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The Sweet Spot of Life · Sermon Podcast at Cartersville1st

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Hey, man, thank you, Andrea. Thank you John and praise team
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for leading us to lift our voices and praise today.
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If you have your copy of God's Word, and I hope you do, make
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your way to Ruth, Chapter 4, final chapter in this Old
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Testament book that we've been walking through together now for
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the last several weeks. And we land today on chapter 4
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with much ground to cover. And think they got nervous in
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the first service. I didn't get to all those blanks
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as quickly as they thought I would.
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So just hang on. We're going to really give you a
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heads up here. We're going to walk our way
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through the story for the first portion of our time together.
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And we're going to really land on lots of the practical
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application of the story and the truth we learned from this story
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towards the end. All right, so we're going to
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walk through this one verse at a time, and we'll get there, I
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promise. So if you're here this morning,
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let me just say this first. If you're here this morning and
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you would admit somehow, some way deep down, you're
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struggling. Maybe you're wondering where
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your life is headed. You're wondering what God is up
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to, can't really see the destination.
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You don't really know what God's writing.
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You know, how no, all this is going to come together.
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Maybe if you're being honest, you'd say, Kyle, I don't even
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know if God's paying attention to me right now.
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I'm not even sure that God understands or sees my
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circumstances right now. At least that's the way I feel.
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I'm not so sure God's writing anything when it comes to me, my
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story and my name and direction. If that's you and any former
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fashion. I do believe Ruth chapter 4 is
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something that you'll be encouraged to hear as we walk
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through God's word together today.
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You do need to remember in Ruth chapter 4, we're still in the
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days of the judges. Now some of you got my little
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review here memorized. All right, I've said this
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several times, but if you're new to Ruth or haven't caught all
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the messages, this is helpful to know, right?
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Because during these days, it's the days of the judges in
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Israel. This mean it's pre kings, right?
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There are no, there's no king in Israel.
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And the Bible says, unfortunately everyone is doing
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what is right in their own, in their own eyes, how chaotic life
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is. And everybody's just doing what
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seems right to them. And it is not going well.
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In fact, it's absolute chaos and it's sinful.
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They're walking unfaithfully with God.
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And God said he would do what they, if they were unfaithful,
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God said he would do what he's doing.
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And I see as he's not bringing blessing, he's bringing cursing.
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One of the things is this famines going on in the land.
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They're starving and they're hungry.
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And one Israelite man by the name of Elimelech and his two
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sons and his wife Naomi moved to Moab.
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They leave the promised place where God said to dwell and
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where God said he would be with them and bless them.
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And in their own initiative, they go off to another land, a
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place they worship foreign gods, where they don't know Yahweh.
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And they're there 10 years and over 10 years, both boys marry
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Moabite women. But after 10 years, all the men
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are dead. Elimelech passes and his two
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sons. Ruth is now destitute.
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She has two Moabite daughters in law.
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What's she going to do? She does here.
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There's food in Bethlehem. So she decides to move back.
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She tries to convince her two daughters in law to stay.
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One does. But one comes to this point
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where she's learned of Yahweh. She's heard now of the one true
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God. And guess what she does?
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She says I'm all in. I'm not going back, Naomi, don't
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even talk to me about it anymore.
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I'm following y'all with all my heart, with all my soul, with
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all my strength and all my mind. I'm going to be with you and
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where you go, I'm going to go. And where God leads we're going
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to be. And where you die, I'm going to
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die. And don't try to convince me
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otherwise. She vows herself to God.
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Does God reward such commitment? Does God reward such faith?
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Does God honor when we're walking one way and repent and
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turn and start walking the other way by faith in him?
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You better believe it and you're going to watch that unfold as we
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walk through this story with Ruth and remember right.
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So Naomi and Ruth, they get back to the promised lamb and Ruth as
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a has a destitute poor widow is having to pick up the scraps of
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barley on the edges of a field. But she just so happens under
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God's Providence to end up in a field by the name owned by a man
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named Boaz. Boaz takes notice of her.
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And Naomi takes notice of Boaz and sees a little match
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potential going on. And she she comes up with the
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plan and tells Ruth the plan. And Ruth proposes to Boaz, like
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we talked about last week, says, hey, would you take me under
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your wing? You're a kinsman Redeemer.
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Would you care for me? Redeem me and take me under as a
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Redeemer. And so Boaz says, yes, I will.
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But so we found out, even after all that has transpired, after
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all that has come to pass, after all that seemed like was
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hopeless, and now finally, things starting to go the right
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way. There's a closer kinsman
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Redeemer. There's a family member that
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ought to have the right to redeem first before Boaz.
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So what is Boaz going to do? We listen to chapter 3, verse
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18. This is to pick up where we left
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off, she replied. Naomi replied Wait my daughter
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until you learn how the matter turns out for the man that's
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Boaz will not rest but will settle the matter today.
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All right, so here's what happens.
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Chapter 4 verse one and two. Now Boaz had gone up to the gate
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and sat down there, and behold, the Redeemer of whom Boaz had
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spoken came by. So Boaz said, turn aside,
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friend, sit down here. And he turned aside and sat
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down, and he took ten men of the elders of the city and said, Sit
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down here. So they sat down.
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Boaz isn't going. Boaz is gone.
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Boaz set his alarm early. He's at the gate before
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daylight. Boaz is a man on a mission.
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She said he would take care of it today.
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That's absolutely what he's doing.
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And he goes to the gates of the city.
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That sounds odd, unless you understand that the place where
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business went down, where civic and social decisions were made
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in ancient times, where it's not the city courthouse or the
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County Courthouse, but the city gates, this was the place of
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decision, of business and transaction.
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This is where as goes and sure enough, behold, here comes the
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Redeemer again. Sounds like a coincidence, but
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are they actually any coincidence in life or is God in
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his hand overseeing all things under his Providence and
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goodness, it seems just like that.
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But no doubt under the Providence of God, here comes
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that closer Redeemer. He says, hey friend, hey, so and
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so, hey you. Interesting enough to me, his
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name is not even mentioned. Boaz knows the guy's name.
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He's family, but it's interesting how in the record of
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God's inspired record of Book of Ruth, the closest kinsman
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Redeemer is not even named. I think that's on purpose.
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And he says, hey, come here, I've got business with you.
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Boaz takes his man, but he needs 10 men in these times to make a
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decision official. And here's what happens.
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Verse 3. Then he said to the Redeemer,
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Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, is selling
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the parcel of land that belonged to our relative Elimelech.
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So I thought I would tell you of it and say buy it in the
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presence of those sitting here and in the presence of the
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elders of my people. If you will redeem it, redeem
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it. But if you will not tell me
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that, I may know, for there is no one besides you to redeem it.
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And I come after you. And he said I will redeem it.
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Now, I don't know about you, but in my mind I'm sitting here
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thinking, Boaz, time out, dude. What are what are you doing
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right? You letting the girl get away,
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you giving the land away like you don't have a play call that
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you're going to do that maybe somehow get this to work out
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after all that y'all been through, after all that Ruth
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went through, after the promises you made to her, you're just
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going to you're just going to, you know, put this in front of
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the guys. A grand financial game.
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I mean, think about it, right? Naomi had this land now in her
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name that belonged to her husband.
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It would have passed to her sons, but their past.
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So now Naomi owns it. But guess what?
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Naomi's too old to drive a tractor.
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She's not bailing barley anymore.
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This land is doing her no good. She needs a Redeemer, one who
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has the right resolve and the resources to redeem this
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property, buy it if you will, to keep it in the family and work
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it to provide for her and her family.
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All right. And Boaz is serving this up is a
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good deed. That's also grand financial
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gain. I mean, just think about it,
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right? So the guy knows, hey, I'm going
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to have to provide for Naomi. But guess what?
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The produce of the land is going to take care of that.
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And then guess what? Naomi doesn't have any, any
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offspring for the land to go to. It's going to remain in my
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family. This is more going to pay for
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itself. Hey, Boaz, where do I sign?
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Boaz, what are you doing? Well, he's smarter than you
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think he is, all right? He's got a plan that he just
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hadn't revealed yet. Here it is.
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Saves it for last, then. Boaz said the day you buy the
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field from the hand of Naomi, you also acquire Ruth the
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Moabite, the widow of the dead, in order to perpetuate the name
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of the dead in his inheritance. By the way, the land comes with
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a wife. That's what he said.
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Then the Redeemer said I can't redeem it for myself.
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Story change. Let's I impair my own
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inheritance. Take my right of redemption
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yourself, for I cannot redeem it.
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That's what I'm talking about, Boaz.
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I mean, you just got to, I mean, I jump up, give him a high 5
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right there if I could, right? I didn't see that coming.
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You probably didn't see that coming.
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But Boaz had a plan. He wasn't just walking into it.
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As ill informed as it sounds right now, we don't know exactly
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why this closest kinsman Redeemer didn't realize taking
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care of Ruth, marrying Ruth, and caring for was part of the deal.
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But here's our best guess. She was a what?
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She was a Moabite. Now, you don't have to know much
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about your Bible to realize why he probably didn't think
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marrying her was part of the deal.
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All right, I'm not going to get into the details because it's
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not all age appropriate, all right?
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But you can go back in Genesis 19.
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You remember Abraham's nephew Lot, All right, Well, Lot ends
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up in an incestuous relationship with two daughters of his that
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involved alcohol that produced the origins of the Moabite and
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the Ammonite peoples. All right, so it gets worse then
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the Moabite peoples once there are people and God's leading the
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Israelites out of Egypt to the promised land towards freedom.
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You got the Moabites no wanting to curse the Israelites.
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So their king hires this, you know, black market prophet to
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come out and try to curse them, but God won't let him curse
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them. And so then furthermore, he
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says, well, if God can't get God to curse them, I'm going to send
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all our women in there and get them to seduce them and then God
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will curse them then. And sure enough that actually
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worked. The Moabite women came among the
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Israelite men and they they were involved in relations with him.
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And you know how many men, Israelite men, God struck dead
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on the spot for their unfaithfulness?
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24,000 I don't know how it's to say it, but if you were a
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teenager in Israel, you didn't bring home a Moabite to meet
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Mama. You just didn't.
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No doubt this guy thinks marrying her couldn't be, must
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not be part of the deal. But here's the deal.
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Ruth has walked away from everything Moabite about her.
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Will God honor her desire to follow Him?
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Will God honor her repentance to turn from worshiping the way she
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used to worship to now worshiping the one true God?
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Will God give her His blessing and honor and provision because
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she has looked at Him for all of that, for life and more?
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You better believe it. So here we go.
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Listen to verses 7 and 8 now. This was the custom in former
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times in Israel concerning redeeming and exchanging to
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confirm a transaction. The one drew off his sandal and
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gave it to the other. And this was the manner of the
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testing in Israel. So when the Redeemer said to
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Boaz, buy it for yourself, he drew off his sandal.
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This is fascinating. Right When you went to buy land,
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you didn't get together your real estate agents and maybe
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your real estate lawyer to sign the deeds and the deal.
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You took off 1 dirty sandal and said here you go like you could
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keep that. I just want the land.
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But this was symbolic of the fact that the seller is saying
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I'm I'm removing my right to tread on this dirt.
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Now it's yours and your right. So it's a removal of a sandal
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and a giving to the buyer transitioning the ownership of
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the property. So Boaz gets his land.
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Listen to verse 9 and Tim. Then Boaz said to the elders and
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all the people your witnesses this day that I've bought from
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the hand of Naomi all that belonged to Limelec, and all
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that belonged to Killian and Malon, and also Ruth the
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Moabite, the widow of Malon, I've bought to be my wife, to
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perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance, that the
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name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brothers and
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from the gate of his native place.
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You are witnesses to this today. Will Yahweh reward faithfulness?
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You better believe it, right? And God has done so and allowed
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these things to come to success and answer to the people's
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prayer. If you remember right, Boaz's
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prayer for Ruth back in chapter 2, verse 12 was that she would
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find rest and reward under the one whose wings she had come to
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take. What refuge.
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May God reward her for doing that.
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It's God's answering that prayer.
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Does God bless those who take refuge under his wings?
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Yes or no? Yes, God's answering that
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prayer, right? God's answering Naomi's prayer
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for Boaz that he would be blessed.
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He had gone out of his way to show kindness and provision to
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Ruth, and now Naomi's prayed for him that he would be blessed as
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a result of blessing others. God y'all is rewarding the
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faithfulness of Ruth and Boaz, and he's answering the prayers
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of his people. Don't you realize?
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Don't you believe God answers prayer?
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You better believe it. Now listen and Speaking of
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answered prayer, listen to verses 11 through 12.
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Three prayers of blessing that are prayed right here.
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Then all the people who were at the gate and the elder said we
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are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman
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who's coming into your house like Rachel and Leah, who
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together built up the House of Israel.
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And may you act worthily in Ephrathah and be renowned in
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Bethlehem. And thirdly, may your house be
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like the House of Perez, whom Tamar brought to Judah, because
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of the offspring that the Lord will give you by this young
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woman. Three prayers.
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Here we see one for Ruth, one for Boaz, and one for their
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offspring, right? The one for Ruth is that she
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would be fruitful like Rachel and Leah, who were the wives of
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Jacob that birthed the patriarchs, the heads of the 12
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tribes of Israel. What a prayer for fruitfulness,
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right? There's a prayer for Boaz and he
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would flourish and become famous and be remembered.
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And to just keep that in your mind because his name is going
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to be included in a list of names that will never, ever be
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forgotten. God answers that prayer.
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And then there's a prayer for Boaz, his offspring, that he
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would be like Perez. Who was that?
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That was the the clan that was the most prominent clan in
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Judah. And again, who was Perez?
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Though again, this is a head scratcher.
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It's like, wow, look at what God's doing in his mercy.
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Perez was one of the twins born to Tamar.
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You know who Tamar was? She was another Canaanite woman,
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non Israelite woman who was married to 1 of Judah's sons.
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But after another son, after one died, she married another and he
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died. Judah would not give her a third
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son, and in spite she actually can.
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She she concealed her identity, tricked her father-in-law into
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having relations with her, and that was the offspring of the
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twins, including Perez. And you thought your family was
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messed up somewhere down the line.
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Think again. Unbelievable, right?
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Look at God's mercy in the middle of all the mess.
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The picture of the prayer here is just as God carried on the
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line of Judah through Tamar, A Canaanite woman, May God do the
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same through Ruth, a Moabite woman.
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Do the same thing. God bring blessing where there
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once was not. The first thing I want you to
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see that you can't miss from these pages is that finally now
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in chapter 4, out of all we've seen, I want you to see this in
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yours. God redeems Ruth.
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Does God honor one who takes refuge under his wings?
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Does God honor one who repents from walking their way and turns
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to walk his way? Does God honor one who vows
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themself to him without turning back and saying, God, I'm all
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in. I'm trusting you even if my life
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hasn't turned around. If I don't have all I want, if
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all's not good right now, God, I'm trusting you anyway.
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God redeems, God redeems, and God redeems Ruth.
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He's provided her a husband, a home, and a rest.
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It gets even better though. Look at verse 13.
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So Boaz took Ruth, she became his wife.
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He went into her and the Lord gave her.
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The Lord gave her conception and she bore a son.
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You read this book. There's only two times in the
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whole book that explicitly state God's direct intervention.
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This is one of them. But don't be mistaken.
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God has been the one at work behind the scenes, in every
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single detail of these people's lives.
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He's the one that allowed Naomi and Ruth to return just at the
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perfect timing of the beginning of the barley harvest.
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He's the one that opened up Boaz's eyes so he noticed
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someone immediately he didn't recognize.
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He's the one that allowed Ruth to the kindness of Boaz and for
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Boaz to be blessed and for his proposal, Ruth's proposal to
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Boaz and Boaz's plan with the first Redeemer to all be
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successful. Look at God.
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He's the one at work in the details of the lives of these
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ordinary people, by the way, in the midst of a lot of mess.
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And God in his mercy is not giving up but providing for
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them. God redeems Ruth y'all, but what
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about Naomi and Boaz? Listen to verse 14 through 17.
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Then the women said to Naomi, Blessed be the Lord, who's not
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left you this day without a Redeemer.
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May his name be renowned in Israel.
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He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old
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age. For your daughter-in-law, who
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loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has given birth
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to him. And then Naomi took the the
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child and laid him on her lap and became his nurse.
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And the women of the neighborhood gave him a name
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saying a son has been born to Naomi.
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They named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse and
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the father of David. I want you to notice 3 phrases
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we see here in this part. The first one is what Naomi's
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friends say. Blessed be the Lord.
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They're setting the record straight about God.
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Did you know that often times we can get things wrong about God
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just like Naomi? Did you know when Naomi was
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wrong about God? Do you remember what she was
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saying about God when she came back to Bethlehem?
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Who was she blaming? Who was she saying was at fault?
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Who was she griping about publicly for others to hear?
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Who did she say when she went away full?
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But who has made me empty? God.
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But she was wrong about God, wasn't she?
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She was blaming God and griping to God, and now all her friends
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are publicly setting the record straight about God.
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Blessed be God who's not left you without a Redeemer.
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Naomi, even when you were blaming God, God never abandoned
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you. His mercy was never far from
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you. How so?
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He never left you without a Redeemer.
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Now Boaz is redeeming Ruth, but now the son born to them will
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redeem Naomi And Naomi, in case you missed it, even when you
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were blaming and griping and calling God guilty, God had
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given you a daughter-in-law worth more than seven sons who
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never left your side. 7 is the number of completion or
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perfection, the ideal number. And, and they're saying, listen,
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even when you didn't see what God was doing in your life, God
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was providing and blessing you anyway.
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Even when you were blaming Him for what you didn't have that
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you wished you did. You ever found yourself blaming,
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griping and complaining to God about what you don't have, while
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what God has given you is right in front of your face and you
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can't see it? That's where Naomi was.
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Now they're setting the record straight.
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Blessed be God, He's not left you without a Redeemer.
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So Naomi becomes the boy's nanny.
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And by the way, they named him Obed.
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And you remember all the meaning of the names in Ruth.
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The name of Obed means provider or guardian.
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So not only has God redeemed Ruth, but now we see that God
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redeems Naomi. Y'all, when you read the book of
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Ruth, you start at the beginning.
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At some point, you think to yourself, there's no way this
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story could end anywhere close to good, right?
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I mean, who would have thought who, who would have conceived
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that Naomi, 10 years in Moab, losing her family and now
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returning with one Moabite widow along with her?
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Who, Who would have ever thought that God could take this story
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and write anything good? Who would have thought that God
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could take the details of these people and their broken lives
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and bring anything beautiful out of it, do anything for His glory
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out of it, right? No one.
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No one would have rightly thought that in their right
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mind. And yet, could you imagine God
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doing what He's done? No, of course not.
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But it gets even better. Did you see the prayer of the
22:42
women prayed for Obed in verse 14?
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Let me read it again. May his name be renowned in
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Israel. Does God answer that prayer?
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Well, listen to this verse 17 Speaking of Obed.
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He was the father of Jesse. Jesse was the father of David.
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You're talking about David. That's the man after God's own
23:11
heart, David, Israel's greatest king, David.
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David, the one to whom God would covenant and say he would
23:21
establish his throne forever. The greatest king, the man after
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God's own heart, the one to whom God would bring about the
23:29
Messiah. That David, yes, God heard that
23:31
prayer, and yes, God answered that prayer in a way that nobody
23:34
would have ever imagined or guessed right.
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Look at God. Look at the one who's behind the
23:39
details, behind the scenes, orchestrating all these things,
23:42
taking the pen when they trusted him, and writing something not
23:45
just for them, but even bigger than they could never, ever
23:48
imagine. Now listen to verse 18 through
23:50
22. The Bible says this.
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Now these are the generations of Perez.
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Perez fathered Hezron, Hezron fathered Ram.
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Ram fathered A minidab and a minidab fathered nation, and a
24:05
nation fathered Salman. Salman fathered Boaz, Boaz
24:08
fathered Obed, Obed Father Jesse and Jesse fathered David.
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You say, Kyle, what in the world could there be in a genealogy,
24:15
right? We just typically like, hey, I'm
24:17
not sure why that's at the end right there.
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We just will skip right over that, right?
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But if you know your Bible, that phrase, these are the
24:26
generations followed by 10 names ought to sound like an echo to
24:31
you in your Bible. Because if you go all the way
24:35
back to the beginning when the story started going wrong, when
24:39
mankind messed up and it looked like there's no way God could do
24:42
anything good with this. There's no way God could redeem.
24:44
There's no way God could take these pieces and unravel all
24:47
these knots and write something, put something together of
24:50
anything good. And yet God began to unfold his
24:52
plan of salvation for mankind. And Genesis 5, he starts with
24:56
Noah, and then we have Noah's name followed by genealogy of 10
25:00
names. And then you get to Genesis 11,
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he gets to Abraham and we have Abraham's name and genealogy of
25:06
10 names. And then we see in Abraham
25:08
chapter 12, God says to him, Hey, Abraham, it's through you
25:12
and your family that all the families one's going to be born
25:15
and offspring's going to come that's going to bless all the
25:18
families of the earth. Does God answer that prayer?
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Does God answer? Does he fulfill that promise?
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You can't make this up, but if you would turn to the first page
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of your New Testament, if you have your Bible, why don't you
25:34
look at Matthew chapter 1? And you wondered why the New
25:38
Testament starts with a genealogy?
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Because God could not say in a greater way, Hey everybody, I'm
25:46
keeping my promises. I'm doing what I promised I
25:50
would do. Thousands and thousands and
25:52
thousands. Despite all the myths, despite
25:54
all the sin, despite all the shortcomings, guess what?
25:57
I, God says, am still faithful. Listen to this, the book of the
26:01
genealogy of Jesus Christ. The son of who?
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David. Does that sound familiar?
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The son of Abraham. Abraham was the father of Isaac,
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and Isaac the father of Jacob. Jacob, the father of Judah and
26:12
his brothers, and Judah the father of Perez.
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Does any of this sounding familiar?
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And Zerah by Tamar, there she is.
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And Perez, the father of Hezron. Hezron the father of Ram.
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Ram the father of Minidab. And Aminidab the father of
26:24
Nation, Nation, the father of Salman.
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Salman the father of Boaz. On my goodness, we get even more
26:29
familiar by Rahab Boaz, the father of Obed, by Ruth and Obed
26:34
the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David the king.
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Does God keep his promises? You better believe it.
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Can God take a story that you thought could have never ever
26:45
ended in any way good? By the way, that's the question
26:48
when you're reading the beginning of the Bible.
26:49
It's the question when you're reading the beginning of Ruth.
26:51
Could God author anything good out of these people's lives?
26:57
And look at God doing what only he could do, redeeming Ruth,
27:02
redeeming Naomi. But the third thing I want you
27:04
to do is all this writing of God has not just been for Ruth.
27:08
It's not just been for Naomi. God wants to redeem you.
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The story wasn't over when Ruth ended.
27:16
The story just continued as God promised Abraham that one would
27:20
come through that family line that would not just bless them,
27:22
but bless you and me and get to the ends of the earth.
27:26
God the Father, his sent his Son Jesus the Christ as the ultimate
27:30
Redeemer. Jesus gained the right to redeem
27:34
you and me when he took on human flesh and walked in our shoes.
27:38
And Jesus gained the resources to redeem me and you when he
27:42
lived a sinless life, a life we haven't lived and died in our
27:45
place on the cross as a substitute for us.
27:48
He had the resources. He had the resolve for God so
27:52
loved the world. Now love expressed as Jesus hung
27:56
there and said, father, forgive them.
27:57
They know not what they do. Jesus Christ was the ultimate
28:01
end of the family line that would come as a promised
28:05
blessing, not just for these people and Ruth, but for me and
28:08
you and every family on the planet as promised through
28:10
Abraham in Genesis 12. God has redeemed Ruth, God has
28:16
redeemed Naomi. The question I want to ask you
28:17
this morning as God redeemed you, the story, the story is
28:23
supposed to include you. The point of the book of Ruth is
28:29
God wants to write your story into his.
28:33
It's never about just them. It's always been about the whole
28:37
world redeemed you. Is there come a point in your
28:39
life and you trusted Christ as your Lord and Savior?
28:42
You've come alive in Him, received hope in Him, given Him
28:44
the pen of your life to write your life as only He could write
28:47
it, to do with you. What you can never do for
28:49
yourself Is God redeemed you. God wants to write your story.
28:57
Into his see Pastor Kyle. If that's true, then what do I
29:01
need to do? Can I give you?
29:03
Six things. You have to write fast because
29:05
I'm going to try to move fast. Here's the first one these.
29:10
Are all truths we learn. Out of the book of Ruth that I
29:12
want to close with #1 God is merciful no matter how messed up
29:19
you are. Run to him, run to him, y'all?
29:25
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out God is
29:28
using messed up people to accomplish his plan.
29:32
Did you see that? Like I didn't even get in the
29:35
details y'all. I kept it kind of 40,000 feet.
29:38
God is using messed up people sinners in.
29:43
His mercy to accomplish. His will run to Him, and yet
29:46
there's still some in the room or under the sound of my voice
29:49
that are convinced they're too far away.
29:51
They've done too much, they've sinned too much for God to
29:54
redeem them, for God to love them, for God to save them, for
29:57
God to use them. And you just couldn't be more
29:59
wrong. You're just dead wrong, God, His
30:02
mercy is bigger than your mess, no matter what it is.
30:05
If you will run to him, cast yourself on him just as Ruth did
30:10
#2 God is king and He's in control.
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Would you trust him in? These days when you open.
30:16
Up the book of Ruth, there's no king in Israel.
30:17
Everyone's doing what's right in their own eyes.
30:19
There's death and destruction and chaos all around.
30:22
If God is king and if he's in control, it doesn't look like
30:26
it, and it certainly doesn't feel like it to anybody in
30:28
Bethlehem. You might say Pastor Kyle.
30:31
That's the way I feel right now. If God is king and he's in
30:34
control, I don't feel like it. I don't think I'll see it and
30:37
I'm not sure I believe it. But did you see what?
30:41
Happened when two people decided to trust God is king.
30:46
Naomi. When she returned back to the
30:49
place God said she was supposed to be.
30:55
When Ruth said. I'm going to follow the one true
30:58
God is my king. What did God do?
31:03
God took them out of a place outside of His will that was a
31:06
place of the absence of His blessing.
31:09
And when they decided to live like God was King, God began to
31:12
bless and provide and write their story because they trusted
31:16
that He was truly in charge in King.
31:18
But they had to make up their mind before they ever had their
31:20
first taste of barley in Bethlehem.
31:24
Ruth had. To make up her.
31:24
Mind before she knew she'd get a husband and get a child after 10
31:28
years of barrenness, she was 10 years barren in Moab.
31:34
God is King and in. Control.
31:35
You can trust Him. Maybe you trusted him #3 God is
31:38
kind and He knows your needs. Pray for His provision.
31:41
Pray for his provision. God's kind.
31:43
He wants to meet your needs again.
31:45
And you don't have to look very far to realize that kindness is
31:48
driving this story. And it's in the kindness of the
31:51
people to one another. But ultimately, it's the
31:53
kindness, the supreme kindness of God through the lives of
31:57
these people to them that is driving this story.
32:01
He's answering the prayers of his people.
32:03
There's not a prayer that goes unanswered in the Book of Ruth.
32:08
Do you believe and know that God?
32:09
Is kind and wants to meet your needs.
32:11
Are you praying and depending on God for provision?
32:14
God is kind #4 God is faithful and he rewards faithfulness, so
32:19
obey him you all. Despite all the.
32:23
Setbacks And despite all the pain in the book of Ruth, you
32:26
cannot miss that God is faithful and He's rewarding the
32:30
faithfulness of Boaz and Ruth because they made-up their minds
32:35
to do what was right and be faithful no matter what.
32:37
By the way, this was during a day and time when everyone's not
32:40
doing what's right and faithful in the eyes of God, but two
32:42
people decide that God is faithful and we're going to be
32:45
faithful. And guess what?
32:47
God rewards that faithfulness. Say Pastor Kyle.
32:51
It's. Not easy to be faithful.
32:52
No it's not. It wasn't for them either, but
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being faithful is always worth it.
32:58
There's a text. And the prophet Hosea, chapter
33:02
10 that I've been reading, thinking on over and over again
33:05
that goes like this. It says sow righteousness like
33:08
seed, sow righteousness for yourself, and reap faithful
33:12
love. I've just been.
33:14
Thinking about that over and. Over again, what the word?
33:17
Of God is saying there. Is say, choose to walk in
33:20
righteousness, Choose to do what's right, even when it's
33:23
hard, when you feel like it may not be worth it.
33:25
And guess what? You're going to reap.
33:27
Not that everything will be perfect, not that you always be
33:29
healthy, wealthy, and prosperous, but guess what?
33:31
You're going to reap Faithful love.
33:32
Whose love is that? God's faithful love.
33:34
You sow righteousness in your life, you're going to reap
33:36
faithful love. This is the principle we're
33:39
seeing. God's faithful, He rewards
33:41
faithfulness. It's always worth it.
33:42
So obey him #5 God is writing you into His story, find your
33:49
purpose and identity in Him. God is writing you into his
33:52
story, find your purpose and identity in Him.
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One of the things that kind of shocking to me in some ways to
33:57
to think about it like this. Is that Ruth and Boaz?
34:02
Never got to see during their lifetime the biggest and best
34:04
part of what their story was leading towards.
34:07
Do you realize that they didn't get to see the birth of David.
34:11
They didn't live to see the birth of Jesus Christ and yet
34:15
God was up to something in their lives the whole time they never
34:19
fully knew about God was doing something bigger than just them.
34:23
Did you realize God wants to take your life and do something
34:25
bigger than you? Could we say?
34:28
It better than me. Better than you, God is doing
34:31
something for the name and glory of his Son, Jesus Christ, for
34:34
the sake of the salvation of the nations around the world for
34:37
eternity. God wants to write you into it,
34:40
but it's bigger and better than you.
34:41
And oftentimes, if you're like me, we can be so internalized
34:43
and stuck on our own story, our own success, my own pleasant,
34:47
you know what's pleasant and pain free and comfortable and
34:49
good for me. And I'm so stuck on me.
34:51
God's stuck on a much bigger, better plan.
34:53
He says, Kyle, will you just will you?
34:55
Will you just be a part of what I'm doing?
34:56
You may not see it all, but would you trust me?
35:00
Find your identity in me, find your purpose in me, and guess
35:04
what? One day, no one.
35:05
I can't imagine when Ruth and Boaz got to heaven and got to
35:10
see the rest of the story. Can you imagine?
35:14
Can you imagine one day how God wants you to get to heaven and
35:17
realize the rest of the story of how God used you in ways you
35:20
never realized? Did things you never would have
35:23
conceived off Put your life in a grand story of salvation and
35:26
blessing to the ends of the earth, but you never knew what
35:30
God was fully up to, would you? Find your purpose and identity.
35:33
In him and I got one more #6. God is fulfilling his.
35:37
Promise to bring salvation to the nations.
35:40
Would you join him? Would you?
35:42
Join him. Here's what I.
35:43
Mean this book of Ruth is like a a small little stream that flows
35:51
into the mighty Mississippi River of God's story and plan of
35:55
salvation. This is one part of.
35:58
God's plan to fulfill the promise to Abraham and get the
36:01
good news of the How is God going to bless all the families
36:04
of the earth? How so?
36:05
Through his son Jesus Christ and the good news of the gospel that
36:08
God so loved the world that whosoever, whosoever is every
36:10
family, every tribe, every tongue, every language, every
36:13
nation, whosoever would believe in him should not perish, but
36:16
have everlasting life. Talk about blessing, everlasting
36:18
life, forgiveness of. Sin and hope for.
36:21
Forever, this is. What God is doing and.
36:24
He invited Ruth in. She was the one who would never
36:27
been expected to be participate, a participant in God's plan, and
36:30
yet God invited her in. God has invited you in to get
36:33
the gospel, to be a part of this plan, to fulfill the promise to
36:36
Abraham, to get the gospel and the good news of Jesus to your
36:39
neighbor and to the nations. Have you joined him?
36:43
Will you join him? God wants to write.
36:49
Your story into his. If you're at a spot.
36:54
Where you feel like God can't write anything good.
36:56
Think again. Think.
36:58
Again, the book of Ruth. Proves otherwise.
37:00
I'm going. To ask you to bow.
37:02
Your head and close your eyes where you are.
37:04
John and praise team are going to come out and here's what I
37:06
want to do. As they come, would you?
37:10
Just quiet your own mind and heart before the Lord and I want
37:14
to ask you to consider some things.
37:18
Maybe. Life is a little bitter for you
37:22
right now. Maybe you feel like.
37:27
You're surrounded by disappointment, maybe even
37:32
death, loss or destruction. Maybe you feel like.
37:39
You're on the edge of a barley field picking up scraps, trying
37:43
to eke out an existence that has you.
37:50
Hopeless and in. Despair.
37:57
In the middle of. Wherever you are, life's pain,
38:01
life's setbacks and despair, I want to remind you of these
38:05
truths that Ruth teaches US1 More time, and maybe one or more
38:08
of them is exactly what God wants you to hear and respond
38:11
to. Maybe you want to hear one of
38:13
these and come pray about one of these specific things, or ask
38:16
God for one of these specific things, or make a decision in
38:19
regard to these things in your life.
38:20
And here they are again. Are you ready?
38:22
God is merciful. Will you run to Him?
38:24
Do you need to run to God today? Come talk.
38:28
To me and come kneel. At this altar, do you need to
38:30
run to Him in His mercy? God is King and He's in control.
38:33
Do you need to trust Him today, even if it doesn't feel like
38:38
He's in control? God is kind and He knows your
38:42
needs. Do you need to pray for His
38:44
provision in your life today? God is faithful.
38:51
He rewards faithfulness. Do you?
38:53
Need to pray and ask God to help you obey Him today.
38:59
God wants you to write. Allow him to write your story
39:01
into his. Do you need to say God?
39:03
It's time for me to find my purpose, my identity in you, not
39:08
in this, not in that. And finally, God is saving.
39:15
Would you join him? Maybe it's.
39:17
Time to say God I've. Realized and now more than ever,
39:19
that purpose of my life is not just me, but it's the other
39:23
people you want to bless so they can hear the name and good news
39:27
of Jesus, so they can see your love and kindness.
39:30
God, I want to join you on your mission in ways I've never
39:33
joined before. I'm going to pray and then I'm
39:36
going to ask you to stand. I'm going to ask you to respond
39:38
to what God is speaking to you about.
39:40
If you need prayer, you come. If you want to pray at this
39:42
altar by yourself, you come. If you want to talk to an
39:44
encourager, you come. We're going to wait for you,
39:46
Heavenly Father God I. Want to pray right now?
39:49
That your truth would penetrate our heart, that your way would
39:52
be had in our lives. And Lord, we would be courageous
39:55
in giving you the pen and letting you write our story.
39:58
God, I prayed that we'd move, we'd respond, we'd believe, we'd
40:01
obey. Today, because of Jesus, in his
40:04
name I pray. Amen.
40:06
Church, would you stand? Let's worship together.
40:08
You respond to God's truth as God leads you to do this
40:11
morning.