Values (1)
The Bible
We’re 3 weeks into our series on the church covenant. We started with our identity – we’re invaluably possessed Saints; last week we examined the identity of the church and there were 5 realities that stood out:
1. A Church must be born again and worship God through Christ, empowered by the Spirit.
2. A church must be based in and bold and clear about the Gospel.
3. A church must have spiritual leaders.
4. A church must have order and growth (not just physical growth but spiritual).
5. A church must live its purpose: worship, nurture (discipleship and fellowship), mission, ministry, evangelism.
This week we will concentrate on the core of what we believe: our values. Our beliefs define us as a church and will open avenues of cooperation with other Christians and clarify our purpose to the world.
Have you ever met a value driven person? Not a bargain shopper but a person who lives by their principles? Most leadership books written today talk about integrity: being a principled driven leader.
Amy and I after what is almost 8 years together in marriage have had to clarify and adjust our values more than once to keep our relationship on the go. Not the main stuff – like our love for each other – but the stuff like: I have the opportunity to be with my family, go preach at this place, or go out with these friends. Which do I do? The doing doesn’t matter – it’s the why I do it that matters.
One verse, 1 Corinthians 10:31, can sum up our core value:
“Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
The glory of God, Christian, should be our first and final value, the reason we do what we do:
If you spend time with family – do so for the glory of God. If you go to church, go for the Glory of God. If you go to a movie, go for the glory of God (not yourself). If you watch a ball game, watch for the glory of God. If you start a ministry, minister for the glory of God. If you go to work, work for the glory of God. Whatever you do, do it for the glory of God.
What is this glory? How do we know about it?
Ultimately, our core value and the values that flow from loving God and His glory, come from the Bible, which is Scripture.
Where did the Bible come from?
The Da Vinci code came out Friday. As a movie it questions all of our values, but it attacks the heart of the Christian faith: the reliability of the Bible. If you want to know more about the problems and lies in the movie and the book, check out Jesusanddavinci.com or get The Da Vinci Code: a quest for answers podcast from itunes.
The Bible is reliable. Let’s say that first off:
1. Historically it has more evidence of authorship than any other book, especially the New Testament.
2. It came about over time, assembled by the Holy Spirit, and in the case of the NT used by the early church. It spans thousands of years, multiple authors, and has one message.
a. Franklin W. Dixon wrote the Hardy Boys, a ghost name used by a variety of authors – but their books aren’t continuous. In one lifetime how could a group collaborate on a book – much less over thousands of years?
b. This sets the bible apart: most other religious books have one author or one editor. Jesus himself did not pen any scripture, though through the Holy Spirit he inspired it all, and is the very word of God.
3. The New Testament was assembled to fight off heresy – kind of the type that Dan Brown proposes in the Da Vinci code, with some differences. There was a movement in the early centuries to deny Jesus’ physical body and resurrection – in other words he was a totally spiritual being. The movement also rejected creation, incarnation, resurrection.
a. The movement – called Gnosticism and another movement called Marcionism, claimed that Jesus could not control the physical, came from the spiritual world as an adult, and was a spirit messenger.
b. The church reacted, especially to Marcion who was single handedly compiling an anti-Semitic new testament that would support his teaching. In response, the church around the world at that time came to agree on the 27 books of the NT. There was no question that the OT would be included – it was seen as entirely Scripture and authoritative, and eyewitness accounts of Jesus Life, the early church, and Paul and other leaders inspired writings. These letters and books were already in use by the church, but compiled as a whole to form the NT. It was understood and proclaimed in the churches at that time that the scripture formed the basis of belief and faith and the church. The church did not form scripture, but the Scripture formed and informed the church. OT Scripture and the 27 books of the NT were understood to be the Word of God.
So what is the Word of God? Let’s look at the Biblical witness:
1. It is exalted & eternal: Psalm 138:2 (NIV)
a. “I will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise your name for your love and faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word.”
b. God connects His name and His word. Ultimately, your name is built on your word. God is faithful, loving, exalted – because of His word, not despite it.
c. God can be fully trusted; His word can be fully trusted. If someone breaks their word, it takes a while to build trust back in that person. God never breaks His word – and conversely His word has never been broken: God never does wrong or is wrong. His word is connected intimately with His character and glory. We know Him by His word: we enter into relationship with Him by the word of the Gospel. We can know God through His word.
d. And He exalted it. God treasures His word. It is a sure sign of the Holy Spirit when you crave the word, to read and treasure it and know it. To memorize it and live it.
i. A couple of us meet periodically to pray and discuss life. Two of the questions we ask: are you memorizing scripture? How is your life witness?
e. Treasure the word of God and let it seep into your soul and nourish you.
f. Eternal: Isaiah 40:8
i. “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.”
ii. There will never be a day that God’s word is irrelevant. It will always stand.
1. All this rain we just had started out good. A soaking rain is the best thing for a plant – it encourages all kinds of chemical reactions in the soil so that the roots can grab the nutrients; let the word soak into your life like that. When I was a kid I took a class at church called Bible drill: I memorized tons of verses, the books of the Bible, certain passages in the Bible. It was tedious, but some of those verses still ring in me today. I remember my teacher – how great that job must have been, she had tons of Scripture in her.
2. That investment will not diminish. It will stand firm, and prove fruitful in your life. The word of God will outlive all life on earth. All the attacks leveled against it will not succeed. All the tricky interpretations offered of it to try to justify lifestyles in light of its plain statements will not diminish it: The Bible prevails.
iii. When you came to Christ – do you remember Scripture speaking to you? What about now? Does it still?
iv. It is living: Heb. 4:12
2. It is inspired and authoritative: (God Breathed) 2 Tim. 3:16, 2 Peter 1:20-21
a. It is from God: it is certain, penetrating, and truthful. It speaks on a whole different level than any other book we read.
b. Jesus’ view of Scripture
i. Centered on Him: Luke 4:14-21
ii. Prophecy fulfilled: Matt. 13:14, 15:7
1. It is true and God is faithful to His promises.
3. It is universal and specific: Col. 4:16
a. Written to a specific church but applied across the lives of many believers. The depths of Scripture are limitless. You may hear one thing in your study, of that same verse someone else will be challenged differently. It speaks to all people everywhere, specifically.
i. The Bible must be a core value because of its universal and individual relevance. It drives and fuels and empowers missions. It energizes and empowers believers to live Godly lives. It calls to people who are searching saying “come and find.” It calls to the hungry: come and eat, to the thirsty: come and drink. Scripture gives purpose to what we do. It calls us to live for the Glory of God.
4. It is Jesus’ and infinite. John 1:1
a. Jesus is the Hope, Center, and Message of the Scripture. He did not write it while he lived on earth. Eyewitnesses did, and this is what they said about him: Read John 1:1, I John 1:1-3.
b. The heresy’s that energized the formation of the NT stated that spiritual and physical are entirely separate. They claimed Jesus was only a spiritual being and not physical at all: his death was a mirage. The Da Vinci Code claims Jesus was physical and not spiritual at all, if you believe the fiction. Yet Jesus was both: fully God (spirit) and man (physical). The word of God became flesh. In our bible, spirit and physical meet. God uses physical words to relate to us. The rising of the sun tells of His power, the stars of His magnificence, the moon of His splendor, the trees of His creativity, but the word reveals Him fully: His heart, His love, His justice, His mercy, His Son.
c. In the Word there is a physical and spiritual collision. That same reality happens in our lives as we let God speak to us through His word. Spiritual power gets lived out in our physical lives. The two are mixed, not separate. Physically you may feel alive, but spiritually you could be dead. Only you know what you think about on your pillow, if you get sleep at all.
Our core values come from our hope: Jesus Christ; His message: The Word of God; and the two cannot be separated.
Pray.
If you are living a Christian life without the Word, you are missing your anchor.
If you have questions about the Word grab someone around you and set up a time to ask them – it will be a profitable discussion.
5.16.2006
Identity (2): The Church
Last week we looked at 3 words that give us a good Biblical overview of who we really are:
Invaluable: created in His image/responsibility
Possessed: The Holy Spirit/by God/of a nation
Saints: in the Savior
If you are in Christ, God sees a saint when he looks at you. You may not feel like; you may be able to point to more things wrong in your life than right. But by grace, God sees His son if you are in Him – by faith. Looking at us with God’s eyes should bring encouragement and joy. This is who we are free to be.
What about all of us together? What is this thing called the church? What if there were a gathering every Sunday at Grace Harbor of people who embraced their Sainthood and purpose in life? What would God do with a handful of people who believe all of His word, understand their identity, and commit to His purpose for their lives?
I believe God would alter the face of Providence and the future would never be brighter – for us, for the city, but most importantly for the glory and Name and renown of Christ. I believe this would be a place full of hope and encouragement, praise and gratitude, purpose and excitement, love and worship. That’s what I hope and believe Grace Harbor should be.
If your understanding of church is shaped by experience, it could be wrong. Many of you grew up in churches that seldom talked about the Bible or a saving relationship through Jesus Christ. Or maybe you grew up in a church that talked more about the Church than Jesus, and people became more concerned about their desires than His desires. Or maybe you never went to church, and every time you talked with a Christian they seemed like a barb in your side because they were always telling you what was wrong with you. Our experience can really change the way we see things.
I didn’t grow up in this area, but I am a Red Sox fan. Why? Because when I lived in DE I went to a Baltimore Orioles/NYY game, and sat next to a group of about 200 Yankee fans. They through drinks on other fans, littered the field, and tried to hit the outfielders with various objects. I decided then, because of my experience, I wanted nothing to do with the Yankees – so when I moved here in 1998 it was no problem to see whose fan I would be. Experience can shape our decisions.
But when it comes to the church, it shouldn’t. Jesus only talked about the church twice – once to say, in Matthew 16 that it will be made of people who believe in Him and proclaim He is the Christ; and once in Matthew 18 to say that discipline will occur in it.
If you proclaim Christ you will face persecution. That won’t feel good. If a church has to discipline, and probably most churches do not discipline enough, that won’t feel good. A church, in other words, will not always make you feel good. It is Jesus’ church and based on Him. Jesus and His desires come first. Sometimes the truth hurts, but it is best for us to hear it.
So feelings do not establish or confirm the church. But they are important. Everything should be done in white-hot worship and love: not cold callousness. I heard the story of two famous churches in seminary: 1. Very welcoming, café, made you feel good, weak message. 2. Cold, dark, no one said “hi” no time to meet other people, but one of the best sermons in modern history. Shouldn’t church be both?
We’ll frame our understanding of church Biblically, and also strive to answer the question: What type of church should Grace Harbor be?
Biblically, the church is the local gathering of the called out ones (believers in Jesus), the universal, timeless collection of saints (remember last week), and ultimately the bride of Christ: undefiled and perfect in Him and for Him. These are Biblical truths: we are co-heirs with Christ and also the Bride of Christ. We are believers and called out. We are saved by grace through faith like believers throughout all history. That’s what the church is.
But not all “churches” are. There was a great reformation in Church history – the Protestant reformation – because people felt that “the church” – the Catholic Church at that time, was not truly a biblical church. – and their practices at the time confirm the suspicion.
Just because we assign the word church to somebody or some gathering does not mean that God sees those people as His bride. There can be churches of the world: gatherings of people who do not know Christ. The protestant reformers recognized this and broke away. Here is their definition of a church – this comes from both Martin Luther and John Calvin:
“Wherever the word of God is truly preached, and the ordinances of the church – Baptism and Lord’s Supper – given by Christ are practiced according to Christ, there is a church.”
So, what should you look for in a church, and what type of church should Grace Harbor be:
Read Colossians 1:
1. A Church must be born again and worship God through Christ, empowered by the Spirit. [Col. 1:1-4, 17-23, 29]
a. 1-4: Saints and faithful brethren. The church consists only of believers: those who have proclaimed: Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior.
i. V.20-22. The members of the church have experienced a true life change. We are no longer aliens toward God but toward the World. We are reconciled to God. We enter into relationship with Him through Christ. This is his working. If you are still unbelieving, alienated from God, hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, pray that Christ would save you. The local church has the responsibility of only accepting into membership those who are born again – those who are saints.
ii. They have, as a sign of that believer, become faithful.
b. Faithful, not listless, saints should characterize the church. Our faithfulness is a sign of our love for Christ. Faithfulness is: devotion to Christ – an unwillingness to compromise your belief in Him. Faithfulness is also seen in the depth and regularity of your love for others: do you keep your word, work for the better of others, willingly jump in to help out; or do you expect, demand, and desire? Faithful saints consider Christ first, others second, and selves last. Read 4b – love for all the saints; this is an act of worship empowered by the Spirit – faithfulness is part of His fruit in your life.
c. Christ is head of the church, Savior of the Church, and the way to the Father. A true church makes this clear. He presents you “holy and blameless and beyond reproach” (v. 22). That is why we say we worship God through Christ – though Christ is God. The Trinity is entirely active in the church: the Father receives praise, through the Son, empowered by the Spirit v.29.
2. A church must be based and bold and clear in the Gospel. [Col. 1:23]
a. The church continues in the Gospel. We don’t build from it, we build in it. We continue in it. The Gospel is a starting point, a foundation, but we never leave it. We remain in it. The church must be clear and compelling with the truth: Jesus Christ died for all the sins, all the wrongs, all the hostility, all the evil deeds that anyone would do and you can come to God through faith in Him and belief in His resurrection. The Gospel is clear: Jesus came to give you life: He gave his for yours; because of His power and righteousness death was defeated, He rose from the grave and now sits at the right-hand of the Father. Waiting to return to marry His bride – the church. His life was real, His death was real, His resurrection is real. Believers stake their entire lives on this truth.
b. Must be bold with baptism and observe the Lord’s Supper. (those who receive each are seen to be saved: baptism admits to the church, Lord’s Supper continues fellowship)
c. The bible is honored and preached and authoritative. [Col. 1:25]: Luther: a church is “congregation of saints in which the gospel is rightly taught.”
i. The Bible is the message of God, His voice, His word to us. Honor it, receive it, believe it.
d. John Calvin, the founder of what we know as Calvinistic theology – google it, I won’t explain it here; as always, he goes a step further (Lutherans closer to Catholicism than the churches Calvin founded): the church is “where the Word of God is purely preached and heard”. Not just the preaching, but the receiving is important. Paul was a faithful minister, and the church at Colossae was formed when people received the message.
i. Be faithful to receive the Bible message, Christian. Let God speak to your life through His word, and make changes in you mind, your lifestyle, your attitudes so that you are in agreement with the Lord.
3. A church must have Spiritual leaders [1:25]
a. Paul was a minister with a job. Spiritual leaders also have a purpose.
b. Elders/pastor and deacons
c. Gifting of the Holy Spirit
4. A church must have order and growth [1:28]
a. Order: teaching/admonishing involves corrective behavior. We all need to change something in our lives; the church is place where we can enjoy seeing God work in each other and ourselves as we make those changes. It is also a gathering that desires to please God through Christ. We are orderly: we do not run our own way but His way.
b. Preaching for Godliness and salvation (purity). Spreading the Good News is purposeful to present people complete, perfect, in Christ. That is a main activity of the church and believers: spread the word about Jesus!
c. Spiritual growth [Col. 1:9-12]
i. Evidenced by: your walk (your daily life)
ii. Good work that bears good fruit – are you regular in doing good works?
iii. A desire to please the Lord
iv. Perseverance, patience, gratitude, and praise!
d. Evangelistic growth (sign of spiritual maturity in faithfully sharing the Gospel). [Col. 1:6]
5. A church must live it’s Purpose: [1:28-29]
a. Worship (#1) proclaim Him
b. Nurture: strengthen believers: teach/admonish
i. Empowered/gifted by Holy Spirit – we need to know how He has gifted us.
c. Missions: every man, Matt. 28
d. Evangelism (every man)
e. Ministry: opening the doors to share the good news. Jesus said: Love your neighbor. The church of the Bible is characterized by love and service.
i. All empowered by Him: his power which mightily works within me.
Read Col. 1 NLT: Worship, Encourage, Serve, Evangelize, Go, work – but rest in His power.
Invaluable: created in His image/responsibility
Possessed: The Holy Spirit/by God/of a nation
Saints: in the Savior
If you are in Christ, God sees a saint when he looks at you. You may not feel like; you may be able to point to more things wrong in your life than right. But by grace, God sees His son if you are in Him – by faith. Looking at us with God’s eyes should bring encouragement and joy. This is who we are free to be.
What about all of us together? What is this thing called the church? What if there were a gathering every Sunday at Grace Harbor of people who embraced their Sainthood and purpose in life? What would God do with a handful of people who believe all of His word, understand their identity, and commit to His purpose for their lives?
I believe God would alter the face of Providence and the future would never be brighter – for us, for the city, but most importantly for the glory and Name and renown of Christ. I believe this would be a place full of hope and encouragement, praise and gratitude, purpose and excitement, love and worship. That’s what I hope and believe Grace Harbor should be.
If your understanding of church is shaped by experience, it could be wrong. Many of you grew up in churches that seldom talked about the Bible or a saving relationship through Jesus Christ. Or maybe you grew up in a church that talked more about the Church than Jesus, and people became more concerned about their desires than His desires. Or maybe you never went to church, and every time you talked with a Christian they seemed like a barb in your side because they were always telling you what was wrong with you. Our experience can really change the way we see things.
I didn’t grow up in this area, but I am a Red Sox fan. Why? Because when I lived in DE I went to a Baltimore Orioles/NYY game, and sat next to a group of about 200 Yankee fans. They through drinks on other fans, littered the field, and tried to hit the outfielders with various objects. I decided then, because of my experience, I wanted nothing to do with the Yankees – so when I moved here in 1998 it was no problem to see whose fan I would be. Experience can shape our decisions.
But when it comes to the church, it shouldn’t. Jesus only talked about the church twice – once to say, in Matthew 16 that it will be made of people who believe in Him and proclaim He is the Christ; and once in Matthew 18 to say that discipline will occur in it.
If you proclaim Christ you will face persecution. That won’t feel good. If a church has to discipline, and probably most churches do not discipline enough, that won’t feel good. A church, in other words, will not always make you feel good. It is Jesus’ church and based on Him. Jesus and His desires come first. Sometimes the truth hurts, but it is best for us to hear it.
So feelings do not establish or confirm the church. But they are important. Everything should be done in white-hot worship and love: not cold callousness. I heard the story of two famous churches in seminary: 1. Very welcoming, café, made you feel good, weak message. 2. Cold, dark, no one said “hi” no time to meet other people, but one of the best sermons in modern history. Shouldn’t church be both?
We’ll frame our understanding of church Biblically, and also strive to answer the question: What type of church should Grace Harbor be?
Biblically, the church is the local gathering of the called out ones (believers in Jesus), the universal, timeless collection of saints (remember last week), and ultimately the bride of Christ: undefiled and perfect in Him and for Him. These are Biblical truths: we are co-heirs with Christ and also the Bride of Christ. We are believers and called out. We are saved by grace through faith like believers throughout all history. That’s what the church is.
But not all “churches” are. There was a great reformation in Church history – the Protestant reformation – because people felt that “the church” – the Catholic Church at that time, was not truly a biblical church. – and their practices at the time confirm the suspicion.
Just because we assign the word church to somebody or some gathering does not mean that God sees those people as His bride. There can be churches of the world: gatherings of people who do not know Christ. The protestant reformers recognized this and broke away. Here is their definition of a church – this comes from both Martin Luther and John Calvin:
“Wherever the word of God is truly preached, and the ordinances of the church – Baptism and Lord’s Supper – given by Christ are practiced according to Christ, there is a church.”
So, what should you look for in a church, and what type of church should Grace Harbor be:
Read Colossians 1:
1. A Church must be born again and worship God through Christ, empowered by the Spirit. [Col. 1:1-4, 17-23, 29]
a. 1-4: Saints and faithful brethren. The church consists only of believers: those who have proclaimed: Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior.
i. V.20-22. The members of the church have experienced a true life change. We are no longer aliens toward God but toward the World. We are reconciled to God. We enter into relationship with Him through Christ. This is his working. If you are still unbelieving, alienated from God, hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, pray that Christ would save you. The local church has the responsibility of only accepting into membership those who are born again – those who are saints.
ii. They have, as a sign of that believer, become faithful.
b. Faithful, not listless, saints should characterize the church. Our faithfulness is a sign of our love for Christ. Faithfulness is: devotion to Christ – an unwillingness to compromise your belief in Him. Faithfulness is also seen in the depth and regularity of your love for others: do you keep your word, work for the better of others, willingly jump in to help out; or do you expect, demand, and desire? Faithful saints consider Christ first, others second, and selves last. Read 4b – love for all the saints; this is an act of worship empowered by the Spirit – faithfulness is part of His fruit in your life.
c. Christ is head of the church, Savior of the Church, and the way to the Father. A true church makes this clear. He presents you “holy and blameless and beyond reproach” (v. 22). That is why we say we worship God through Christ – though Christ is God. The Trinity is entirely active in the church: the Father receives praise, through the Son, empowered by the Spirit v.29.
2. A church must be based and bold and clear in the Gospel. [Col. 1:23]
a. The church continues in the Gospel. We don’t build from it, we build in it. We continue in it. The Gospel is a starting point, a foundation, but we never leave it. We remain in it. The church must be clear and compelling with the truth: Jesus Christ died for all the sins, all the wrongs, all the hostility, all the evil deeds that anyone would do and you can come to God through faith in Him and belief in His resurrection. The Gospel is clear: Jesus came to give you life: He gave his for yours; because of His power and righteousness death was defeated, He rose from the grave and now sits at the right-hand of the Father. Waiting to return to marry His bride – the church. His life was real, His death was real, His resurrection is real. Believers stake their entire lives on this truth.
b. Must be bold with baptism and observe the Lord’s Supper. (those who receive each are seen to be saved: baptism admits to the church, Lord’s Supper continues fellowship)
c. The bible is honored and preached and authoritative. [Col. 1:25]: Luther: a church is “congregation of saints in which the gospel is rightly taught.”
i. The Bible is the message of God, His voice, His word to us. Honor it, receive it, believe it.
d. John Calvin, the founder of what we know as Calvinistic theology – google it, I won’t explain it here; as always, he goes a step further (Lutherans closer to Catholicism than the churches Calvin founded): the church is “where the Word of God is purely preached and heard”. Not just the preaching, but the receiving is important. Paul was a faithful minister, and the church at Colossae was formed when people received the message.
i. Be faithful to receive the Bible message, Christian. Let God speak to your life through His word, and make changes in you mind, your lifestyle, your attitudes so that you are in agreement with the Lord.
3. A church must have Spiritual leaders [1:25]
a. Paul was a minister with a job. Spiritual leaders also have a purpose.
b. Elders/pastor and deacons
c. Gifting of the Holy Spirit
4. A church must have order and growth [1:28]
a. Order: teaching/admonishing involves corrective behavior. We all need to change something in our lives; the church is place where we can enjoy seeing God work in each other and ourselves as we make those changes. It is also a gathering that desires to please God through Christ. We are orderly: we do not run our own way but His way.
b. Preaching for Godliness and salvation (purity). Spreading the Good News is purposeful to present people complete, perfect, in Christ. That is a main activity of the church and believers: spread the word about Jesus!
c. Spiritual growth [Col. 1:9-12]
i. Evidenced by: your walk (your daily life)
ii. Good work that bears good fruit – are you regular in doing good works?
iii. A desire to please the Lord
iv. Perseverance, patience, gratitude, and praise!
d. Evangelistic growth (sign of spiritual maturity in faithfully sharing the Gospel). [Col. 1:6]
5. A church must live it’s Purpose: [1:28-29]
a. Worship (#1) proclaim Him
b. Nurture: strengthen believers: teach/admonish
i. Empowered/gifted by Holy Spirit – we need to know how He has gifted us.
c. Missions: every man, Matt. 28
d. Evangelism (every man)
e. Ministry: opening the doors to share the good news. Jesus said: Love your neighbor. The church of the Bible is characterized by love and service.
i. All empowered by Him: his power which mightily works within me.
Read Col. 1 NLT: Worship, Encourage, Serve, Evangelize, Go, work – but rest in His power.
5.08.2006
Identity (1)
Over the next several weeks we will examine core values simultaneously with the Thursday night study that will form our covenant. Thursday nights we will dig deeper than Sunday mornings, and out of the Thursday night study will come the actual covenant.
Let me start out by saying this will necessitate topical preaching. I am not opposed to topical preaching, it has its place, but it isn’t always my preference. I will strive to preach expositional in the topic –meaning that I will try to bring to weight the context and meaning and value of the text we are studying – though it may only be a few verses. If you’ve been worshipping the last year we’ve walked through 2 books – Ephesians and Ruth, word for word, and that type of preaching – expositional – covering the whole of the book and the setting it is written in, is my preference. So, if you hear nothing else this morning, when you open your Bible and read it do so with purpose, read through a book, a chapter, don’t just flip it open looking for verses that mean something – you’ll miss so much in the process.
That said, the Lord will guide our time together during this series, and we are approaching the Bible with purpose and asking questions and seeking answers.
The purpose of this process is that Grace Harbor will have a covenant that will define us. It will be the standard of membership to the church: to agree to hold the church covenant will mean that you are a member of the church. To disregard the covenant will mean that you are a worshipper, but not a covenant member. It will also enable us to say to the city: this is who we are, what we believe, and what we do.
Fittingly, the covenant must start with the question of all time: Who am I? Who are we? There are 3 words that will Biblically describe who we are.
Read Gen. 1:26-27.
From the beginning we were created with identity and purpose. You are God’s handiwork, God’s creation, God’s image, you are, if we could only use one word: invaluable. (This is the 1st of the 3 words to identify who we are).
I. Invaluable
A. Of all the earth, all people everywhere are in God’s image. I took a class in seminary about Beauty and God. At the time I thought, when will I ever use this – it was all about aesthetics and the standards of an absolute God in a world that sees art in the eye of the beholder. I groaned as I lived in KY for a week away from family, contemplating beauty, and thought. This is useless. Until today. God made you beautiful in His eye. Gen. 1:31 – it was very good. Adam and Eve were beautiful, not just physically but entirely as Humans. We hold that same pattern today – we’re created in God’s image. There is no higher value by which to judge beauty than God.
B. From the baby to be born to the elderly – each of us is invaluable. No other created thing is in the image of God. As splendorous as the soon, as shining the moon, as majestic the mountains, as graceful the butterfly and powerful the lion; none are in the image of God as we are.
C. We are the handiwork of God, his craft. We are each unique, we look different, act different, think different, dream different, yet are all in God’s image. Every human is to be respected and understood to be in the image of God. When the Lord gave out the law and said, “do not murder” He was addressing an offence against His image. Were you to kill a person, you would kill the image of God – a direct assault against God. To think evil of someone, harbor hatred against someone is to defame God’s image.
a. Respect the image of God in everyone you see. No one is below our attention or too great for our attention. Everyone is invaluable.
D. As a sign of our great value – God entrusted humans with responsibility. V.26 – rule the earth. We are the crown of creation, to rule over all that is on the earth. Not in a haphazard way but in a way worthy of the image of God.
a. Growing up, my brother and I would spend every Saturday helping my dad work in our 1-acre lot in TN. Being the youngest, I usually got the easiest jobs. But they were boring jobs. Tending the cord was the absolute worst. I saw no value in it. My brother would be riding the lawnmower, and I would be following my dad while he worked with an electric weed eater. I felt undervalued. There’s not greater sign of value than the job entrusted to you. If you show up to work everyday and there is nothing for you to do – start looking elsewhere b/c you’re not valued. But look at what God gives us to do:
i. “Rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth…”
ii. Could there be a more valuable job? It is a sign of our spiritual sickness, sin, that the world is a mess. Created in God’s image, we have marred that destiny with our sin and corrupted the world and rejected His mandate. Instead, the earth, the world, rules us. And we fail in understanding how valuable we are before God.
1. So valuable that to cure the sickness He sent His Son.
2. So valuable that there will be a new Heaven and a new Earth that we will rule with Christ.
3. Christian you are invaluable – the very image of God.
E. We are not His substance – only Jesus Christ is truly God, God from God, and flesh of Flesh. We do no share His substance, but His image.
a. A person of integrity is not concerned about image but about doing the right thing. Our world is more concerned with image. The effects of Sin go even here… Integrity and image are one with God, for us, they seem to be polar opposites. Who we are what we do, not how we appear. To have integrity in living out God’s image we need power, we need His substance.
b. When we become Christians, we do share His substance – His Holy Spirit indwells us, lives in us, and empowers us. Leading us to the 2nd word.
II. Possessed
a. Exodus 19:3-6
i. Possessed by God:
ii. Invaluable – his treasured possession
iii. He brought you to where you are today. Look over your life and ask God to show you His hand. You may not even believe in God, but ask for eyes of faith to see His work in your life – He loves you too much to hide himself.
iv. I Corin. 6:20 – You have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.
1. You were redeemed and paid for, and it was costly. What God bought, He wants. His own Son for you. Does he have you?
b. Possessed of a relationship: priests have access to God. You can go to God yourself, the way is opened. You are a priest, one who knows God intimately and can hear his voice. Jesus is the good shepherd and His sheep know his voice. Priests can hear God’s voice and speak to others on His behalf. A relationship with God is possible through faith in Christ and love for His word – for He speaks to us supremely through the Bible.
c. Possessed of a nation: you are a holy nation. No one man forms a nation. Who cares if I declare my independence from the United States, the sovereign nation of Andy will not last long. You are possessed of a holy nation.
i. 2 words: Holy & Nation
1. Holy – you are possessed of mercy. God’s mercy and sacrifice has made you holy. Your value is free to shine. You are living in the grace and mercy of God. We’ll return to this word Holy in a minute, but for now know that you are set apart, bought, paid for, redeemed. You are owned and possessed – by a God of mercy and grace.
2. Nation: you are part of a nation of believers spanning the world and the ages. It cannot be ruled by this world, but rather seeks to rule with Christ. It cannot be overthrown in this world, but lives in victory in Christ. Our nation cannot stop growing, cannot stop living, cannot stop impacting. We are a holy nation. Your community is a nation. The church, a local NT body of believers, is your connection to the Nation. That is why we are moving toward covenanting so that we will say to the world: we are part of the Holy nation. We live in community with each other and for each other. Listen to this passage.
d. I Peter 2:4-12: aliens and strangers to the world, home in the holy nation.
One word is used in the New Testament 67 times to describe believers: saint/saints. They are always living, never dead. We tend to think of saints as canonized dead people, but Biblically, saints are living followers of Christ.
III. 3rd word: Saints (the New Testament)
It comes from the Greek: hagiazo – to set apart, sanctify, make holy. That understanding is inherent in the concept of God in the Old Testament – he is set apart and holy. One must be sanctified to approach him. His holiness was so great that once the temple was erected, and his presence was known in the holy of holies – the innermost spot – the high priest would only enter once per year in great ceremony. Bells were tied to his cloak and a rope around him so that if he died because he was not holy enough, they would know and could pull out his body. Holiness was needed to know God.
The holiness of God was ingrained in Jews throughout the celebration of their religion, and we should remember that Jews steeped in that culture, except for Luke-Acts if we assume that Luke was a Greek believer, wrote the New Testament.
The idea of holiness is carried in the New Testament term saint – which refers to Jewish and non-Jewish believers. It is used most often to describe those who believe in Jesus Christ. Believers, you are saints.
FF Bruce says that consecration and purity are the basic meanings of the term. Believers are saints because they belong to the One who provided their sanctification.
67 times we are called saints, before we were even called Christians – though that term, “little Christ” or “followers of Christ” carries the idea of saint. Believer, you are a saint. Your life should no longer be seen in sin, or ruled by the world, but should be seen in victory over the world.
You may be hurting today, depressed, lonely, maybe excited about what you’ve accomplished and what the future holds; but that is not who you are: you are a SAINT:
Set
Apart
I am
Now in
The Savior.
We are saints in Christ. This is why I never do acrostics, because I stink at it. But here’s the point. You are set apart – possessed, in Christ. You are saved, made holy, redeemed to value, in Christ. A saint is not a perfect person; it is a real person who has experienced the savior. A saint cannot take their eyes off the savior.
Where do you find your value? Are your eyes on Christ? 3 words to describe who we are:
Invaluable
Possessed
Saints
Let me start out by saying this will necessitate topical preaching. I am not opposed to topical preaching, it has its place, but it isn’t always my preference. I will strive to preach expositional in the topic –meaning that I will try to bring to weight the context and meaning and value of the text we are studying – though it may only be a few verses. If you’ve been worshipping the last year we’ve walked through 2 books – Ephesians and Ruth, word for word, and that type of preaching – expositional – covering the whole of the book and the setting it is written in, is my preference. So, if you hear nothing else this morning, when you open your Bible and read it do so with purpose, read through a book, a chapter, don’t just flip it open looking for verses that mean something – you’ll miss so much in the process.
That said, the Lord will guide our time together during this series, and we are approaching the Bible with purpose and asking questions and seeking answers.
The purpose of this process is that Grace Harbor will have a covenant that will define us. It will be the standard of membership to the church: to agree to hold the church covenant will mean that you are a member of the church. To disregard the covenant will mean that you are a worshipper, but not a covenant member. It will also enable us to say to the city: this is who we are, what we believe, and what we do.
Fittingly, the covenant must start with the question of all time: Who am I? Who are we? There are 3 words that will Biblically describe who we are.
Read Gen. 1:26-27.
From the beginning we were created with identity and purpose. You are God’s handiwork, God’s creation, God’s image, you are, if we could only use one word: invaluable. (This is the 1st of the 3 words to identify who we are).
I. Invaluable
A. Of all the earth, all people everywhere are in God’s image. I took a class in seminary about Beauty and God. At the time I thought, when will I ever use this – it was all about aesthetics and the standards of an absolute God in a world that sees art in the eye of the beholder. I groaned as I lived in KY for a week away from family, contemplating beauty, and thought. This is useless. Until today. God made you beautiful in His eye. Gen. 1:31 – it was very good. Adam and Eve were beautiful, not just physically but entirely as Humans. We hold that same pattern today – we’re created in God’s image. There is no higher value by which to judge beauty than God.
B. From the baby to be born to the elderly – each of us is invaluable. No other created thing is in the image of God. As splendorous as the soon, as shining the moon, as majestic the mountains, as graceful the butterfly and powerful the lion; none are in the image of God as we are.
C. We are the handiwork of God, his craft. We are each unique, we look different, act different, think different, dream different, yet are all in God’s image. Every human is to be respected and understood to be in the image of God. When the Lord gave out the law and said, “do not murder” He was addressing an offence against His image. Were you to kill a person, you would kill the image of God – a direct assault against God. To think evil of someone, harbor hatred against someone is to defame God’s image.
a. Respect the image of God in everyone you see. No one is below our attention or too great for our attention. Everyone is invaluable.
D. As a sign of our great value – God entrusted humans with responsibility. V.26 – rule the earth. We are the crown of creation, to rule over all that is on the earth. Not in a haphazard way but in a way worthy of the image of God.
a. Growing up, my brother and I would spend every Saturday helping my dad work in our 1-acre lot in TN. Being the youngest, I usually got the easiest jobs. But they were boring jobs. Tending the cord was the absolute worst. I saw no value in it. My brother would be riding the lawnmower, and I would be following my dad while he worked with an electric weed eater. I felt undervalued. There’s not greater sign of value than the job entrusted to you. If you show up to work everyday and there is nothing for you to do – start looking elsewhere b/c you’re not valued. But look at what God gives us to do:
i. “Rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth…”
ii. Could there be a more valuable job? It is a sign of our spiritual sickness, sin, that the world is a mess. Created in God’s image, we have marred that destiny with our sin and corrupted the world and rejected His mandate. Instead, the earth, the world, rules us. And we fail in understanding how valuable we are before God.
1. So valuable that to cure the sickness He sent His Son.
2. So valuable that there will be a new Heaven and a new Earth that we will rule with Christ.
3. Christian you are invaluable – the very image of God.
E. We are not His substance – only Jesus Christ is truly God, God from God, and flesh of Flesh. We do no share His substance, but His image.
a. A person of integrity is not concerned about image but about doing the right thing. Our world is more concerned with image. The effects of Sin go even here… Integrity and image are one with God, for us, they seem to be polar opposites. Who we are what we do, not how we appear. To have integrity in living out God’s image we need power, we need His substance.
b. When we become Christians, we do share His substance – His Holy Spirit indwells us, lives in us, and empowers us. Leading us to the 2nd word.
II. Possessed
a. Exodus 19:3-6
i. Possessed by God:
ii. Invaluable – his treasured possession
iii. He brought you to where you are today. Look over your life and ask God to show you His hand. You may not even believe in God, but ask for eyes of faith to see His work in your life – He loves you too much to hide himself.
iv. I Corin. 6:20 – You have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.
1. You were redeemed and paid for, and it was costly. What God bought, He wants. His own Son for you. Does he have you?
b. Possessed of a relationship: priests have access to God. You can go to God yourself, the way is opened. You are a priest, one who knows God intimately and can hear his voice. Jesus is the good shepherd and His sheep know his voice. Priests can hear God’s voice and speak to others on His behalf. A relationship with God is possible through faith in Christ and love for His word – for He speaks to us supremely through the Bible.
c. Possessed of a nation: you are a holy nation. No one man forms a nation. Who cares if I declare my independence from the United States, the sovereign nation of Andy will not last long. You are possessed of a holy nation.
i. 2 words: Holy & Nation
1. Holy – you are possessed of mercy. God’s mercy and sacrifice has made you holy. Your value is free to shine. You are living in the grace and mercy of God. We’ll return to this word Holy in a minute, but for now know that you are set apart, bought, paid for, redeemed. You are owned and possessed – by a God of mercy and grace.
2. Nation: you are part of a nation of believers spanning the world and the ages. It cannot be ruled by this world, but rather seeks to rule with Christ. It cannot be overthrown in this world, but lives in victory in Christ. Our nation cannot stop growing, cannot stop living, cannot stop impacting. We are a holy nation. Your community is a nation. The church, a local NT body of believers, is your connection to the Nation. That is why we are moving toward covenanting so that we will say to the world: we are part of the Holy nation. We live in community with each other and for each other. Listen to this passage.
d. I Peter 2:4-12: aliens and strangers to the world, home in the holy nation.
One word is used in the New Testament 67 times to describe believers: saint/saints. They are always living, never dead. We tend to think of saints as canonized dead people, but Biblically, saints are living followers of Christ.
III. 3rd word: Saints (the New Testament)
It comes from the Greek: hagiazo – to set apart, sanctify, make holy. That understanding is inherent in the concept of God in the Old Testament – he is set apart and holy. One must be sanctified to approach him. His holiness was so great that once the temple was erected, and his presence was known in the holy of holies – the innermost spot – the high priest would only enter once per year in great ceremony. Bells were tied to his cloak and a rope around him so that if he died because he was not holy enough, they would know and could pull out his body. Holiness was needed to know God.
The holiness of God was ingrained in Jews throughout the celebration of their religion, and we should remember that Jews steeped in that culture, except for Luke-Acts if we assume that Luke was a Greek believer, wrote the New Testament.
The idea of holiness is carried in the New Testament term saint – which refers to Jewish and non-Jewish believers. It is used most often to describe those who believe in Jesus Christ. Believers, you are saints.
FF Bruce says that consecration and purity are the basic meanings of the term. Believers are saints because they belong to the One who provided their sanctification.
67 times we are called saints, before we were even called Christians – though that term, “little Christ” or “followers of Christ” carries the idea of saint. Believer, you are a saint. Your life should no longer be seen in sin, or ruled by the world, but should be seen in victory over the world.
You may be hurting today, depressed, lonely, maybe excited about what you’ve accomplished and what the future holds; but that is not who you are: you are a SAINT:
Set
Apart
I am
Now in
The Savior.
We are saints in Christ. This is why I never do acrostics, because I stink at it. But here’s the point. You are set apart – possessed, in Christ. You are saved, made holy, redeemed to value, in Christ. A saint is not a perfect person; it is a real person who has experienced the savior. A saint cannot take their eyes off the savior.
Where do you find your value? Are your eyes on Christ? 3 words to describe who we are:
Invaluable
Possessed
Saints
5.02.2006
Ruth 4
Last week we walked through Ruth 3, seeing that there is a huge difference between active and passive faith. Though both are Christians, the kingdom advances through Active faith. The path to satisfaction is through active Christianity. Noami laid a plan and Ruth acted on it, and we were left with Boaz needing to act on his – which he promised to do. This week we have to ask this question:
I’ve made a plan, I’m acting on it – now what?
Satisfaction does not lie in me accomplishing what I want, but in God accomplishing what He wants through me.
Read Ruth 4
Satisfaction is found eternally in Christ, and it has been said that there is no better place than to be in the center of God’s will. To be in Christ is to be satisfied in our core. To be in God’s will gives satisfaction despite uncertainty.
In chapter 3 Naomi moves from depression to actively living for the kingdom and planning for other’s good. She joined what God was doing in the world, knowingly or not. A good question for our lives is: Am I living in God’s will for me?
I. Before we can set a plan and act on it and ask for satisfaction, we need to know – Am I living God’s will for me?
A. God wants people to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4). Am I a part of His accomplishing that through being active in my faith and vocally sharing the Gospel and consistently ministering to my friends and neighbor’s needs?
God desires that we abstain from sexual immorality (1 Thess. 4:3). Boaz and Ruth gave us a pattern in chapter 3 for all their emotions and love and midnight behavior that is rooted in righteousness. Amy I honoring God with my sexuality?
If you are in God’s will and have made a plan in your situation: whether it is plans to start a business, work for a company, graduate and get a job or pursue further degrees, and you’re acting on it, what do you do while not much is happening?
Boaz goes to the city gate and waits. The city gate was the gathering place in ancient towns. In the walled cities buildings were and homes were compact and tightly pact, but the gates in the walls to the cities provided a place of interchange and commerce and business, as well as judgment in legal matters. They were kind of like the mall and the statehouse – you can get it all done in those two buildings. So Boaz heads out first thing in the morning, and waits.
For all our talk about active faith, we still cannot separate ourselves from God’s action. We can only assume Boaz knew the man, especially the way the text speaks about this kinsman redeemer – Boaz knew immediately there was someone with rights to Ruth and the property closer than he. Explain Levirite Marriage. Wouldn’t it have been easier to rush things and go straight to the man and deal with the situation? Even to take elders with you, or go and get the man and bring him to the gate. Why Boaz didn’t do this I’ll never know – but it was shrewd. He didn’t communicate overzealousness. He didn’t walk into the car lot and say “I want that new one, how much!?” with a big smile and eager look in his eyes. He wasn’t impatient. Far from it, he trusted in God. If the man would redeem, he would do so at the city gate, the proper place, in front of the proper authorities and God would still be God and in control. And if the man wouldn’t, God would still be God and in control. There is remarkable satisfaction in God.
Patience is not laziness. As soon as the man appeared Boaz was on him. If God is working in your life, as he was in Boaz’s and Ruth’s and Naomi’s: seize the moment. Boaz settled it first thing – he was active about it.
A. Seize the moment. Don’t wait when the opportunity comes. If you have been praying for your neighbor and they come over to talk – seize the moment!
B. Seizing the moment means casting aside hindrances.
1. Boaz did not let the business of his fields occupy him at the gate that day.
2. He did not let the logistical concerns of the grain on the threshing floor occupy him.
3. He did not let his hunger or his slumber derail him – he was seizing the moment. Just as Christ was determined to climb calvary, so Boaz was determined to find the answer about Ruth.
II. The Closer Man (v.3-8)
a. This was certainly a unique day for the closer kinsman redeemer. All of a sudden he had the chance for more property – and he leaped at it. Shrewd businessman – grow your business, increase revenue, etc., etc., etc.
b. But then comes the catch: there was a responsibility, RUTH, who became a burden in his eyes.
i. Christians, we have tremendous responsibility. We are responsible to magnify Christ, accept the load given us in the world as from God, and do everything for Him. We are responsible to be His witnesses 24/7, and to care for those who need help around us.
1. People should not be a burden in our eyes: how long did Jesus bear with Judas? How long is God patient with His people?
ii. Some commentators, namely Leon Morris, note that there is a hint of selfishness in this redeemer man. He has his own concerns first. He could take the field but not the woman. Perhaps it would be too great a financial burden to care for Ruth (even with the new field)? Or maybe the man wasn’t really concerned with preserving Mahlon’s line. Whatever the case, if we take the notion that he wanted to make a name for himself, it is noteworthy that his name is never mentioned. It is almost deliberately concealed.
1. Living in God’s will and making a name for yourself cannot go together. Satisfaction won’t last if you’re all about yourself. Who cares if your dead and gone and a building is named after you?
c. In his world, he couldn’t see caring for Ruth, so he turns down the deal, and Boaz seizes the moment. He pounces, in fact the elders, the witness affirm, bless and pronounce them married and Ruth wasn’t even there!
i. Plans may not be what you think. If you’re dreaming of a big wedding someday, remember Ruth. It’s not the wedding, it’s the marriage that matters. She didn’t even make it to her own wedding, but she had a great 2nd marriage.
ii. It is always an act of faith to say: God, Your way is better.
1. Russian believers story: Forbidden Faith
III. Resurrection (v.5, 10)
a. The real issue of this deal was maintaining the name of someone else. Boaz, man of God, was prepared to give himself to the work. The name of Mahlon and Elimelech would be resurrected.
b. This was all working into God’s perfect plan.
c. God acts relavantly: specificity of geneaology (NT)
d. God acts relationally:
i. Boaz and Ruth
ii. God to person
iii. God to you
iv. Community of Faith
1. Blessing of Elders
2. Blessing of Women
3. Satisfaction in community.
Satisfaction is available. Take it in Christ.
Chapter 1:
In the hard times – look to our Lord
In the poor times, the depressing times: look to the Light of the world!
Chapter 2:
In the good times, give generously like Boaz: take the good from the Lord for His Glory!
Satisfaction in Christ, not money, not fields, not business, not job, but the Ruler, the Savior
Chapter 3:
In the planning times, the times of hope, look to the Hope of the World and trust in Him.
Chapter 4:
In the times of acting out your plans, look to the one who matters: jEsus.
I’ve made a plan, I’m acting on it – now what?
Satisfaction does not lie in me accomplishing what I want, but in God accomplishing what He wants through me.
Read Ruth 4
Satisfaction is found eternally in Christ, and it has been said that there is no better place than to be in the center of God’s will. To be in Christ is to be satisfied in our core. To be in God’s will gives satisfaction despite uncertainty.
In chapter 3 Naomi moves from depression to actively living for the kingdom and planning for other’s good. She joined what God was doing in the world, knowingly or not. A good question for our lives is: Am I living in God’s will for me?
I. Before we can set a plan and act on it and ask for satisfaction, we need to know – Am I living God’s will for me?
A. God wants people to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4). Am I a part of His accomplishing that through being active in my faith and vocally sharing the Gospel and consistently ministering to my friends and neighbor’s needs?
God desires that we abstain from sexual immorality (1 Thess. 4:3). Boaz and Ruth gave us a pattern in chapter 3 for all their emotions and love and midnight behavior that is rooted in righteousness. Amy I honoring God with my sexuality?
If you are in God’s will and have made a plan in your situation: whether it is plans to start a business, work for a company, graduate and get a job or pursue further degrees, and you’re acting on it, what do you do while not much is happening?
Boaz goes to the city gate and waits. The city gate was the gathering place in ancient towns. In the walled cities buildings were and homes were compact and tightly pact, but the gates in the walls to the cities provided a place of interchange and commerce and business, as well as judgment in legal matters. They were kind of like the mall and the statehouse – you can get it all done in those two buildings. So Boaz heads out first thing in the morning, and waits.
For all our talk about active faith, we still cannot separate ourselves from God’s action. We can only assume Boaz knew the man, especially the way the text speaks about this kinsman redeemer – Boaz knew immediately there was someone with rights to Ruth and the property closer than he. Explain Levirite Marriage. Wouldn’t it have been easier to rush things and go straight to the man and deal with the situation? Even to take elders with you, or go and get the man and bring him to the gate. Why Boaz didn’t do this I’ll never know – but it was shrewd. He didn’t communicate overzealousness. He didn’t walk into the car lot and say “I want that new one, how much!?” with a big smile and eager look in his eyes. He wasn’t impatient. Far from it, he trusted in God. If the man would redeem, he would do so at the city gate, the proper place, in front of the proper authorities and God would still be God and in control. And if the man wouldn’t, God would still be God and in control. There is remarkable satisfaction in God.
Patience is not laziness. As soon as the man appeared Boaz was on him. If God is working in your life, as he was in Boaz’s and Ruth’s and Naomi’s: seize the moment. Boaz settled it first thing – he was active about it.
A. Seize the moment. Don’t wait when the opportunity comes. If you have been praying for your neighbor and they come over to talk – seize the moment!
B. Seizing the moment means casting aside hindrances.
1. Boaz did not let the business of his fields occupy him at the gate that day.
2. He did not let the logistical concerns of the grain on the threshing floor occupy him.
3. He did not let his hunger or his slumber derail him – he was seizing the moment. Just as Christ was determined to climb calvary, so Boaz was determined to find the answer about Ruth.
II. The Closer Man (v.3-8)
a. This was certainly a unique day for the closer kinsman redeemer. All of a sudden he had the chance for more property – and he leaped at it. Shrewd businessman – grow your business, increase revenue, etc., etc., etc.
b. But then comes the catch: there was a responsibility, RUTH, who became a burden in his eyes.
i. Christians, we have tremendous responsibility. We are responsible to magnify Christ, accept the load given us in the world as from God, and do everything for Him. We are responsible to be His witnesses 24/7, and to care for those who need help around us.
1. People should not be a burden in our eyes: how long did Jesus bear with Judas? How long is God patient with His people?
ii. Some commentators, namely Leon Morris, note that there is a hint of selfishness in this redeemer man. He has his own concerns first. He could take the field but not the woman. Perhaps it would be too great a financial burden to care for Ruth (even with the new field)? Or maybe the man wasn’t really concerned with preserving Mahlon’s line. Whatever the case, if we take the notion that he wanted to make a name for himself, it is noteworthy that his name is never mentioned. It is almost deliberately concealed.
1. Living in God’s will and making a name for yourself cannot go together. Satisfaction won’t last if you’re all about yourself. Who cares if your dead and gone and a building is named after you?
c. In his world, he couldn’t see caring for Ruth, so he turns down the deal, and Boaz seizes the moment. He pounces, in fact the elders, the witness affirm, bless and pronounce them married and Ruth wasn’t even there!
i. Plans may not be what you think. If you’re dreaming of a big wedding someday, remember Ruth. It’s not the wedding, it’s the marriage that matters. She didn’t even make it to her own wedding, but she had a great 2nd marriage.
ii. It is always an act of faith to say: God, Your way is better.
1. Russian believers story: Forbidden Faith
III. Resurrection (v.5, 10)
a. The real issue of this deal was maintaining the name of someone else. Boaz, man of God, was prepared to give himself to the work. The name of Mahlon and Elimelech would be resurrected.
b. This was all working into God’s perfect plan.
c. God acts relavantly: specificity of geneaology (NT)
d. God acts relationally:
i. Boaz and Ruth
ii. God to person
iii. God to you
iv. Community of Faith
1. Blessing of Elders
2. Blessing of Women
3. Satisfaction in community.
Satisfaction is available. Take it in Christ.
Chapter 1:
In the hard times – look to our Lord
In the poor times, the depressing times: look to the Light of the world!
Chapter 2:
In the good times, give generously like Boaz: take the good from the Lord for His Glory!
Satisfaction in Christ, not money, not fields, not business, not job, but the Ruler, the Savior
Chapter 3:
In the planning times, the times of hope, look to the Hope of the World and trust in Him.
Chapter 4:
In the times of acting out your plans, look to the one who matters: jEsus.
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