25:52,520 --> 00:25:55,840 praise is waning somewhere in the atmosphere. 396 00:25:56,400 --> 00:26:00,440 If you don't have a Judah, you don't have a kingship, even for 397 00:26:00,440 --> 00:26:03,760 Israel. If you don't have a Judah, if 398 00:26:03,760 --> 00:26:06,880 you don't have an Isacar, you're missing out on a segment of 399 00:26:06,880 --> 00:26:11,600 people that understand the times and know what Israel to do when 400 00:26:11,600 --> 00:26:14,920 times are uncertain. If you're lacking a Zebulon, 401 00:26:15,120 --> 00:26:18,800 you're you're lacking an expert of war and an expert in 402 00:26:18,800 --> 00:26:21,200 instruments of war. So if you're going to do away 403 00:26:21,240 --> 00:26:29,280 with Leah, someone say Amen. Say. 404 00:26:29,280 --> 00:26:29,600 But. But. 405 00:26:29,600 --> 00:26:33,200 But, Brother McGee, how about we just then? 406 00:26:33,280 --> 00:26:34,280 OK. You convinced me. 407 00:26:34,280 --> 00:26:35,880 Yeah. We'll, we'll keep the priesthood 408 00:26:35,880 --> 00:26:38,160 and the kingship. We'll we'll keep the praise and 409 00:26:38,160 --> 00:26:39,520 we'll keep all of that. But what? 410 00:26:39,520 --> 00:26:41,120 I mean, Rachel only bore two sons. 411 00:26:41,120 --> 00:26:46,920 Anyway, let's just. I mean, Lee is the dutiful 1. 412 00:26:46,920 --> 00:26:49,640 You know, Rachel's over here passionate. 413 00:26:49,640 --> 00:26:53,040 Nothing's happening. Why don't we just kind of cut 414 00:26:53,040 --> 00:26:55,160 her off? Well, again, you, you cut her 415 00:26:55,160 --> 00:27:03,360 off and you cut the contribution of her offspring of Joseph and 416 00:27:03,360 --> 00:27:07,080 Benjamin. That doesn't sound like much 417 00:27:08,640 --> 00:27:15,880 until you remember most of Genesis contains a story about 418 00:27:15,880 --> 00:27:23,320 Joseph who was cast in a pit by his brothers, favored, yes, by 419 00:27:23,320 --> 00:27:29,280 his fathers, sowed into slavery, endured prison, came second in 420 00:27:29,280 --> 00:27:34,320 control of Egypt. And all of that was timed right 421 00:27:35,480 --> 00:27:40,960 so that when a famine was in the land that could have taken out 422 00:27:40,960 --> 00:27:48,840 his family, Israel, Joseph opened up the grain race and out 423 00:27:48,840 --> 00:27:52,560 his brothers and his family in a little spot of Goshen and 424 00:27:52,560 --> 00:27:55,880 sustained in there. So if you cut off Rachel, you 425 00:27:55,920 --> 00:28:00,280 cut off the ruler that preserved the people during the famine in 426 00:28:00,280 --> 00:28:04,400 the What are you saying? I'm saying it takes both to 427 00:28:04,440 --> 00:28:07,680 build the Kingdom. On one side you have Rachel that 428 00:28:07,680 --> 00:28:11,400 sustained Israel through Joseph, but on the other side you have 429 00:28:11,400 --> 00:28:16,280 Leah that sanctified Israel with her priesthood and her praise 430 00:28:16,640 --> 00:28:24,320 and her. It takes both. 431 00:28:26,240 --> 00:28:30,680 God constructs His house this way, with that which is by some 432 00:28:30,680 --> 00:28:32,880 the loved and the unloved, the scene and the unseen, the 433 00:28:32,880 --> 00:28:38,160 desired and the disregarded. He will not only use the Rachel 434 00:28:38,160 --> 00:28:41,840 moments of your life, the beautiful celebrated seasons of 435 00:28:41,840 --> 00:28:44,360 your life, He'll also use the Leah moments. 436 00:28:44,680 --> 00:28:47,760 Even that's tearful. That's unchosen assignments. 437 00:28:47,840 --> 00:28:51,560 He'll use those, and he'll build something lasting from both. 438 00:28:54,280 --> 00:28:56,760 I know there may be some set here in the sound of my voice. 439 00:28:57,000 --> 00:29:00,000 It seems like until this juncture of the road, you've 440 00:29:00,000 --> 00:29:03,080 been dealing with the Liam mentality, the unwanted, 441 00:29:03,400 --> 00:29:07,560 unchosen, unloved periods and factions of your life. 442 00:29:08,040 --> 00:29:09,440 Amen. But I'm telling you, God will 443 00:29:09,440 --> 00:29:13,320 bring a Rachel, a passion. He'll bring a Rachel of love. 444 00:29:13,600 --> 00:29:17,320 And he'll take both the ugly and the beautiful, The Wanted and 445 00:29:17,600 --> 00:29:19,680 the unwanted, and he'll construct. 446 00:29:23,240 --> 00:29:37,520 Are these two someone say Laurie, I'm reminded. 447 00:29:37,520 --> 00:29:43,200 Then I'm reminded. Here's Leah over here with her 448 00:29:43,200 --> 00:29:51,320 little quiet acts of obedience, persevering in the shadows, her 449 00:29:51,320 --> 00:29:56,560 unseen service, but her essential service. 450 00:29:59,000 --> 00:30:05,680 I see Rachel over there desire a passion, a longing, but they 451 00:30:05,680 --> 00:30:11,320 alone do not produce lasting fruit in and of itself. 452 00:30:14,560 --> 00:30:18,760 I'm going to trust God for the celebrated and the hidden 453 00:30:18,760 --> 00:30:21,960 seasons. Did you hear me for the 454 00:30:21,960 --> 00:30:24,200 celebrated and the heat hidden seasons? 455 00:30:24,680 --> 00:30:28,800 Because they're part of my journey to contributing to the 456 00:30:28,800 --> 00:30:34,840 plan of something great. It is the story of Scripture for 457 00:30:34,840 --> 00:30:39,520 Israel that God's Kingdom is built through contrasting 458 00:30:39,520 --> 00:30:45,280 things, desire it's built upon, and duty It is built upon the 459 00:30:45,280 --> 00:30:49,120 joy and the struggle sometimes of living your life for the 460 00:30:49,120 --> 00:30:52,920 Lord, the celebrated, and your overlooked consecration when 461 00:30:52,920 --> 00:30:55,760 you're doing something that nobody knows anything about. 462 00:30:58,480 --> 00:31:00,760 It's not just the public prayer before church. 463 00:31:00,760 --> 00:31:02,640 It's the private prayer in your closet. 464 00:31:04,840 --> 00:31:18,360 It's the scene in the. Someone say thank you, Lord, the 465 00:31:18,360 --> 00:31:24,680 lasting preach, Sister Sheila, Our lives, much as we might not 466 00:31:24,840 --> 00:31:28,080 believe it does not come from eliminating everything that's 467 00:31:28,080 --> 00:31:36,960 been hard for everything that's been unwanted, as if we were to 468 00:31:36,960 --> 00:31:38,920 take, if you will, a list of our lives. 469 00:31:39,760 --> 00:31:41,920 How can I make life better? We would start scratching out 470 00:31:41,920 --> 00:31:45,880 everything that we didn't want, everything we didn't care for, 471 00:31:46,240 --> 00:31:49,640 everything that was hard, everything that was difficult. 472 00:31:53,160 --> 00:32:00,800 But God says I purposed to to take the whole bundle, the whole 473 00:32:00,800 --> 00:32:03,880 bundle. Oh come on, tie the good and the 474 00:32:03,880 --> 00:32:07,400 bad, the ugly and the lovely. I'm going to take the whole 475 00:32:07,400 --> 00:32:09,960 bundle and I'm going to make something great out of that. 476 00:32:14,640 --> 00:32:16,280 I'm I'm trying to tell somebody tonight. 477 00:32:16,560 --> 00:32:21,720 Don't you begrudge, don't you begrudge the unlovely parts. 478 00:32:22,160 --> 00:32:24,640 God can even redeem the unlovely. 479 00:32:24,960 --> 00:32:27,080 God can even redeem the unwanted. 480 00:32:27,360 --> 00:32:33,840 God can even redeem. He's got I didn't what I didn't 481 00:32:33,840 --> 00:32:36,960 like what was dealt to me missing, but God says I'm going 482 00:32:36,960 --> 00:32:40,520 to mix that in with the ingredients of the good and I'm 483 00:32:40,520 --> 00:32:49,480 going to make something. There's a Jew that coming from 484 00:32:49,520 --> 00:32:51,640 there. There's a priesthood coming from 485 00:32:51,640 --> 00:32:53,240 there. There's kingship. 486 00:33:18,480 --> 00:33:23,400 Someone say every season and there's many, aren't there. 487 00:33:24,160 --> 00:33:28,480 Time to pluck up and time to plant, time to mourn and time to 488 00:33:28,480 --> 00:33:32,400 dance. Time to embrace and time to 489 00:33:32,400 --> 00:33:35,440 refrain from embracing. It's lisastes. 490 00:33:35,760 --> 00:33:39,240 But the marvel my God is he takes every season, every time, 491 00:33:39,320 --> 00:33:41,160 he says, and I'll use it and I'll put it forward. 492 00:33:43,520 --> 00:33:45,840 The parts you would rather forget about and you don't want 493 00:33:45,840 --> 00:33:48,440 to tell anybody else about. He says, I'll take Lee and I'll 494 00:33:48,440 --> 00:34:02,270 put her in the program because God has an eternal value 495 00:34:02,870 --> 00:34:06,950 in his plan. Lasting fruit isn't about what 496 00:34:06,950 --> 00:34:09,510 we're eliminating. No, no, no, no. 497 00:34:10,270 --> 00:34:18,230 It's about embracing both and trusting God, the master 498 00:34:18,230 --> 00:34:22,480 Craftsman, to be able to weave those threads together to make 499 00:34:22,480 --> 00:34:29,280 something beautiful laying right beside the lovely, the unlovely, 500 00:34:29,280 --> 00:34:33,520 just just a tapestry, if you will, of beauty that He'll make 501 00:34:33,520 --> 00:34:39,280 and it's enduring. So it's with all of this that 502 00:34:39,280 --> 00:34:42,080 these elders on the history of Israel where she had come to and 503 00:34:42,920 --> 00:34:49,000 who she had been built upon and the content of their lives says 504 00:34:49,000 --> 00:34:55,199 over Ruth, a Moabite US who was not a Israelite but avowed her 505 00:34:55,199 --> 00:35:02,200 allegiance to God, says let her this foreigner that's not an 506 00:35:02,200 --> 00:35:10,640 Israelite who once served Pagan gods, Let her be like unto the 507 00:35:10,640 --> 00:35:15,720 House of Leah and to the House of Rachel. 508 00:35:16,960 --> 00:35:22,120 Because I believe these elders and those that knew Ruth and had 509 00:35:22,120 --> 00:35:26,080 been among their city now for quite some time in Bethlehem 510 00:35:26,080 --> 00:35:28,440 because she came back with Naomi. 511 00:35:28,560 --> 00:35:31,200 You know what they were already seeing reflected in the life of 512 00:35:31,200 --> 00:35:38,360 Ruth, Aaliyah and a Rachel. See. 513 00:35:38,360 --> 00:35:43,680 Because through the eyes of Boaz, Ruth is the Rachel that he 514 00:35:43,680 --> 00:35:47,440 loves. But as an outsider coming in. 515 00:35:49,280 --> 00:35:51,640 Usually Israelites hated Moabites in that day. 516 00:35:52,160 --> 00:35:55,120 She's a woman that many are skeptical of and are having 517 00:35:55,120 --> 00:35:59,560 borderline hatred. Hey man 4. 518 00:36:00,120 --> 00:36:03,480 Boaz honors her even as an outsider. 519 00:36:03,720 --> 00:36:06,680 Yet in Ruth's time, there was a period of time from the moment 520 00:36:06,680 --> 00:36:09,720 she got there till finally they're standing before the gate 521 00:36:09,960 --> 00:36:11,520 and they're making the wedding vows. 522 00:36:11,720 --> 00:36:15,040 There's time that she's doing, if you will, threshing in fields 523 00:36:15,040 --> 00:36:18,360 that don't belong to her, that she has no history with. 524 00:36:18,640 --> 00:36:21,240 There are times she's laying down on the threshing floor 525 00:36:21,400 --> 00:36:23,320 trying to get the attention of Boaz. 526 00:36:23,600 --> 00:36:27,360 There are times she's looking at Naomi, Naomi's looking at her, 527 00:36:27,600 --> 00:36:30,920 and they don't know what they're doing for the next bundle of 528 00:36:30,920 --> 00:36:34,360 grain the next day. There were times of waiting. 529 00:36:34,680 --> 00:36:39,480 Just like Rachel, she has a passion to be, a passion to do, 530 00:36:39,680 --> 00:36:44,560 but she has to wait so much. Amen. 531 00:36:47,040 --> 00:36:50,760 But also in all of that time of waiting, God's making provision 532 00:36:51,000 --> 00:36:54,800 and God's showing favor and God's giving status, and he's 533 00:36:54,800 --> 00:36:59,400 unfolding his timing. And her son Ruth and Boaz, his 534 00:36:59,400 --> 00:37:04,680 son Obed, would become the grandfather of David. 535 00:37:06,000 --> 00:37:10,840 And all of that underscores Ruth's enduring fruit and her 536 00:37:11,000 --> 00:37:15,720 her faithful patience in her waiting that at the same time, 537 00:37:15,720 --> 00:37:20,720 Ruth is mirroring Aaliyah. Overlooked Moabite us, 538 00:37:22,600 --> 00:37:26,000 overlooked Moabite us. She'll be in the field, but 539 00:37:26,000 --> 00:37:28,560 she's overlooked by many of the city. 540 00:37:29,200 --> 00:37:32,840 And like Leah, she enters a covenant, a covenant in this 541 00:37:32,840 --> 00:37:36,400 family, and she enters it by unusual circumstances. 542 00:37:36,960 --> 00:37:40,400 Leah's thrown in with Jacob because her father says she's 543 00:37:40,400 --> 00:37:43,760 got to be married first, not because she was chosen. 544 00:37:44,720 --> 00:37:46,800 It was thrust upon her and thrown in here. 545 00:37:47,040 --> 00:37:49,880 And here is Ruth unlikely circumstances. 546 00:37:49,880 --> 00:37:53,560 Her husband died in Moab, so she's just going to go with her 547 00:37:53,560 --> 00:37:57,560 mother-in-law, Amen. Back to the city of Bethlehem. 548 00:37:57,760 --> 00:38:03,480 It is unlikely circumstances. Socially, she's marginalized as 549 00:38:03,480 --> 00:38:06,920 a Moabite, this widow. But here is Ruth. 550 00:38:07,360 --> 00:38:10,320 Ruth is trying to be loyal to her, Amen. 551 00:38:10,320 --> 00:38:14,600 Loyal to Naomi, care for her. She's trying to be obedient to. 552 00:38:15,360 --> 00:38:17,400 That's the reason why she said those phrases. 553 00:38:17,600 --> 00:38:20,640 Where you go, I go. Where you lodge, I lodge. 554 00:38:20,920 --> 00:38:24,400 Your God will be my God. Your people will be my people. 555 00:38:24,640 --> 00:38:27,160 Where you die, that's where I'm going to die. 556 00:38:27,360 --> 00:38:29,240 That's where I'm going to be buried. 557 00:38:29,480 --> 00:38:34,800 All along she's proven Amen that God works through the unseen and 558 00:38:34,800 --> 00:38:37,160 the undervalued and the overlooked. 559 00:38:37,200 --> 00:38:42,200 All of that wrapped up in Ruth, Leah, Rachel. 560 00:38:46,360 --> 00:38:50,480 So within loot Ruth, their prayer, their petition is come 561 00:38:50,480 --> 00:38:54,080 to pass because she combines the attributes of both of these 562 00:38:54,080 --> 00:38:58,280 women of Rachel and Leah. She's beloved, yet she's in 563 00:38:58,280 --> 00:39:01,120 waiting. She's overlooked, yet she's 564 00:39:01,120 --> 00:39:11,870 fruitful from the mostly least likely place, a Moabitess, and 565 00:39:11,910 --> 00:39:17,920 she's used an instrumental for building God's house spiritually 566 00:39:19,160 --> 00:39:30,200 covenant wise and family wise. Someone say man, no. 567 00:39:30,200 --> 00:39:34,760 God takes these contrasts even found in Ruth, all those that 568 00:39:34,760 --> 00:39:37,880 I've formally mentioned, and he weaves them. 569 00:39:39,000 --> 00:39:42,720 He doesn't just make something enduring, he makes something 570 00:39:43,400 --> 00:39:49,080 redemptive. If he could build Israel from 2 571 00:39:49,080 --> 00:39:53,680 rival sisters. If he could rebuild the hope of 572 00:39:53,680 --> 00:39:57,520 Israel through the grief of a widow called Naomi. 573 00:39:58,880 --> 00:40:06,360 If he could birth kings through a Moabite convert who? 574 00:40:06,360 --> 00:40:10,480 When you read the gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, 575 00:40:10,480 --> 00:40:13,880 particularly Matthew. And it begins to go through the 576 00:40:13,880 --> 00:40:22,160 genealogy of Jesus Christ mentioned there is Ruth and the 577 00:40:22,160 --> 00:40:27,040 Son that she and Beau as had obed. 578 00:40:30,640 --> 00:40:37,080 You don't get to the man Christ Jesus without him looking in his 579 00:40:37,080 --> 00:40:40,240 family tree. And he took the good and the 580 00:40:40,240 --> 00:40:48,520 bad, the Tamar's, the Rahab's, the Ruth's, the David's, all of 581 00:40:48,520 --> 00:40:58,200 these to produce the man for whom was slain for sinners. 582 00:40:59,680 --> 00:41:02,480 It took all of that. It took both. 583 00:41:07,240 --> 00:41:09,720 I don't know how to make this anymore plain to you, but if you 584 00:41:09,720 --> 00:41:11,880 remove the Tamar, there's not the Christ. 585 00:41:12,120 --> 00:41:16,400 If you remove, if you remove the roof, there's not the Christ. 586 00:41:16,560 --> 00:41:21,440 If you remove, if you. Why? 587 00:41:22,280 --> 00:41:26,280 Because God is showing us something of what He can do with 588 00:41:26,280 --> 00:41:30,960 what we have, of whatever condition it may be, and what He 589 00:41:30,960 --> 00:41:37,680 can create the outcome to be. Who did build? 590 00:41:37,720 --> 00:41:52,000 I don't know. 591 00:41:52,600 --> 00:41:53,760 Yeah, you stand with me, I guess. 592 00:42:01,130 --> 00:42:05,410 Israel could have never been built on Rachel's favor alone. 593 00:42:08,130 --> 00:42:14,120 They can never been built on Leah's fertility alone, because 594 00:42:14,120 --> 00:42:16,880 you're going to have a dead nation when Egypt comes. 595 00:42:19,680 --> 00:42:24,720 Required a blending. And yes, I am being repaired, 596 00:42:24,720 --> 00:42:30,400 but it required a blending. The place where this blessing 597 00:42:30,400 --> 00:42:36,200 takes place at the gate, Bethlehem, Judah, it'll be the 598 00:42:36,200 --> 00:42:37,880 birth place where David will happen. 599 00:42:38,720 --> 00:42:42,880 It'll be the birth place where your savour takes place, where 600 00:42:42,880 --> 00:42:46,520 the elders with the knowledge and the wisdom said it's going 601 00:42:46,520 --> 00:42:53,320 to take two, it's going to take 2. 602 00:42:54,880 --> 00:42:56,400 Ladies and gentlemen, God's Kingdom. 603 00:42:56,480 --> 00:43:01,000 Might I even say your life is built through similar contrast 604 00:43:01,000 --> 00:43:06,360 tonight it is. We look over the histories of 605 00:43:06,360 --> 00:43:08,720 our life. There's not a single person that 606 00:43:08,720 --> 00:43:12,000 here that says, well, it's all been lovely or it's all been 607 00:43:12,000 --> 00:43:16,360 productive. It's all been pink elephants and 608 00:43:16,360 --> 00:43:22,240 Skittles from the clouds. So there's been dark days, 609 00:43:23,160 --> 00:43:25,520 there's been times you've been moaned wondering if light was 610 00:43:25,520 --> 00:43:34,240 ever going to shine again. In my mind, just right now in 611 00:43:34,240 --> 00:43:36,040 that moment goes to the New Testament Scripture. 612 00:43:36,040 --> 00:43:39,600 The Bible talks about man, the storm that is upon the waters, 613 00:43:40,680 --> 00:43:45,640 storm that's upon the waters, and the Bible says while it was 614 00:43:45,640 --> 00:43:51,320 yet dark, while it was yet dark, that Jesus arrived. 615 00:43:53,520 --> 00:43:59,480 My Lord doesn't show up just whenever it's sunny, He'll show 616 00:43:59,480 --> 00:44:04,080 up while it's yet dark in your life, while it's yet dark in 617 00:44:04,080 --> 00:44:05,720 your circumstance. What? 618 00:44:08,320 --> 00:44:11,200 For us, it's like he needs an opportune time. 619 00:44:11,520 --> 00:44:15,760 But for the Master, any time is an opportune time. 620 00:44:16,000 --> 00:44:21,600 The unwanted times, the weak times, the ugly times, the good 621 00:44:21,600 --> 00:44:33,280 times. The 2 did build every season. 622 00:44:33,680 --> 00:44:37,640 Your struggles, your victories, every season, you're quite 623 00:44:37,640 --> 00:44:41,520 obedient, your recognition, everything in God's plan. 624 00:44:41,680 --> 00:44:44,800 You know what God makes sure of that there's nothing wasted. 625 00:44:45,040 --> 00:44:48,280 Every contribution contributes to His purpose. 626 00:44:49,000 --> 00:44:53,040 All things can work together for the good to them that love the 627 00:44:53,040 --> 00:44:58,320 Lord and are the call according to His purpose. 628 00:45:03,240 --> 00:45:05,040 They're striving. They're trying to live for me. 629 00:45:06,400 --> 00:45:09,360 I'm going to take that past failure and I'm going to needle 630 00:45:09,360 --> 00:45:15,440 it in right there. I'm going to take that broken 631 00:45:15,440 --> 00:45:17,080 marriage. I'm going to needle that in 632 00:45:17,080 --> 00:45:22,920 right there. I'm going to take their wayward 633 00:45:22,920 --> 00:45:26,240 and children that are gone and there's there's dysfunction. 634 00:45:26,400 --> 00:45:29,000 I'm going to take that thread. I'm going to put it right by 635 00:45:29,000 --> 00:45:30,440 something that's lovely of their life. 636 00:45:40,840 --> 00:45:42,280 We need to raise our hands right now. 637 00:45:42,400 --> 00:45:47,040 I feel the witness of the Holy Ghost in this praise right now. 638 00:45:51,960 --> 00:45:56,880 Some of us are spending too much time trying to expunge our 639 00:45:56,880 --> 00:46:01,760 record when we need to place it in the hands of the master 640 00:46:01,760 --> 00:46:05,640 Craftsman so he can weave a wonder above the wheel. 641 00:46:05,640 --> 00:46:13,080 Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. This halter's open right now. 642 00:46:13,320 --> 00:46:16,080 I wish you'd respond to the Spirit that's right now in this 643 00:46:16,080 --> 00:46:18,280 place. God's wanting to do work. 644 00:46:18,600 --> 00:46:20,360 God's wanting to bring revelation. 645 00:46:20,640 --> 00:46:26,800 God's wanting to bring, if you will, moment to you that step on 646 00:46:26,800 --> 00:46:33,120 the two He did build the good, the bad, the ugly, the one that 647 00:46:33,120 --> 00:46:35,440 the unwanted, the weak, the hated, the love. 648 00:46:39,400 --> 00:46:43,320 Bring all those pieces. Bring all those parts of your 649 00:46:43,320 --> 00:46:47,000 life to God and see what He can do with it. 650 00:46:50,440 --> 00:46:52,640 Come on, Sir. Come on, ma'am. 651 00:46:53,240 --> 00:46:54,720 You don't have to drop your head. 652 00:46:55,040 --> 00:46:57,640 You don't have to walk with your shoulders pulled over. 653 00:46:57,960 --> 00:46:59,480 Amen. As though you're defeated. 654 00:46:59,840 --> 00:47:03,840 Bring it to the Lord. Bring it to the Lord. 655 00:47:12,230 --> 00:47:14,270 Come on, Sir. Come on, ma'am. 656 00:47:14,670 --> 00:47:17,190 If you're even feeling the inkling right now, even if it's 657 00:47:17,190 --> 00:47:20,150 from your seat, you just need to raise up a hand, a hand of 658 00:47:20,150 --> 00:47:23,720 surrender to God. God, I don't know. 659 00:47:23,720 --> 00:47:26,280 I know I don't have everything beautiful to hover. 660 00:47:27,320 --> 00:47:31,520 I know I don't have everything perfect to hover, but here's 661 00:47:31,520 --> 00:47:36,000 what I got. What can you do with these? 662 00:47:36,720 --> 00:47:39,640 What can't? He says. 663 00:47:39,640 --> 00:47:42,000 I'll take a little bit of this and a little bit of that. 664 00:47:42,720 --> 00:47:46,320 I'll take that begrudge spot and that favorite spot and I'll mail 665 00:47:46,320 --> 00:47:48,600 them together and I'll build something. 666 00:47:59,200 --> 00:48:01,960 It doesn't matter if you just started a walk with God or 667 00:48:01,960 --> 00:48:04,040 you've been walking with God for 50 years. 668 00:48:04,440 --> 00:48:07,280 It doesn't matter if you're an older person or if you're a 669 00:48:07,280 --> 00:48:10,560 young child or any between. It doesn't matter if you're 670 00:48:10,560 --> 00:48:16,160 married or if you're single. All these two He shall build.