1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:03,000 Good morning. My name is Daniel. 2 00:00:03,000 --> 00:00:04,960 I'm the lead pastor here at Rez Church. 3 00:00:05,040 --> 00:00:06,840 Welcome to Rez. Merry Christmas. 4 00:00:08,160 --> 00:00:10,240 I think guys are not in the Christmas spirit yet. 5 00:00:10,240 --> 00:00:11,880 I can tell. All right, OK. 6 00:00:13,360 --> 00:00:15,320 We're in week 3 of this series. Going to talk about in just a 7 00:00:15,320 --> 00:00:17,720 minute. How do you know? 8 00:00:17,720 --> 00:00:19,240 And I can get this question every once in a while. 9 00:00:19,240 --> 00:00:23,000 Maybe you've had this, too. How do you know when a decision 10 00:00:23,000 --> 00:00:26,000 that you're thinking about making is, is something that God 11 00:00:26,000 --> 00:00:28,880 is leading you into something that would please the Lord 12 00:00:29,240 --> 00:00:32,800 versus something maybe that is, is not of God at all and, and 13 00:00:32,800 --> 00:00:35,360 wouldn't be pleasing to God? And I, I, I, I think that that 14 00:00:35,360 --> 00:00:38,000 is one of the things that we deal with a lot of Christians 15 00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:42,120 trying to understand what it looks like to follow God's 16 00:00:42,120 --> 00:00:44,240 prompting and not necessarily make bad decisions. 17 00:00:44,240 --> 00:00:47,240 I, I, when, a couple years ago when, when my wife and I decided 18 00:00:47,240 --> 00:00:50,760 to close our, our businesses and, and I was going to go into 19 00:00:51,360 --> 00:00:54,160 ministry for full time and just be a full time pastor. 20 00:00:54,160 --> 00:00:56,720 You know, they're, I was really trying to just struggling with 21 00:00:56,720 --> 00:00:59,680 the, I think God is, is asking me to do this. 22 00:00:59,680 --> 00:01:02,120 And, you know, one of the things that difficult was like, that 23 00:01:02,120 --> 00:01:03,760 was not a very attractive thing to do. 24 00:01:03,760 --> 00:01:05,880 Like certainly financially this is not very attractive. 25 00:01:06,200 --> 00:01:09,600 And I thought, man, I don't know if this is something that God 26 00:01:09,600 --> 00:01:12,280 is, is doing or not, but over time, I just felt like God was 27 00:01:12,280 --> 00:01:15,800 really moving in an area and he was inviting me into what was 28 00:01:15,800 --> 00:01:19,360 acceptable obedience. It was was not necessarily easy 29 00:01:19,640 --> 00:01:23,040 and you know, in those moments you're struggling with is is God 30 00:01:23,040 --> 00:01:27,800 leading me to this or, or am I making an unwise decision And I 31 00:01:27,800 --> 00:01:29,760 we're going to see something like that again today. 32 00:01:29,760 --> 00:01:31,920 We've seen it throughout this book of Ruth as we've been 33 00:01:32,280 --> 00:01:35,480 reading through it. And I think my struggle for 34 00:01:35,480 --> 00:01:36,520 that. Maybe you're maybe you can 35 00:01:36,520 --> 00:01:38,760 relate to this struggle is often times what God is asking me to 36 00:01:38,760 --> 00:01:41,920 do is not very logical. Anyone else like logic? 37 00:01:41,920 --> 00:01:43,920 Me and me and logic are really good buddies. 38 00:01:44,600 --> 00:01:47,280 We spend a lot of time together and there are times where God is 39 00:01:47,280 --> 00:01:49,960 going to ask us to do some that we feel like is illogical. 40 00:01:49,960 --> 00:01:52,840 And so we're going to see that all we'll talk about the rest of 41 00:01:52,840 --> 00:01:54,480 that story in a minute, but we're going to see that here in 42 00:01:54,480 --> 00:01:56,560 chapter 3 today. So if you're if you're just 43 00:01:56,560 --> 00:01:59,000 joining us, let me catch you up. We are doing our Christmas 44 00:01:59,000 --> 00:02:03,760 series in the book of Ruth, which happened 1100 years before 45 00:02:03,760 --> 00:02:07,120 the actual Christmas story and we're in chapter 3. 46 00:02:07,120 --> 00:02:10,160 So in in the 1st chapter there's a lady named Naomi and her 47 00:02:10,160 --> 00:02:13,280 husband and they make a disastrous decision to disobey 48 00:02:13,280 --> 00:02:16,680 God and to move away from Bethlehem into the country of 49 00:02:16,680 --> 00:02:20,120 Moab, which was forbidden. God said don't do it, don't 50 00:02:20,120 --> 00:02:22,000 associate with those people. They did it anyways. 51 00:02:22,000 --> 00:02:26,920 Then they married both of their sons to Moabite women and it did 52 00:02:26,920 --> 00:02:28,720 not go well. That's probably an 53 00:02:28,720 --> 00:02:32,160 understatement. All the men died and they were 54 00:02:32,160 --> 00:02:37,014 left, Naomi, a widow and her two Moabite daughter in 55 00:02:54,840 --> 00:02:58,440 And then in chapter 2, we see God begin to move in 56 00:02:58,440 --> 00:03:02,560 supernaturally into this moment, into this, this point of the 57 00:03:02,560 --> 00:03:07,760 story. And while God had kept them safe 58 00:03:07,760 --> 00:03:11,080 in chapter 1, we see more explicit provision by God in 59 00:03:11,080 --> 00:03:14,280 chapter 2. And So what happens is Ruth 60 00:03:15,000 --> 00:03:18,840 there, there's a Judaic law that says when you're harvesting the 61 00:03:18,840 --> 00:03:22,560 field that if you some of the grain drops, you have to leave 62 00:03:22,560 --> 00:03:24,360 it there. And that's so that the poor, the 63 00:03:24,360 --> 00:03:28,080 starving can come behind and pick up this leftover grain. 64 00:03:28,440 --> 00:03:32,840 And so we see Ruth go out to a field in Chapter 2 and she's 65 00:03:32,960 --> 00:03:36,320 picking up this leftover grain that that falls on the ground, 66 00:03:36,880 --> 00:03:39,200 but it's back breaking work. She, she, she's there before 67 00:03:39,200 --> 00:03:41,720 sunrise. She stays till after sundown, 68 00:03:42,080 --> 00:03:44,600 day after day. And then trying to get enough 69 00:03:44,600 --> 00:03:48,200 grain, not only to not starve, but also to take care of this 70 00:03:48,200 --> 00:03:49,520 mother-in-law who's too old to work. 71 00:03:50,520 --> 00:03:54,720 She's noticed by the landowner, Boaz, and he in an act of 72 00:03:54,720 --> 00:03:58,000 kindness, invites her. She, she gets to stay with his 73 00:03:58,000 --> 00:04:01,080 servants during lunch and eat. And he, he has, he says, stay 74 00:04:01,080 --> 00:04:03,680 near my servants for protection because there's actually no law 75 00:04:03,680 --> 00:04:07,640 protecting her in this land. And he's very kind to her. 76 00:04:08,120 --> 00:04:12,080 And so he notices in Chapter 2 her, her character, her hard 77 00:04:12,080 --> 00:04:14,640 work, her loyalty. He gives her extra grain. 78 00:04:14,640 --> 00:04:18,480 He gives about 40 lbs of grain to take back so that they don't 79 00:04:18,480 --> 00:04:20,320 starve. And now we're going to go to 80 00:04:20,320 --> 00:04:22,400 Chapter 3. That's going to be today and 81 00:04:22,440 --> 00:04:24,680 what happens in Chapter 3. The first thing you need to 82 00:04:24,680 --> 00:04:25,720 know. Here if you're if you've got 83 00:04:25,720 --> 00:04:28,960 your Bible. Open is there is a Fast forward 84 00:04:29,240 --> 00:04:32,640 from Chapter 2 to Chapter 3. So actually two months or so has 85 00:04:32,640 --> 00:04:36,480 elapsed from the end of Chapter 2 to the beginning of Chapter 3. 86 00:04:36,480 --> 00:04:38,320 And that's important to note because there's a lot that 87 00:04:38,320 --> 00:04:41,080 actually occurred during those two months that we will have to 88 00:04:41,080 --> 00:04:43,080 catch up on in order to understand what's going on. 89 00:04:43,080 --> 00:04:47,000 Because what happened is at the beginning, these two ladies get 90 00:04:47,000 --> 00:04:48,880 to Bethlehem, it's the beginning of barley harvest. 91 00:04:49,640 --> 00:04:50,880 That takes a certain amount of time. 92 00:04:50,880 --> 00:04:53,800 After that, there's something called the wheat harvest, and 93 00:04:53,800 --> 00:04:56,240 we're at the very end of that. So we're about two months 94 00:04:56,240 --> 00:04:59,520 elapsed. Now in that time, they work six 95 00:04:59,520 --> 00:05:04,040 days a week. And Ruth has been working six 96 00:05:04,040 --> 00:05:08,240 days a week through two months, picking up just literally in the 97 00:05:08,240 --> 00:05:12,840 dirt, picking up leftover grain from before the sun comes up 98 00:05:13,040 --> 00:05:17,640 till after the sun goes down. 50 days of that fifty work days, 99 00:05:18,560 --> 00:05:23,040 it's about 775 labor hours crawling around in the dirt, 100 00:05:23,240 --> 00:05:26,200 picking up grain to have enough to not starve. 101 00:05:29,200 --> 00:05:32,880 That's pretty crazy. See, you see, there's a, there's 102 00:05:32,880 --> 00:05:35,640 a beautiful tension in the Bible and it and it's all throughout 103 00:05:35,640 --> 00:05:39,560 this story in every chapter. And the same tension, tension 104 00:05:39,680 --> 00:05:41,880 exists even in the gospel of Christ. 105 00:05:41,880 --> 00:05:45,800 And the tension is this Who's responsible for the blessings 106 00:05:45,800 --> 00:05:48,960 and the successes in my life? Is it me or is it God? 107 00:05:51,400 --> 00:05:58,520 Yes, the answer is yes. The two women have to come back 108 00:05:58,520 --> 00:06:00,560 to Bethlehem where they were supposed to be in the 1st place. 109 00:06:00,720 --> 00:06:03,720 But it's God that protects them. So, so both were involved in 110 00:06:03,720 --> 00:06:05,440 that process. God is is protecting them. 111 00:06:05,440 --> 00:06:07,160 He has provision for them. But they still had to make the 112 00:06:07,160 --> 00:06:08,800 journey and it was long and it was hard. 113 00:06:08,800 --> 00:06:10,080 It could have potentially been dangerous. 114 00:06:10,360 --> 00:06:14,040 And then they get back. God blesses them, but 115 00:06:14,040 --> 00:06:17,760 providentially sending Ruth accidentally it seems like, into 116 00:06:17,760 --> 00:06:20,640 this field that ends up being a relative who cares for her and 117 00:06:20,840 --> 00:06:23,240 and allows her to work there and keeps her safe. 118 00:06:23,240 --> 00:06:24,480 But. She still had to get up every. 119 00:06:24,480 --> 00:06:29,480 Single morning before the sun was up and work 12/14/16 hour 120 00:06:29,480 --> 00:06:31,120 days. Six days a week. 121 00:06:31,520 --> 00:06:34,560 So God is providing, but at the same time there's hard work. 122 00:06:34,560 --> 00:06:41,120 That is, Ruth has spent some This is tough work. 50 days of 123 00:06:41,120 --> 00:06:45,560 this. 50 days of grinding and sweating. 50 days of being 124 00:06:45,560 --> 00:06:49,680 lonely, 50 days of doubt, 50 days of early mornings at at 125 00:06:49,680 --> 00:06:52,920 late nights, 50 days of of everything being so sore you can 126 00:06:52,920 --> 00:06:59,440 barely move. God provided the opportunity for 127 00:06:59,440 --> 00:07:03,520 blessing, but that did not remove Ruth's need to go and 128 00:07:03,520 --> 00:07:09,600 work really, really hard. This blessing would never have 129 00:07:09,600 --> 00:07:13,000 actually been received if Ruth had cried out to God and then 130 00:07:13,000 --> 00:07:15,640 sat in her tent and been like, well, when he wants to bless me, 131 00:07:15,640 --> 00:07:21,000 he'll bring it to me. So it's it's both. 132 00:07:23,960 --> 00:07:27,040 And So what we see is God providing, but Ruth having to 133 00:07:27,240 --> 00:07:31,680 step into that blessing and work hard. 134 00:07:32,600 --> 00:07:34,600 And I want you to see the theme and you're going to see the same 135 00:07:34,600 --> 00:07:36,840 theme again here in chapter 3 that we've seen already. 136 00:07:37,240 --> 00:07:41,320 And, and it's this idea when God moves, when God, when God does a 137 00:07:41,320 --> 00:07:45,520 miracle, when God does something supernatural, it's an invitation 138 00:07:45,840 --> 00:07:49,000 to participation. It's an invitation to 139 00:07:49,000 --> 00:07:52,480 participation. Every time that we see God move, 140 00:07:53,080 --> 00:07:57,480 He allows us to recognize that he's doing something, and that's 141 00:07:57,480 --> 00:08:01,440 an invitation for us to move toward Him and step into that as 142 00:08:01,440 --> 00:08:02,800 he leads. It's always an invitation to 143 00:08:02,800 --> 00:08:06,720 join Him. And so keep that in mind as we. 144 00:08:06,720 --> 00:08:09,160 Pick up our. Reading in chapter 3 verse one. 145 00:08:09,280 --> 00:08:11,360 Join me here. That'll be on the screen as 146 00:08:11,360 --> 00:08:12,280 well. If you don't have your Bible, 147 00:08:13,200 --> 00:08:16,240 then Naomi, Ruth's mother-in-law, said to her, My 148 00:08:16,240 --> 00:08:19,320 daughter, should I not seek? Rest for you. 149 00:08:20,040 --> 00:08:22,920 That it may be well with you is not Boaz. 150 00:08:22,920 --> 00:08:27,480 That's the landowner or relative with whose young women you were. 151 00:08:27,480 --> 00:08:29,960 OK. So culturally, again, you got to 152 00:08:29,960 --> 00:08:32,640 set your minds right. It's not 2025 in America. 153 00:08:32,919 --> 00:08:39,000 It's 1100 BC in the Middle East. And for Ruth and for for Naomi, 154 00:08:39,000 --> 00:08:40,480 you know, the rules of the culture are different. 155 00:08:40,480 --> 00:08:44,800 And so Naomi sinks. She has one obligation left as a 156 00:08:44,800 --> 00:08:47,840 mother-in-law and that is to find a husband for Ruth. 157 00:08:48,440 --> 00:08:51,160 It's very important. It's so important that if you go 158 00:08:51,160 --> 00:08:54,520 back to chapter 1, she tells Ruth, hey, look, you should just 159 00:08:54,520 --> 00:08:58,400 go back to your people because I'm too old to have more sons to 160 00:08:58,400 --> 00:09:01,480 get you a husband. And even if I could have a son, 161 00:09:01,480 --> 00:09:02,560 you're not going to wait for him. 162 00:09:03,000 --> 00:09:06,240 Everything for her is dominated by like, it's my responsibility 163 00:09:06,440 --> 00:09:08,720 to make sure Ruth has a husband. And this we're back to this 164 00:09:08,720 --> 00:09:13,120 again two chapters later, and here's her plan. 165 00:09:13,120 --> 00:09:15,800 And she about to start scheming. I'm just going to tell you now 166 00:09:15,800 --> 00:09:18,040 it's going to get weird, OK? You were warned. 167 00:09:19,160 --> 00:09:24,160 She see he Boaz is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing 168 00:09:24,160 --> 00:09:25,480 floor, because the harvests are over. 169 00:09:25,840 --> 00:09:28,720 Wash therefore, and anoint yourself. 170 00:09:28,720 --> 00:09:32,560 So you know, put on some perfume and put on your cloak and go 171 00:09:32,560 --> 00:09:36,080 down to the threshing floor. But do not make yourself known 172 00:09:36,080 --> 00:09:39,320 to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. 173 00:09:41,040 --> 00:09:45,080 But when he lies down, observe the place where he lies. 174 00:09:46,040 --> 00:09:50,080 Then go and uncover his feet and lie down and he will tell you 175 00:09:50,080 --> 00:09:54,440 what to do. And she replied all that you say 176 00:09:54,440 --> 00:10:07,460 I will do. Now you could read this and you 177 00:10:07,460 --> 00:10:15,660 could think this is a bit shady. Like, wait until this guy has 178 00:10:15,660 --> 00:10:19,700 had the the feast at the end of the harvest and has has drank a 179 00:10:19,700 --> 00:10:24,680 lot of wine and then sneak in and uncover him in the dark and 180 00:10:24,680 --> 00:10:27,720 lie down. What does lie down mean? 181 00:10:29,320 --> 00:10:32,480 And if you're thinking like there have been some 182 00:10:32,480 --> 00:10:35,880 commentaries historically that are like, no, we're not sure 183 00:10:35,880 --> 00:10:38,640 what that means. Like the author of the story is 184 00:10:38,680 --> 00:10:41,200 is very vague, kind of on purpose. 185 00:10:41,200 --> 00:10:43,800 This storyteller does leave some things for you to imagine. 186 00:10:43,800 --> 00:10:45,800 But I will just tell you, let me just tell you this right now. 187 00:10:47,240 --> 00:10:49,480 I'm never giving my daughter this advice. 188 00:10:51,680 --> 00:10:55,640 What is that plan? Absolutely not. 189 00:10:57,400 --> 00:10:59,080 Listen girl, go get your hair did. 190 00:10:59,080 --> 00:11:01,440 Get your nails done, put some perfume on and then shake it in 191 00:11:01,440 --> 00:11:04,320 the dark when he's had a bunch to drink and like, what are you 192 00:11:04,360 --> 00:11:08,360 talking about? No, do not do do not do 193 00:11:08,400 --> 00:11:15,240 unsubscribe. Naomi has been scheming 194 00:11:16,960 --> 00:11:20,120 shipments now. If you had no know much about 195 00:11:20,120 --> 00:11:23,080 her lady, she actually came from a guy named Jacob who was called 196 00:11:23,080 --> 00:11:24,920 a schemer. So this kind of runs in the 197 00:11:24,920 --> 00:11:27,600 family. She's been thinking hard about 198 00:11:27,600 --> 00:11:31,440 this. And part of the reason she she 199 00:11:31,440 --> 00:11:34,400 doesn't say just like, why don't you just go to Boaz and ask, you 200 00:11:34,400 --> 00:11:37,320 know, and have a conversation is that there were there were 201 00:11:37,320 --> 00:11:40,360 cultural rules and laws about who would marry a widow. 202 00:11:40,360 --> 00:11:43,040 And it wasn't him. He wasn't the next in line to 203 00:11:43,040 --> 00:11:44,400 do. There was no responsibility for 204 00:11:44,400 --> 00:11:45,040 him to do this. So. 205 00:11:45,520 --> 00:11:47,200 So it's kind of in doubt. So she doesn't want to leave 206 00:11:47,200 --> 00:11:49,120 things to doubt. She wants to kind of scheme 207 00:11:49,120 --> 00:11:51,600 about how to how to do this. And like, let's just think about 208 00:11:51,600 --> 00:11:55,680 this. Where'd she get the oil to 209 00:11:55,680 --> 00:11:58,200 anoint Ruth with? They didn't bring that from the 210 00:11:58,200 --> 00:12:01,960 lab, man. She took some of that grain and 211 00:12:01,960 --> 00:12:03,600 she went to the Mart. She's been planning. 212 00:12:03,600 --> 00:12:05,200 OK. Did like, if you're old enough, 213 00:12:05,200 --> 00:12:11,840 you remember the A-Team, right? Like, like when that, like she's 214 00:12:11,840 --> 00:12:14,080 putting it all together, Mission Impossible. 215 00:12:14,160 --> 00:12:16,360 It's like Tom Cruise, she's going to rappel down this thing 216 00:12:16,360 --> 00:12:19,040 and she's putting a plan together here. 217 00:12:19,040 --> 00:12:20,320 Like you're going to do this, you're going to do this. 218 00:12:20,320 --> 00:12:21,920 You're going to sneak in in the dark, You're going to. 219 00:12:22,680 --> 00:12:28,000 And then you see Ruth's like, OK, this ought to get 220 00:12:28,000 --> 00:12:31,000 interesting. She's been scheming. 221 00:12:31,000 --> 00:12:34,040 Now he, I will say this, and this is important to note, this 222 00:12:34,040 --> 00:12:35,840 is the last night of the last harvest. 223 00:12:36,840 --> 00:12:41,320 This is the last moment. That Ruth is going to see Boaz 224 00:12:41,320 --> 00:12:44,320 for the whole season, like until the next next harvest probably. 225 00:12:44,760 --> 00:12:46,520 There's no reason for them to be around. 226 00:12:46,520 --> 00:12:49,040 She's been getting to see him dailies at least six days a week 227 00:12:49,600 --> 00:12:51,160 in the fields as she goes to harvest. 228 00:12:51,160 --> 00:12:52,440 And this is it. This is the last chance. 229 00:12:52,520 --> 00:12:54,080 The very last chance. Last shot. 230 00:12:56,160 --> 00:12:59,480 Look, if you had one shot and one opportunity to seize 231 00:12:59,480 --> 00:13:04,520 everything you ever wanted in one moment, would you capture it 232 00:13:04,520 --> 00:13:09,120 or just let it slip? Now that's not the Bible. 233 00:13:09,120 --> 00:13:14,720 That's from a deep philosopher. Named Slim Shady, but her palms 234 00:13:14,720 --> 00:13:16,880 probably wore sweaty knees. Weak arms are heavy. 235 00:13:16,880 --> 00:13:20,600 Mom's spaghetti, anyways. Why is she why is she nervous? 236 00:13:20,600 --> 00:13:22,400 Why would she be nervous? Like you're thinking she's 237 00:13:22,400 --> 00:13:25,200 nervous because she's going to sneak in and and maybe be 238 00:13:25,200 --> 00:13:26,760 rejected. And we all no one likes 239 00:13:26,760 --> 00:13:28,520 rejection. But that's not actually why, why 240 00:13:28,520 --> 00:13:30,720 she's really nervous because I mean, that's maybe part of it, 241 00:13:30,720 --> 00:13:33,720 but but you need to understand the danger of what she's doing 242 00:13:33,720 --> 00:13:36,440 in this moment. There are no laws or no cultural 243 00:13:36,440 --> 00:13:40,200 laws that protect her in a culture that looks down on 244 00:13:40,200 --> 00:13:42,960 women. She's about to sneak in 245 00:13:42,960 --> 00:13:46,480 somewhere and she is about she could be abused. 246 00:13:47,400 --> 00:13:48,720 She could be she. He could. 247 00:13:48,720 --> 00:13:52,840 He could come out of this scenario accusing her of some 248 00:13:52,840 --> 00:13:56,080 really inappropriate things. She already is a foreigner who's 249 00:13:56,080 --> 00:13:58,160 looked down upon as a Moabite woman. 250 00:13:58,640 --> 00:14:01,560 She could be ostracized. I mean, things could go really, 251 00:14:01,560 --> 00:14:04,440 really poorly in this moment beyond just rejection. 252 00:14:05,440 --> 00:14:09,480 He could take advantage of her and throw her out because she 253 00:14:09,480 --> 00:14:11,960 has no right to, no protection, no one looking out for her. 254 00:14:12,840 --> 00:14:16,720 But both Naomi and Ruth, in these moments we've seen, they 255 00:14:16,720 --> 00:14:20,080 see God moving and and Naomi for all. 256 00:14:20,080 --> 00:14:22,200 Of the weird. Scheming it is telling her you 257 00:14:22,200 --> 00:14:24,640 need to, you need to press into where God is moving. 258 00:14:24,640 --> 00:14:27,280 This is an invitation. It is an invitation to 259 00:14:27,280 --> 00:14:32,360 participation. Maybe not in this way, maybe not 260 00:14:32,360 --> 00:14:35,440 to do it this way, but it is an invitation, so she's going to do 261 00:14:35,440 --> 00:14:36,720 it. Here we go over 6. 262 00:14:38,920 --> 00:14:42,040 She went down to the threshing floor and did just as her 263 00:14:42,040 --> 00:14:44,720 mother-in-law had commanded her. And when Boaz had eaten and 264 00:14:44,720 --> 00:14:50,400 drunk and his heart was merry. Mary, as in Sir, you may not 265 00:14:50,400 --> 00:14:55,200 legally operate a motor vehicle in all 50 states, Mary. 266 00:14:55,520 --> 00:14:58,720 OK. He went to lie down at the end 267 00:14:58,720 --> 00:15:01,680 of the heap of grain. Then she saw, came softly and 268 00:15:01,680 --> 00:15:03,880 uncovered his feet. Now they don't wear blankets. 269 00:15:04,040 --> 00:15:07,560 He has an outer cloak. So she's uncovering his cloak. 270 00:15:08,200 --> 00:15:11,760 So I said it gets a little. Sketchy and lays down to his 271 00:15:11,760 --> 00:15:15,360 feet. Verse 8 And at midnight the man 272 00:15:15,360 --> 00:15:19,880 was startled and turned over and behold, a woman lay at his feet. 273 00:15:20,000 --> 00:15:23,800 You can imagine, right? You wake up, it's dark and 274 00:15:23,800 --> 00:15:35,320 you're like, how much did I drink? 275 00:15:40,760 --> 00:15:43,000 And he says. Who are you? 276 00:15:43,840 --> 00:15:45,680 Now that's how you know it's really dark because he's seen 277 00:15:45,680 --> 00:15:47,480 Ruth every single day. He knows exactly what she looks 278 00:15:47,480 --> 00:15:48,080 like. They've had all these 279 00:15:48,080 --> 00:15:50,080 conversations and he's like, there's not a. 280 00:15:50,080 --> 00:15:54,400 Lot of Night Lights in 1100 BC right and he's like who are you 281 00:15:54,800 --> 00:15:57,760 now this line I don't want you to miss this line this. 282 00:15:58,040 --> 00:16:00,200 This is the line. OK, this is probably. 283 00:16:00,200 --> 00:16:01,880 The line of the whole book of Ruth. 284 00:16:02,240 --> 00:16:04,560 So I need to see it. I'll explain why it's such a 285 00:16:04,560 --> 00:16:06,760 line in a minute. And she answered. 286 00:16:07,800 --> 00:16:13,600 I am Ruth, your servant. Spread your wings over your 287 00:16:13,600 --> 00:16:18,200 servant for your Redeemer. Now, like, let me explain 288 00:16:18,200 --> 00:16:20,440 because this is like, this is a certified bar. 289 00:16:23,080 --> 00:16:24,880 Naomi. When Naomi gave her the scheme, 290 00:16:25,080 --> 00:16:27,240 she didn't tell her what to say. If you remember the instructions 291 00:16:27,240 --> 00:16:30,360 she said, get yourself all done up sneaking in the dark. 292 00:16:30,360 --> 00:16:34,040 He'll tell you what to do. But he didn't. 293 00:16:34,840 --> 00:16:39,440 So she's coming up with this. Live in the moment, she says. 294 00:16:39,440 --> 00:16:41,320 I am Ruth, your servant. Spread your wings over your 295 00:16:41,320 --> 00:16:44,280 servant for your Redeemer. Now when she says that, don't 296 00:16:44,280 --> 00:16:48,640 just think about if you were here last week when they met and 297 00:16:48,640 --> 00:16:51,560 she introduced herself. She said she called herself your 298 00:16:51,560 --> 00:16:53,480 servant. Except what you can't see in 299 00:16:53,480 --> 00:16:56,040 English is she used a different Hebrew term. 300 00:16:57,240 --> 00:16:59,040 See, the first Hebrew term meant servant. 301 00:16:59,280 --> 00:17:02,280 The second Hebrew term that she's using right here means 302 00:17:02,280 --> 00:17:04,599 servant. But there's an extra connotation 303 00:17:04,599 --> 00:17:07,760 here that that communicates status. 304 00:17:08,200 --> 00:17:11,560 And what she says here would actually be translated as I am 305 00:17:11,560 --> 00:17:16,040 your single servant. I am your unmarried servant. 306 00:17:16,640 --> 00:17:19,800 So there's this is this is pregnant with possibility here. 307 00:17:19,800 --> 00:17:24,240 OK, so she says. I am your single, unmarried 308 00:17:24,240 --> 00:17:26,280 servant. And then she says, spread your 309 00:17:26,280 --> 00:17:29,720 wings over me. Now, the Hebrew word for wings 310 00:17:29,720 --> 00:17:31,920 that she's using has two definitions. 311 00:17:32,160 --> 00:17:34,080 One of them is, is the wings of a bird. 312 00:17:34,360 --> 00:17:38,160 OK. The other one means literally 313 00:17:38,160 --> 00:17:40,240 means the edge of 1's outer cloak. 314 00:17:42,040 --> 00:17:44,680 So she's laying at his feet. She has uncovered the outer 315 00:17:44,680 --> 00:17:48,600 cloak and she's saying spread your wings over me. 316 00:17:50,320 --> 00:17:56,680 Now that line matters because if you turn back one page to Ruth 317 00:17:56,680 --> 00:18:02,680 Chapter 2, two months earlier they met, and when they met, 318 00:18:02,960 --> 00:18:06,640 Boaz said something to her. Here's what he said. 319 00:18:06,640 --> 00:18:09,560 This is Ruth 2 verses 11 and 12. He said. 320 00:18:09,600 --> 00:18:12,440 Boaz answered her. All that you have done for your 321 00:18:12,440 --> 00:18:14,560 mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been. 322 00:18:14,560 --> 00:18:17,520 Fully told to me and how you left your father and mother of 323 00:18:17,520 --> 00:18:19,720 your native land and came to a people that you didn't know 324 00:18:19,720 --> 00:18:24,360 before verse 12 the this is the Lord repay you for what you have 325 00:18:24,360 --> 00:18:27,320 done and a full reward be given to you by the Lord the God of 326 00:18:27,320 --> 00:18:32,480 Israel under whose word under whose wings you have come to 327 00:18:32,480 --> 00:18:35,920 take refuge. OK, so he says that it's almost 328 00:18:35,920 --> 00:18:39,240 like he's. Prophetically praying a blessing 329 00:18:39,240 --> 00:18:42,760 over he has recognized the risk that she's taken the loyalty of 330 00:18:42,760 --> 00:18:46,320 this woman and he's like you've put yourself under the wings of 331 00:18:46,320 --> 00:18:52,800 the Lord and now here sketchy encounter in the dark two months 332 00:18:52,800 --> 00:18:55,920 later and she looks at him and says spread your wings over your 333 00:18:55,920 --> 00:18:56,800 servant. What is she saying? 334 00:18:56,800 --> 00:19:00,400 He's saying look and I I want God to recognize what you've 335 00:19:00,400 --> 00:19:01,880 done to protect you to bless you. 336 00:19:01,880 --> 00:19:03,960 And eight weeks later, in the middle of the night, she looks 337 00:19:03,960 --> 00:19:09,320 at him and she says. You be those wings you want to 338 00:19:09,320 --> 00:19:11,600 pray God's protection and blessing over me. 339 00:19:11,600 --> 00:19:15,440 You be those wings, Boaz, because you're a Redeemer. 340 00:19:17,760 --> 00:19:20,440 Now if if you're new to that the Bible, maybe you've never read 341 00:19:20,440 --> 00:19:22,120 it or you don't really believe in it. 342 00:19:22,280 --> 00:19:25,960 You need to understand this term Redeemer has has a bunch of 343 00:19:25,960 --> 00:19:27,800 implications and we'll talk a. Little bit about. 344 00:19:28,480 --> 00:19:31,600 Some of the legal implications of that term Redeemer that are 345 00:19:31,600 --> 00:19:34,680 laid out in some books like Leviticus chapter 25 and 346 00:19:34,680 --> 00:19:36,800 Deuteronomy chapter 25. We'll talk about that next week 347 00:19:36,800 --> 00:19:38,280 because this is going to come to fruition. 348 00:19:39,200 --> 00:19:41,560 But she, she's a foreigner. She doesn't even know any of 349 00:19:41,560 --> 00:19:43,160 these laws. What is she saying in the 350 00:19:43,160 --> 00:19:44,840 moment? Then when she says you're a 351 00:19:44,840 --> 00:19:48,600 Redeemer, what she's saying is, hey, you are someone that can 352 00:19:48,600 --> 00:19:53,800 protect and provide and step in the gap where where my life is 353 00:19:53,800 --> 00:19:56,600 hopeless and nothing that I can do can fix the problem. 354 00:19:56,760 --> 00:19:59,840 Someone else is going to have to step in and redeem me. 355 00:20:01,280 --> 00:20:05,360 You're a Redeemer. You see, Boaz, two months ago 356 00:20:05,360 --> 00:20:09,640 saw God's hand at work in Ruth's life, and he commented on it and 357 00:20:09,640 --> 00:20:12,320 he prayed over her and he praised this blessing. 358 00:20:12,480 --> 00:20:14,600 And two months later, she looks and goes, You're the blessing, 359 00:20:16,760 --> 00:20:20,200 you're the blessing. You're someone who can make 360 00:20:20,200 --> 00:20:22,640 away. You see, that's why. 361 00:20:22,680 --> 00:20:25,480 Ruth is a Christmas story. Even though it takes place in 362 00:20:25,480 --> 00:20:29,840 millennia before Christmas, because that is the Christmas 363 00:20:29,840 --> 00:20:31,560 story. The Bible speaks to this in 364 00:20:31,560 --> 00:20:35,040 Isaiah 44, six. The Bible prophetically says 365 00:20:35,280 --> 00:20:38,080 this. Thus says the Lord, the King of 366 00:20:38,080 --> 00:20:43,320 Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts. 367 00:20:45,200 --> 00:20:49,480 I am the 1st and I am the last. Besides me, there is no God. 368 00:20:49,760 --> 00:20:52,400 The message of the Bible throughout the Old Testament is 369 00:20:52,400 --> 00:20:56,560 you are hopeless. Merry Christmas. 370 00:21:01,320 --> 00:21:05,600 You're hopeless. You're Ruth, a foreigner in a 371 00:21:05,600 --> 00:21:10,760 foreign land with no help, and nobody's coming but me. 372 00:21:12,320 --> 00:21:16,840 I'm coming. Jesus did this willingly. 373 00:21:17,400 --> 00:21:20,320 See we the message, the Bible's we're hopeless and we needed a 374 00:21:20,320 --> 00:21:22,000 Savior. We needed a Redeemer. 375 00:21:22,000 --> 00:21:23,480 Ephesians 1. Seven through 10. 376 00:21:23,600 --> 00:21:26,560 The Apostle Paul. In after Jesus comes, he's going 377 00:21:26,560 --> 00:21:28,680 to look back and he's going to explain it this way so that we 378 00:21:28,680 --> 00:21:29,880 would understand it and not miss it. 379 00:21:30,040 --> 00:21:34,120 He says this in him. Jesus, we have redemption 380 00:21:34,120 --> 00:21:36,000 through his blood. Redemption. 381 00:21:36,000 --> 00:21:38,960 There's that word again. We have redemption. 382 00:21:38,960 --> 00:21:41,840 We've been redeemed. We've been bought with a price 383 00:21:42,400 --> 00:21:46,920 through His blood that He shed on the cross, the forgiveness of 384 00:21:46,920 --> 00:21:50,600 our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He 385 00:21:50,600 --> 00:21:54,760 lavished upon us in all wisdom and insight, making known to us 386 00:21:55,200 --> 00:21:57,680 the mystery of His will according to His purpose which 387 00:21:57,680 --> 00:22:01,600 He set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time to 388 00:22:01,600 --> 00:22:04,800 unite all things in Christ, things in heaven, and things on 389 00:22:04,840 --> 00:22:12,760 earth. Jesus did this willingly, and 390 00:22:12,760 --> 00:22:15,680 Boaz will do this willingly. See it here verse 10. 391 00:22:16,920 --> 00:22:18,800 She says you be those wings Boaz for sin. 392 00:22:18,800 --> 00:22:20,400 He said, may you be blessed by the Lord. 393 00:22:20,400 --> 00:22:24,480 My daughter, you have made this last kindness greater than the 394 00:22:24,480 --> 00:22:27,000 first and that you have not gone after young men, whether rich or 395 00:22:27,000 --> 00:22:28,520 poor. And now my daughter, do not 396 00:22:28,520 --> 00:22:30,520 fear. Do not fear because I know the 397 00:22:30,520 --> 00:22:32,720 risk you took coming here. Do not fear. 398 00:22:33,560 --> 00:22:36,080 I will do for you all that you ask for. 399 00:22:36,280 --> 00:22:39,440 My fellow, you'd underline this. If you're reading this for my 400 00:22:39,440 --> 00:22:42,680 fellow townsmen, know that you are a worthy woman. 401 00:22:43,440 --> 00:22:48,320 In two months, the entire town knows that the Moabite widow is 402 00:22:48,320 --> 00:22:50,160 a worthy woman. How did that happen? 403 00:22:54,880 --> 00:22:59,400 She, she's from a nation explicitly excluded by law. 404 00:23:00,320 --> 00:23:03,680 There's a law that says you can't even marry people from 405 00:23:03,680 --> 00:23:05,560 there. And and he's saying two months 406 00:23:05,560 --> 00:23:09,480 later that everyone in town knows you're a worthy woman. 407 00:23:11,040 --> 00:23:16,440 How? Well, she has displayed 408 00:23:16,440 --> 00:23:19,360 integrity, She's displayed loyalty. 409 00:23:19,720 --> 00:23:22,840 She has worked hard for two months, shown up before the sun 410 00:23:22,840 --> 00:23:25,760 came up every single morning and all the way to sundown. 411 00:23:25,760 --> 00:23:29,760 She's shown humility and how she spoke to Boaz when she met him 412 00:23:29,760 --> 00:23:31,800 in chapter 2. In fact, you know, if we were 413 00:23:31,800 --> 00:23:34,200 to, if we were to say, well, you know what does make a worthy 414 00:23:34,200 --> 00:23:36,280 woman? The Bible gives us a chapter in 415 00:23:36,280 --> 00:23:38,600 Proverbs 31. It's an entire chapter, almost a 416 00:23:38,600 --> 00:23:40,960 whole chapter that says this is what a worthy woman looks like. 417 00:23:45,960 --> 00:23:51,160 That she's trustworthy. Ruth's pretty trustworthy. 418 00:23:52,000 --> 00:23:55,320 That she rises early in the morning to provide, and Ruth's 419 00:23:55,320 --> 00:23:58,040 been doing that for two months. That she meets other needs 420 00:23:58,040 --> 00:24:01,080 first, like this mother-in-law that she didn't have to stay 421 00:24:01,080 --> 00:24:04,200 with, who's too old to work, and that she's out there breaking 422 00:24:04,200 --> 00:24:08,600 her back to feed her. That she's a hard worker, as if 423 00:24:08,600 --> 00:24:11,320 she provides for her household. And on and on and on. 424 00:24:11,320 --> 00:24:12,720 In fact, I would challenge you this week. 425 00:24:12,880 --> 00:24:16,240 Go open up Proverbs 31 and and read through that description of 426 00:24:16,240 --> 00:24:17,480 a worthy woman. And what you're going to see is 427 00:24:17,480 --> 00:24:24,360 a description of Ruth. So much so that in two months 428 00:24:24,360 --> 00:24:27,720 time the entire town apparently knows her reputation and she 429 00:24:27,720 --> 00:24:29,880 didn't have to tell anyone. Do you realize that she didn't 430 00:24:29,880 --> 00:24:32,280 have to put a single post on Instagram? 431 00:24:36,280 --> 00:24:40,320 No, no, no self promotion did this. 432 00:24:41,400 --> 00:24:45,520 Her character was on display through hard work and everyone 433 00:24:45,520 --> 00:24:56,960 noticed and she some of us want a blessing that our character 434 00:24:56,960 --> 00:25:02,560 can't handle. This blessing comes two months 435 00:25:02,560 --> 00:25:07,640 later, after just grueling work for months, and she has the 436 00:25:07,640 --> 00:25:10,720 character, actually. For the blessing, but, but, but 437 00:25:10,720 --> 00:25:14,240 for a lot of us, man, how often, how, how many times have I 438 00:25:14,240 --> 00:25:16,960 prayed for something from the Lord that if he gave it to me, 439 00:25:16,960 --> 00:25:19,800 my character couldn't have handled anyways, it would have 440 00:25:19,800 --> 00:25:23,400 hurt me. You, you, you pray for, for 441 00:25:23,400 --> 00:25:25,560 financial blessing that you can't even handle because you 442 00:25:25,560 --> 00:25:27,560 can't steward your money. I I play, I pray for for the 443 00:25:27,560 --> 00:25:29,880 church to grow faster and then realize that I don't think I'm 444 00:25:29,880 --> 00:25:31,680 enough of a leader to handle that growth anyways. 445 00:25:34,000 --> 00:25:36,320 What, what if, what if my character is not ready for the 446 00:25:36,320 --> 00:25:37,840 blessings that I'm asking God for? 447 00:25:37,840 --> 00:25:40,040 Is he a good God if he's going to give that to me when I, I 448 00:25:40,040 --> 00:25:45,840 couldn't handle it? In the Bible, the, the frequent 449 00:25:45,840 --> 00:25:49,200 analogy that we'll see in scripture about refining. 450 00:25:49,240 --> 00:25:52,880 So someone's character is the refining fire. 451 00:25:52,880 --> 00:25:54,040 It's like it's metallurgy, right? 452 00:25:54,040 --> 00:25:56,520 Where, where they heat up metal and then they scrape out the 453 00:25:56,520 --> 00:25:58,720 impurities in order to purify the metal and talks about our 454 00:25:58,720 --> 00:26:00,480 character being that way. And, and that's good. 455 00:26:00,480 --> 00:26:03,160 I like to think of it more like cooking in an oven, probably 456 00:26:03,160 --> 00:26:06,520 because I like food more. Than metallurgy, but you know, 457 00:26:06,560 --> 00:26:10,160 and so I you ever you ever take something out of the oven too 458 00:26:10,160 --> 00:26:15,800 early doesn't taste real good. You see, I think there's plenty 459 00:26:15,800 --> 00:26:18,280 of times in my life where I'm praying for something and God's 460 00:26:18,280 --> 00:26:19,840 like, well, let's check. You know, he puts on the 461 00:26:19,840 --> 00:26:23,080 heavenly oven mitts and he pulls the oven down and he pulls 462 00:26:23,080 --> 00:26:29,240 Daniel out and he goes, well, plenty plump enough, but not 463 00:26:29,240 --> 00:26:32,040 done yet. And he just pushes me back in, 464 00:26:32,320 --> 00:26:35,320 closes that oven back up, sets that timer again. 465 00:26:35,320 --> 00:26:36,920 We'll check on him in a little while. 466 00:26:38,400 --> 00:26:43,000 Character's not ready, going to need more time. 467 00:26:48,280 --> 00:26:51,120 God only gives us the blessings that our character can handle. 468 00:26:54,600 --> 00:27:00,360 Now, in this moment, as Boaz is recognizing that Ruth is a woman 469 00:27:00,360 --> 00:27:02,640 of character and is actually affirming that the entire town 470 00:27:02,640 --> 00:27:04,320 now knows that she is a woman of character. 471 00:27:05,760 --> 00:27:07,440 He's not. Actually required to do 472 00:27:07,440 --> 00:27:12,120 anything. He's not legally obligated to 473 00:27:12,120 --> 00:27:14,200 redeem her, to marry her, to take care of her. 474 00:27:14,200 --> 00:27:18,400 That's not in the rules. But he chooses to. 475 00:27:18,520 --> 00:27:20,600 And I need you to see that this is voluntary. 476 00:27:20,960 --> 00:27:23,200 He's not legally required to do any of this. 477 00:27:23,840 --> 00:27:25,880 He has the ability to. He has the standing, he has the 478 00:27:25,880 --> 00:27:28,840 resources. He may be one of the only people 479 00:27:28,840 --> 00:27:31,240 in town that truly could do this, but he isn't. 480 00:27:31,240 --> 00:27:33,840 He isn't required to do it. And look, he's not tricked. 481 00:27:34,080 --> 00:27:36,520 He's not seduced. He's not leveraged. 482 00:27:36,520 --> 00:27:42,680 He's not manipulated. Boaz chooses to love Ruth. 483 00:27:42,880 --> 00:27:46,600 He chooses. Don't miss that, because love is 484 00:27:46,600 --> 00:27:52,520 a choice. You don't fall in love, you fall 485 00:27:52,520 --> 00:27:55,120 into emotions. You can't fall in love because 486 00:27:55,120 --> 00:27:57,280 love doesn't have gravity. You can fall in a swimming pool, 487 00:27:57,280 --> 00:28:01,760 you can fall down the stairs, but love is a choice. 488 00:28:02,760 --> 00:28:04,440 That's also why you can't fall out of love. 489 00:28:04,680 --> 00:28:06,520 Want to sit down with married couples and someone's like? 490 00:28:06,520 --> 00:28:09,480 Well, you know, I just don't. Love them anymore, I go well, 491 00:28:09,480 --> 00:28:15,760 you chose that. That's a choice. 492 00:28:18,680 --> 00:28:21,080 Boaz chooses to love her. He didn't have to. 493 00:28:22,040 --> 00:28:24,960 Real love isn't a. Feeling you fall into it's a 494 00:28:24,960 --> 00:28:26,360 choice you make. That's why we call marriage a 495 00:28:26,360 --> 00:28:29,240 covenant, because it's not just emotions. 496 00:28:29,480 --> 00:28:33,200 When the feelings fade, the choice to love remains. 497 00:28:33,680 --> 00:28:36,920 Boaz chooses to love Ruth. Why am I making such a big deal 498 00:28:36,920 --> 00:28:40,200 about this? Because Jesus chooses to love 499 00:28:40,200 --> 00:28:43,080 us. He didn't have to. 500 00:28:43,800 --> 00:28:47,480 He chose to. So look at verse 12. 501 00:28:48,360 --> 00:28:49,760 Boaz is going to finish this answer. 502 00:28:50,800 --> 00:28:53,400 And now it is true that I am a Redeemer, meaning he is 503 00:28:53,400 --> 00:28:55,760 technically related to the widow. 504 00:28:56,440 --> 00:28:57,960 Yet there is a Redeemer nearer than I. 505 00:28:57,960 --> 00:28:59,560 I'll explain why that matters next week. 506 00:29:00,240 --> 00:29:03,160 Remain tonight in the morning. If he will redeem you, good, let 507 00:29:03,160 --> 00:29:05,280 him do it. But if not, he's not willing to 508 00:29:05,280 --> 00:29:06,920 redeem you. Then as the Lord lives, I will 509 00:29:06,920 --> 00:29:08,320 redeem you. Lie down until the morning. 510 00:29:09,280 --> 00:29:11,800 Verse 14. So she lay at his feet until the 511 00:29:11,800 --> 00:29:14,080 morning. But arose before one could 512 00:29:14,080 --> 00:29:15,520 recognize another. So it's still dark. 513 00:29:15,800 --> 00:29:19,080 And he said let it not be known that the woman came to the 514 00:29:19,080 --> 00:29:21,080 threshing floor. He's protecting her reputation. 515 00:29:21,080 --> 00:29:23,760 And he said bring the garment you're wearing, hold it out. 516 00:29:24,000 --> 00:29:28,080 She held it out and he measured 6 measures of barley and put it 517 00:29:28,080 --> 00:29:29,560 on her. And then she went out to the 518 00:29:29,560 --> 00:29:35,680 city. I just I want you to see that 519 00:29:35,680 --> 00:29:38,160 that is an intense amount of integrity. 520 00:29:38,320 --> 00:29:42,360 Like how many single men faced with that scenario? 521 00:29:43,120 --> 00:29:46,600 Fail. You want to be a man of God. 522 00:29:46,600 --> 00:29:49,120 It is about character. We develop character with no 523 00:29:49,120 --> 00:29:53,960 one's looking in the dark. We work on honoring God in the 524 00:29:53,960 --> 00:29:59,160 smallest ways, in those common ways that you and I are going to 525 00:29:59,160 --> 00:30:01,400 honor God. In fact, the most common ways 526 00:30:01,400 --> 00:30:04,440 we're going to be invited in to participate in God's work is the 527 00:30:04,440 --> 00:30:08,240 Holy Spirit is going to convict. US of sin, someone's going to 528 00:30:08,240 --> 00:30:12,080 correct us when they see a sin, and our job in humility is to 529 00:30:12,080 --> 00:30:23,970 receive that and repent. Obedience, humility, repentance, 530 00:30:24,850 --> 00:30:29,530 obedience, humility, repentance. I get corrected because I I said 531 00:30:29,530 --> 00:30:32,850 something unkind and instead of getting defensive, I obey the 532 00:30:32,850 --> 00:30:35,370 prompting of the Holy Spirit. I confess that to God. 533 00:30:35,370 --> 00:30:37,490 I apologize for my actions to the person. 534 00:30:38,840 --> 00:30:41,840 I, I, I get, I get caught up in some worldly pursuit or, or or 535 00:30:41,840 --> 00:30:44,240 doing too or working too much or too much free time or too many 536 00:30:44,240 --> 00:30:45,880 hobbies or too much fantasy football. 537 00:30:45,880 --> 00:30:47,200 No one's ever done that before, right? 538 00:30:48,200 --> 00:30:52,160 Something and God gently corrects me and I confess my sin 539 00:30:52,160 --> 00:30:54,200 and I put things in place to go chase him faster. 540 00:30:54,200 --> 00:30:59,160 That's the recipe to develop character, and it's going to 541 00:30:59,160 --> 00:31:03,320 take this happening hundreds of times in our lives. 542 00:31:05,560 --> 00:31:08,480 Obeying God's call to holiness over and over and over again to 543 00:31:08,480 --> 00:31:09,800 ever have a character worth anything. 544 00:31:11,200 --> 00:31:20,000 Boaz, lonely, tipsy in the dark, wakes up with a beautiful young 545 00:31:20,000 --> 00:31:25,480 woman at his feet, and everything he does in this 546 00:31:25,480 --> 00:31:35,440 moment is honorable. It's a man of character, so God 547 00:31:35,440 --> 00:31:42,640 moves and he invites us in that move in that moment to join him 548 00:31:42,640 --> 00:31:46,360 to participate. He protects the women in chapter 549 00:31:46,360 --> 00:31:49,840 1, but they still have to make the the grueling journey in 550 00:31:49,840 --> 00:31:51,840 chapter 2. He provides sustenance and 551 00:31:51,840 --> 00:31:54,440 Providence through a field, but Ruth still has to get up every 552 00:31:54,440 --> 00:31:56,440 day and work her little tail end off. 553 00:31:59,920 --> 00:32:04,680 And then in chapter 3, here's maybe not the best advice from 554 00:32:04,680 --> 00:32:08,280 Naomi, but there's an opportunity. 555 00:32:08,280 --> 00:32:10,680 They see God moving and they step into that. 556 00:32:10,680 --> 00:32:12,880 Take a risk toward Boaz in our lives. 557 00:32:12,880 --> 00:32:16,320 When you notice that God is at work, it is always an invitation 558 00:32:16,320 --> 00:32:21,560 to join Him in that work that that stranger who suddenly 559 00:32:21,560 --> 00:32:24,360 begins to share with you something disastrous is going on 560 00:32:24,360 --> 00:32:28,720 in their life. Stop what you're doing and go 561 00:32:28,720 --> 00:32:32,400 pray for them right there in that moment that that that is 562 00:32:32,400 --> 00:32:35,160 not an accidental conversation. That relative who suddenly 563 00:32:35,160 --> 00:32:37,480 becomes interested in conversations about faith or 564 00:32:37,480 --> 00:32:40,640 spirituality or the afterlife. Stop what you're doing. 565 00:32:40,640 --> 00:32:43,120 Drop everything that that God is moving in their life. 566 00:32:43,120 --> 00:32:44,760 Go speak to them and spend time with them. 567 00:32:44,960 --> 00:32:48,480 That opportunity to to serve in some new ministry or area you've 568 00:32:48,480 --> 00:32:50,560 never really considered. Why do you think you're being 569 00:32:50,560 --> 00:32:53,760 like again, over and over and over again, God is going to move 570 00:32:53,760 --> 00:32:55,960 and it is an invitation. You begin to step into that and 571 00:32:55,960 --> 00:32:57,680 see if God is moving in those things. 572 00:32:58,040 --> 00:33:00,080 Do we have this horrible problem in our lives? 573 00:33:00,440 --> 00:33:04,240 We say we we worship. The God of the universe who 574 00:33:04,240 --> 00:33:06,840 created everything simply by speaking it into existence. 575 00:33:06,840 --> 00:33:08,880 And he wants our prayers. And then we're like, yeah, but I 576 00:33:08,880 --> 00:33:13,520 don't ever pray. I talk more about the things I 577 00:33:13,520 --> 00:33:15,160 should pray for, then I actually pray for them. 578 00:33:17,720 --> 00:33:19,880 And if I ever do get around to praying for them, and then God 579 00:33:19,880 --> 00:33:22,000 moves, I ignore that he's moving because that would be an act of 580 00:33:22,000 --> 00:33:24,040 obedience that might be hard. So yeah. 581 00:33:27,760 --> 00:33:34,400 Because God has a purpose and a. Future for you and he's not 582 00:33:34,400 --> 00:33:39,920 silent, he's not idle. God is at work around you, but 583 00:33:39,920 --> 00:33:42,960 in his graciousness he doesn't just do it. 584 00:33:43,000 --> 00:33:46,960 He invites you to participate in it and that changes us in the 585 00:33:46,960 --> 00:33:49,960 process. You realize that God doesn't 586 00:33:49,960 --> 00:33:51,520 have to invite you to participate. 587 00:33:51,520 --> 00:33:54,640 Like yeah, God doesn't need you to get things done. 588 00:33:55,120 --> 00:33:57,360 This is like inviting your 3 year old to do chores with you. 589 00:33:59,000 --> 00:34:04,680 It's going to take longer for God to use me to do Kingdom 590 00:34:04,680 --> 00:34:05,960 things. It's actually going to take 591 00:34:05,960 --> 00:34:09,199 longer than if He just did it himself, just like a three-year 592 00:34:09,199 --> 00:34:12,360 old He's. Doing it as an act of kindness 593 00:34:12,360 --> 00:34:15,239 so that I get to participate and be like, hey dad, I worked at it 594 00:34:15,239 --> 00:34:16,159 too. He's like, sure you did. 595 00:34:18,120 --> 00:34:20,120 And it changes me in the process. 596 00:34:22,560 --> 00:34:25,320 The, the guy named Henry Blackaby wrote a bestseller 597 00:34:25,320 --> 00:34:28,679 called Experiencing God years ago and he had kind of, I'll, 598 00:34:28,679 --> 00:34:30,760 I'll sum that up into four big points, but they're, they're 599 00:34:30,760 --> 00:34:32,159 right here. Same, same sort of thing. 600 00:34:32,159 --> 00:34:34,520 Number one, God always initiates the work. 601 00:34:35,120 --> 00:34:37,120 It God. It is God's initiation. 602 00:34:37,440 --> 00:34:40,239 It wasn't a coincidence. It wasn't a random conversation. 603 00:34:40,320 --> 00:34:42,719 It wasn't you suddenly noticed what was going on. 604 00:34:42,840 --> 00:34:49,159 God initiated the work. God never joins us, We join him. 605 00:34:52,639 --> 00:34:55,840 When you are called to that act of obedience, it will always 606 00:34:55,840 --> 00:34:59,120 create a crisis of faith. Anyone ever gone through one of 607 00:34:59,120 --> 00:35:05,200 those or 17? Yes, obedience will require a 608 00:35:05,200 --> 00:35:07,920 crisis of faith because we have to change, not God. 609 00:35:08,360 --> 00:35:13,280 And when we obey him, we get to join him in his work. 610 00:35:15,520 --> 00:35:19,240 And that's what happens for Ruth, and that's what happens 611 00:35:19,240 --> 00:35:23,400 for you and I all the time. It's an invitation to 612 00:35:23,400 --> 00:35:26,760 participation. So I have two questions I want 613 00:35:26,760 --> 00:35:30,680 you to consider today as we try to apply the truth from this 614 00:35:30,680 --> 00:35:34,000 Ruth chapter 3 in our lives. Here's the first one. 615 00:35:34,840 --> 00:35:37,320 Where are you noticing God at work right now? 616 00:35:40,240 --> 00:35:43,440 If you would slow down and, and pay attention to what God's 617 00:35:43,440 --> 00:35:46,840 doing in your work, in your life, in your family, in your 618 00:35:46,840 --> 00:35:50,120 habits, in your relationships, where is God at work? 619 00:35:51,320 --> 00:35:54,840 Because where you see God moving is an invitation for you to join 620 00:35:54,840 --> 00:35:58,680 him. Now, what is it an invitation 621 00:35:58,680 --> 00:35:59,880 to? I don't know. 622 00:35:59,880 --> 00:36:04,280 That's the spicy part. You're going to have to step in 623 00:36:04,280 --> 00:36:06,840 obedience and it might, might feel like a crisis, might feel a 624 00:36:06,840 --> 00:36:09,400 little illogical. You have to step into that in 625 00:36:09,400 --> 00:36:14,280 obedience to figure it out. That's the risky part. 626 00:36:14,280 --> 00:36:16,360 It might not be as risky as going to seeing a drunk guy in 627 00:36:16,360 --> 00:36:19,720 the middle of the night. I'm just saying, But it's going 628 00:36:19,720 --> 00:36:21,720 to be risky. It's a step of faith. 629 00:36:22,960 --> 00:36:26,600 Maybe you're being called to, to serve God or or the church in 630 00:36:26,600 --> 00:36:29,960 some new way. Maybe you, you, you, you don't 631 00:36:29,960 --> 00:36:32,720 serve and God's prompting you to, to, to start serving so you 632 00:36:32,720 --> 00:36:34,200 can do something incredible in your life. 633 00:36:34,680 --> 00:36:36,720 Maybe it's some little thing that we would never even 634 00:36:36,720 --> 00:36:38,280 consider, but we begin to see God move. 635 00:36:38,360 --> 00:36:42,320 Maybe it's something huge. Ruth wasn't looking for Boaz. 636 00:36:43,200 --> 00:36:47,880 She was working hard. She was providing, she was 637 00:36:47,880 --> 00:36:52,400 taking note of what God did and it was actually through Naomi 638 00:36:52,400 --> 00:36:55,560 noticing and giving her counsel to help her see that God was 639 00:36:55,560 --> 00:36:59,480 moving. I started the sermon this 640 00:36:59,480 --> 00:37:02,120 morning talking about, you know, being faced with his decision of 641 00:37:02,120 --> 00:37:04,360 closing some businesses and going to the ministry full time 642 00:37:05,040 --> 00:37:07,760 and it it feeling like a crisis of faith. 643 00:37:08,760 --> 00:37:11,200 But but I'm feeling like man, God really wants me to walk into 644 00:37:11,200 --> 00:37:13,240 this and it is I'll be let me be honest. 645 00:37:13,600 --> 00:37:16,240 In the last two years, it is not been easy. 646 00:37:16,240 --> 00:37:20,880 It is been fraught with with days of anxiety and and crises 647 00:37:20,880 --> 00:37:23,960 of faith. But but I but I also consider. 648 00:37:23,960 --> 00:37:25,520 Because I have the. The benefit now the rearview 649 00:37:25,520 --> 00:37:27,040 mirror again, the look of the last two years. 650 00:37:27,040 --> 00:37:29,800 And I go, man, you know, in the last two years, God has saved 651 00:37:29,800 --> 00:37:39,320 over 200 people at this church, and we have baptized about 200 652 00:37:39,320 --> 00:37:44,200 people in the last two years. Now, I would have missed so much 653 00:37:44,200 --> 00:37:48,520 of that if I was still trying to do the other things that God was 654 00:37:48,520 --> 00:37:50,080 calling me away from. Like God. 655 00:37:50,320 --> 00:37:52,720 God didn't need me to do it. He'd have done it anyways. 656 00:37:52,960 --> 00:37:56,160 I just would have missed it. I would have gotten to 657 00:37:56,160 --> 00:38:01,200 participate in all that stuff if I wasn't willing to step into 658 00:38:01,200 --> 00:38:05,760 what God was asking me to do. If you want to see God work, 659 00:38:05,760 --> 00:38:08,240 you've got to be willing to trust Him Where that journey 660 00:38:08,240 --> 00:38:10,400 leads. Now I'm going to give you. 661 00:38:10,800 --> 00:38:12,920 Just a moment of caution along with this. 662 00:38:12,920 --> 00:38:16,120 Where's God at work? OK, Remember, Ruth is looking 663 00:38:16,120 --> 00:38:19,120 for, she's working hard. She's not looking specifically 664 00:38:19,120 --> 00:38:22,720 for this blessing. And for some of us, I'm just 665 00:38:22,720 --> 00:38:24,000 going to, I'm just going to warn you. 666 00:38:24,040 --> 00:38:26,680 And if this is you, I just want you to hear it. 667 00:38:27,560 --> 00:38:30,920 Stop looking for the blessing and look for the One who 668 00:38:30,920 --> 00:38:36,600 blesses. Because some of y'all have never 669 00:38:36,600 --> 00:38:39,200 gotten to a Boaz in your life because you settled for a broke 670 00:38:39,200 --> 00:38:46,240 ass. That deadbeat alternative that 671 00:38:46,240 --> 00:38:48,200 you tried to shoehorn into God's plan? 672 00:38:49,240 --> 00:38:52,560 That's not what Ruth is doing. Ruth's been working hard for two 673 00:38:52,560 --> 00:38:58,600 months, head down, grinding, and then when God's moving to wise 674 00:38:58,600 --> 00:39:02,600 counsel, she steps into that. And for some of y'all, you've 675 00:39:02,600 --> 00:39:06,000 been chasing stuff that is not of God and I'm just telling you, 676 00:39:06,000 --> 00:39:08,080 put your eyes back on the Creator, the one who gives 677 00:39:08,080 --> 00:39:11,040 blessings, and He will lead you where He wants you to go. 678 00:39:12,160 --> 00:39:14,720 Now if you're thinking to yourself, I already married the 679 00:39:14,720 --> 00:39:26,520 broke ass, then let me pray for you. 680 00:39:28,920 --> 00:39:34,360 May God give you the strength and the humility and the 681 00:39:34,360 --> 00:39:40,920 endurance to choose to love them, to pray for them, to serve 682 00:39:40,920 --> 00:39:44,240 them sacrificially, that they might come to know the Lord of 683 00:39:44,240 --> 00:39:52,520 the universe because He is able. In my small group and in my my 684 00:39:52,520 --> 00:39:55,920 mentorship group, these are the types of conversations we have 685 00:39:56,320 --> 00:39:59,000 all the time. We are praying for one another. 686 00:39:59,080 --> 00:40:02,040 We are talking about what's going on in our lives and 687 00:40:02,040 --> 00:40:06,160 allowing wise counsel to push back into our lives to, to 688 00:40:06,280 --> 00:40:09,000 either correct us or to encourage us or to stir us up, 689 00:40:09,200 --> 00:40:10,960 just like Naomi is doing for Ruth. 690 00:40:11,160 --> 00:40:13,520 So secondly, my question for you is, who is your Naomi? 691 00:40:16,360 --> 00:40:20,040 Where is that close counsel that will encourage you to obey God 692 00:40:20,200 --> 00:40:23,160 because you got to have it? There are times we need to be 693 00:40:23,160 --> 00:40:25,400 encouraged because you're down. There's times where you need to 694 00:40:25,400 --> 00:40:30,560 be stirred up because you've just gotten lazy, comfortable, 695 00:40:31,280 --> 00:40:35,280 whiny, none of you, I mean, but me, me. 696 00:40:35,960 --> 00:40:39,680 And we need to be stirred up to go hard after God again. 697 00:40:41,160 --> 00:40:44,800 And so if you have been trying to play this solo Christian 698 00:40:44,800 --> 00:40:49,480 Rambo game in isolation, you need to step into community. 699 00:40:49,480 --> 00:40:53,000 You need to find people who love God, the church, and you in that 700 00:40:53,000 --> 00:40:58,120 order, and are willing to speak truth into your life. 701 00:40:58,200 --> 00:41:02,200 Where is God moving and who is close enough to you to tell you? 702 00:41:02,200 --> 00:41:04,720 So these are the application questions for today. 703 00:41:05,040 --> 00:41:08,960 Now, maybe maybe you came here today, you got maybe you got 704 00:41:08,960 --> 00:41:10,520 drug here today didn't even want to come. 705 00:41:10,960 --> 00:41:13,000 Maybe you're you're watching online. 706 00:41:13,320 --> 00:41:16,000 Shout out to Casey and Steven if they're watching online. 707 00:41:16,640 --> 00:41:19,920 But but however you got here today my question. 708 00:41:19,920 --> 00:41:24,640 For you is this. Do you know the Lord of the 709 00:41:24,640 --> 00:41:28,400 universe personally? Because if you don't know Jesus 710 00:41:28,400 --> 00:41:30,680 Christ as your Lord and your Savior, I just want to point 711 00:41:30,680 --> 00:41:32,400 something out to you that's in this text here. 712 00:41:33,720 --> 00:41:36,520 And I want you to see that God is at work. 713 00:41:36,520 --> 00:41:39,520 That's probably why you're participating in this service 714 00:41:39,520 --> 00:41:42,360 today. The reason you tuned in online, 715 00:41:42,360 --> 00:41:44,920 the reason you showed up, God is drawing you to him. 716 00:41:45,400 --> 00:41:49,560 You know, 1100 years before Jesus would walk on the earth as 717 00:41:49,560 --> 00:41:52,480 a human. We're, we're reading this story 718 00:41:52,480 --> 00:41:54,440 and we're talking about these, these wings. 719 00:41:54,800 --> 00:42:01,040 And Jesus actually says the same thing 1100 years later that he 720 00:42:01,040 --> 00:42:02,760 that his wings are there for protection. 721 00:42:02,760 --> 00:42:06,320 In Luke 13, he's he's talking about the city of Jerusalem 722 00:42:06,320 --> 00:42:08,000 right before he's going to go to the cross. 723 00:42:08,280 --> 00:42:12,360 And in Luke 13 he says this verse 34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 724 00:42:13,160 --> 00:42:15,760 the city that kills. The prophets and stones, those 725 00:42:15,760 --> 00:42:17,720 who are sent to it, they're about to crucify him. 726 00:42:18,920 --> 00:42:22,280 How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen 727 00:42:22,280 --> 00:42:25,960 gathers her brood under her wings? 728 00:42:27,720 --> 00:42:33,760 And you were not willing. Jesus offers to redeem you like 729 00:42:33,760 --> 00:42:36,960 Ruth does for Boaz to cover you in his wings. 730 00:42:37,880 --> 00:42:40,200 And so the question, my final question for you today is, are 731 00:42:40,200 --> 00:42:43,000 you willing? Are you willing? 732 00:42:43,760 --> 00:42:46,320 God is moving. He is drawing you to him and he 733 00:42:46,320 --> 00:42:49,440 is offering to cover you with his wings. 734 00:42:49,440 --> 00:42:54,360 Are you willing? You see, just like Boaz chose to 735 00:42:54,360 --> 00:42:56,600 love Ruth, Jesus chooses to love you. 736 00:42:59,240 --> 00:43:01,640 And so if you would like to surrender your life to God 737 00:43:01,640 --> 00:43:04,200 today, I want to offer you the chance as we close our service 738 00:43:04,600 --> 00:43:06,680 for a brief moment, will you bow your heads and close your eyes? 739 00:43:07,440 --> 00:43:10,520 If you're willing to ask God for forgiveness and for salvation 740 00:43:11,080 --> 00:43:15,040 with every eye closed, every head bowed, I just, I just want 741 00:43:15,040 --> 00:43:17,760 you to repeat this prayer after me. 742 00:43:20,640 --> 00:43:28,160 Jesus, I know I'm a Sinner and I can't save myself. 743 00:43:29,560 --> 00:43:36,160 I need to be redeemed. So I surrender everything to you 744 00:43:39,400 --> 00:43:41,240 and I receive your promise of redemption. 745 00:43:43,440 --> 00:43:50,280 Be my Lord, Please Jesus. If you prayed to surrender your 746 00:43:50,280 --> 00:43:53,120 life to Jesus for the very first time, would you be brave and 747 00:43:53,120 --> 00:44:00,960 raise your hand for me to see? Thank you, you can put your 748 00:44:00,960 --> 00:44:05,160 hands down. Thank you in Jesus name, Amen. 749 00:44:05,480 --> 00:44:10,880 Real quick as we close, if you just gave your life to Christ 750 00:44:10,880 --> 00:44:12,680 for the very first time, welcome to the family. 751 00:44:18,360 --> 00:44:19,840 We stand. We're going to sing a song as we 752 00:44:19,840 --> 00:44:22,320 close. Our prayer team is going to come 753 00:44:22,320 --> 00:44:24,720 up. We'd love to pray with you and 754 00:44:24,720 --> 00:44:27,760 for you. As we sing, as we people come up 755 00:44:27,760 --> 00:44:30,040 for prayer. If you gave your life to to to 756 00:44:30,040 --> 00:44:31,720 Christ and you have not told anyone about it. 757 00:44:31,720 --> 00:44:33,680 Maybe this happened moments ago. Maybe it happened recently. 758 00:44:34,080 --> 00:44:36,160 We have some tables in the back say I raised my hand. 759 00:44:36,160 --> 00:44:37,400 We would love to celebrate with you. 760 00:44:37,720 --> 00:44:39,320 We have a gift for you. We want to talk about what it 761 00:44:39,320 --> 00:44:43,040 looks like to pursue Jesus. What's next so you can make your 762 00:44:43,040 --> 00:44:45,960 way back there while we sing If you need prayer for any reason, 763 00:44:45,960 --> 00:44:48,400 we want to pray with you. And so don't be shy. 764 00:44:48,400 --> 00:44:50,600 Come up and be prayed for. We love you church. 765 00:44:50,600 --> 00:44:52,240 Merry Christmas, you move as the Lord leads you.