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.
4.24.2006
Ruth 3: planning it out
As a refresher, we can look back over the last two chapters of Ruth pretty quickly and see 2 things regarding satisfaction:
1. In Ch. 1 Naomi lost everything: her home, husband, sons, and one daughter in law. She returned to Bethlehem bitter but still trusting the Lord. It is possible to be satisfied, have inner peace, even in the difficult and bitter days of life. This peace comes through intimacy with God, through Jesus Christ.
2. In Ch. 2 Naomi begins to see hope, and Boaz enters their lives and provides for Naomi and Ruth as a channel of God’s blessing. Boaz is a man who loves God and it is evident in his generosity, concern, and relationships with his workers. (2:4-5) Boaz had a materially abundant life, but his satisfaction wasn’t tied up in it – as seen in his generosity. Satisfaction cannot be had with money. It is an inner reality that is expressed outwardly – just as Boaz was generous.
For Naomi, Boaz became a blessing during bitterness. His attitude was “God, use me” and he gave generously to Ruth and Naomi. The clouds of bitterness began to rain with blessings.
In chapter 2 Naomi experiences a change in her spirit that leads us in to chapter 3.
Read Ruth 3
Naomi has experienced a change – she is no longer down and depressed. How did she get over it? I don’t think there’s a 2 step plan, but what is clear is that she was unwavering in her faith with the Lord. She believed His sovereignty and trusted His word. Psalm 119:28 says “My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word.” Let there be no doubt – Christ satisfies, His word strengthens, and even the darkest of days we can find ourselves in the shadow of His wing: trust, believe, and act.
Naomi went from bitterness to relief to ch. 3 she is starting to plan. Naomi has shown trust (the Lord’s hand caused this bitterness – she still trusted), she’s shown belief (2:20: The Lord bless Him! Boaz – he’s God’s provision today), and in ch. 3 she starts to act.
I. Depression and Paralysis
a. Have you ever made a plan to do something: whether it’s take a trip with your kids, pull off an event, a home project, a class project?
b. What’s the planning like? It’s normally the fun time, the energetic time. It can be stressful, but it’s the time to dream. Depression, which can rob us of satisfaction in Christ if we let it, kills dreams. Dreams turn into “I wish I had…” with no effort or purpose to follow through, and that only feeds the depression.
c. Ruth and Naomi have trusted and settled in the sovereignty of God, and the depression is beginning to be lifted and the satisfaction of their souls is giving them light.
i. Compare: 1:21 – “the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me” and 2:19 “Where did you glean today! Where did you work! Blessed be the man who took notice of you!” There is an attitude shift from depression to exaltation.
ii. They’ve trusted God the whole way, and now they can see His provision in real time.
d. We can look back over the past of our lives, believers, and see God’s working: preserving us, challenging us, growing us, encouraging us, lifting us, providing for us. Why is it so hard to trust this same provision for the future? Naomi, a great woman of faith, was no different; at the end of chapter one her world was hopeless for the future despite her satisfaction in God.
e. Clouds come; it takes faith to trust that good rain will fall.
f. When we’re stuck in an attitude of depression, we’re paralyzed. We can start to question God: does His word really promise this or that? We start to doubt our testimony, and we become silent with our witness.
i. Can Satan have a better day than to depress the people of God and silence the witness? Trust on those dark days the sovereignty of God, may it be His wing that is creating the shadow in your life and may you see the purpose he has for you in the difficult time. When I spent 28 days in the hospital, I did not go in anticipating meeting Christ in a life changing way – but praise God I did.
g. To keep trusting, even though you have serious questions, shows you believe in God’s sovereignty: his ability to preserve you, answer you, and his Love for you. Keep trusting. Naomi did and it led her to a day when she could plan (3:1).
II. Active and Passive Faith
a. Naomi no longer is thinking about herself: her concern and her plan is for Ruth. All through this book, Ruth has shown devotion to Naomi: at the end of ch. 2 she even lives in poverty with Naomi rather than staying with Boaz’s servant girls. Now Naomi, having seen light and come up out of bitterness – starts to think of others.
b. All along she has held faith in God, but a trap of depression or bitterness is to keep thinking about ourselves. Instead of blessing God for what we have, we dream of what we don’t have. We think, “If only I had – a husband, or a wife, or a day off – or whatever” when needs abound all around us.
i. Thursday our small group gave up the night to serve our community at Crossroads. IT took our focus and put it outward for a night – it was a challenge, but it certainly grew us.
ii. Naomi puts a plan in motion for Ruth. On the surface this seems crazy for a woman of faith: it’s doing all the things you shouldn’t do – go late at night, uncover a man and offer yourself to him. It’s dangerous and risky. But it’s also rooted in the righteousness that Ruth and Boaz have shown, and the trust that God will watch over the entire interaction.
iii. There will be risk when we live our faith actively. If you are a Christian, there are 2 ways that believers live: actively and passively.
1. Obviously, passive faith is easier: John Piper calls it passive righteousness: it is encompassed in avoiding evil when it appears.
a. This is the Christian who claims Christ, walks the good walk, but isn’t necessarily actively seeking to advance the kingdom and work for God’s renown. They’re passive, indulged – but not active.
2. Active faith makes plans and hopes and dreams. It’s more risky, but in the end it will result in growth of the Kingdom. Mt. 11:12 “From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it.”
3. When you rest in the sovereignty of God, you are freed to dream and hope and plan and act.
c. Naomi is not sending Ruth into a situation of adultery, though it looks that way. Read v. 9. This phrase occurs one other time in the Bible: Ezekiel 16:8 (the Lord Is speaking) “Later I passed by, and when I looked at you and saw that you were old enough for love, I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your nakedness. I gave you my solemn oath and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Sovereign Lord, and you became mine.”
i. In Ez. God is declaring his marriage to His people, the bond would not be broken, just as today Christ is the Groom, and the Church is His bride. So Ruth is offering herself for marriage to Boaz, her kinsman-redeemer.
ii. Why at night? Why after he works, eats, and sleeps – all this presents problems because a tired person is not on guard, and it could be an easy time to fall into temptation. Yet the man who said “May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge” to Ruth, who became a channel of blessing for Ruth and Naomi, now realizes he is God’s possible agent to overshadow Ruth.
1. A satisfied man does not fall prey to simple temptation. You get the since that Boaz could use the internet productively and not to feed an addiction. That he could work for money to give it all away. Why? Because He is satisfied in Christ. Naomi is satisfied, Ruth is satisfied, and Boaz is satisfied – so the temptation that could be the downfall wasn’t even acknowledged in the text. How righteous! Read v. 10-13. Boaz let’s her know that he will only redeem her if the closer relative will not. In other words, he will do it the way the Lord wants it done.
a. But Boaz is also active, he will find out first thing in the morning.
Active faith is preferred in the kingdom. Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz all show it. Their satisfaction in God secures them despite the risks involved. They are righteous to the end – Ruth leaves before anyone can recognize her (her best clothes, shawl) – avoiding the hint of sexual immorality – Eph. 5.
But active faith does not mean life will always be good. Despite all the provision, the success of their plan, Ruth and Naomi and Boaz must now wait to see if this other guy, the closer kinsman redeemer who, for some unknown reason all of us are now rooting against, will take his lawful place.
There is no reward without risk. Satisfaction comes at a Price: Jesus on the cross and you laying down your life. But the reward is great. If you go a step further with Christ and take an active faith – and many of you are just by being involved in a church plant, the risks grow, but so do the rewards. I pray and hope that Grace Harbor grows active disciples, is a refuge for the lost and hurting like Ruth and Naomi were, and is actively advancing the kingdom. But that starts with each of us and the decisions we make:
1. Are you Satisfied?
2. Are you passive or active?
Pray.
For expansion see John Piper’s sermon on this text:
1. In Ch. 1 Naomi lost everything: her home, husband, sons, and one daughter in law. She returned to Bethlehem bitter but still trusting the Lord. It is possible to be satisfied, have inner peace, even in the difficult and bitter days of life. This peace comes through intimacy with God, through Jesus Christ.
2. In Ch. 2 Naomi begins to see hope, and Boaz enters their lives and provides for Naomi and Ruth as a channel of God’s blessing. Boaz is a man who loves God and it is evident in his generosity, concern, and relationships with his workers. (2:4-5) Boaz had a materially abundant life, but his satisfaction wasn’t tied up in it – as seen in his generosity. Satisfaction cannot be had with money. It is an inner reality that is expressed outwardly – just as Boaz was generous.
For Naomi, Boaz became a blessing during bitterness. His attitude was “God, use me” and he gave generously to Ruth and Naomi. The clouds of bitterness began to rain with blessings.
In chapter 2 Naomi experiences a change in her spirit that leads us in to chapter 3.
Read Ruth 3
Naomi has experienced a change – she is no longer down and depressed. How did she get over it? I don’t think there’s a 2 step plan, but what is clear is that she was unwavering in her faith with the Lord. She believed His sovereignty and trusted His word. Psalm 119:28 says “My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word.” Let there be no doubt – Christ satisfies, His word strengthens, and even the darkest of days we can find ourselves in the shadow of His wing: trust, believe, and act.
Naomi went from bitterness to relief to ch. 3 she is starting to plan. Naomi has shown trust (the Lord’s hand caused this bitterness – she still trusted), she’s shown belief (2:20: The Lord bless Him! Boaz – he’s God’s provision today), and in ch. 3 she starts to act.
I. Depression and Paralysis
a. Have you ever made a plan to do something: whether it’s take a trip with your kids, pull off an event, a home project, a class project?
b. What’s the planning like? It’s normally the fun time, the energetic time. It can be stressful, but it’s the time to dream. Depression, which can rob us of satisfaction in Christ if we let it, kills dreams. Dreams turn into “I wish I had…” with no effort or purpose to follow through, and that only feeds the depression.
c. Ruth and Naomi have trusted and settled in the sovereignty of God, and the depression is beginning to be lifted and the satisfaction of their souls is giving them light.
i. Compare: 1:21 – “the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me” and 2:19 “Where did you glean today! Where did you work! Blessed be the man who took notice of you!” There is an attitude shift from depression to exaltation.
ii. They’ve trusted God the whole way, and now they can see His provision in real time.
d. We can look back over the past of our lives, believers, and see God’s working: preserving us, challenging us, growing us, encouraging us, lifting us, providing for us. Why is it so hard to trust this same provision for the future? Naomi, a great woman of faith, was no different; at the end of chapter one her world was hopeless for the future despite her satisfaction in God.
e. Clouds come; it takes faith to trust that good rain will fall.
f. When we’re stuck in an attitude of depression, we’re paralyzed. We can start to question God: does His word really promise this or that? We start to doubt our testimony, and we become silent with our witness.
i. Can Satan have a better day than to depress the people of God and silence the witness? Trust on those dark days the sovereignty of God, may it be His wing that is creating the shadow in your life and may you see the purpose he has for you in the difficult time. When I spent 28 days in the hospital, I did not go in anticipating meeting Christ in a life changing way – but praise God I did.
g. To keep trusting, even though you have serious questions, shows you believe in God’s sovereignty: his ability to preserve you, answer you, and his Love for you. Keep trusting. Naomi did and it led her to a day when she could plan (3:1).
II. Active and Passive Faith
a. Naomi no longer is thinking about herself: her concern and her plan is for Ruth. All through this book, Ruth has shown devotion to Naomi: at the end of ch. 2 she even lives in poverty with Naomi rather than staying with Boaz’s servant girls. Now Naomi, having seen light and come up out of bitterness – starts to think of others.
b. All along she has held faith in God, but a trap of depression or bitterness is to keep thinking about ourselves. Instead of blessing God for what we have, we dream of what we don’t have. We think, “If only I had – a husband, or a wife, or a day off – or whatever” when needs abound all around us.
i. Thursday our small group gave up the night to serve our community at Crossroads. IT took our focus and put it outward for a night – it was a challenge, but it certainly grew us.
ii. Naomi puts a plan in motion for Ruth. On the surface this seems crazy for a woman of faith: it’s doing all the things you shouldn’t do – go late at night, uncover a man and offer yourself to him. It’s dangerous and risky. But it’s also rooted in the righteousness that Ruth and Boaz have shown, and the trust that God will watch over the entire interaction.
iii. There will be risk when we live our faith actively. If you are a Christian, there are 2 ways that believers live: actively and passively.
1. Obviously, passive faith is easier: John Piper calls it passive righteousness: it is encompassed in avoiding evil when it appears.
a. This is the Christian who claims Christ, walks the good walk, but isn’t necessarily actively seeking to advance the kingdom and work for God’s renown. They’re passive, indulged – but not active.
2. Active faith makes plans and hopes and dreams. It’s more risky, but in the end it will result in growth of the Kingdom. Mt. 11:12 “From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it.”
3. When you rest in the sovereignty of God, you are freed to dream and hope and plan and act.
c. Naomi is not sending Ruth into a situation of adultery, though it looks that way. Read v. 9. This phrase occurs one other time in the Bible: Ezekiel 16:8 (the Lord Is speaking) “Later I passed by, and when I looked at you and saw that you were old enough for love, I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your nakedness. I gave you my solemn oath and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Sovereign Lord, and you became mine.”
i. In Ez. God is declaring his marriage to His people, the bond would not be broken, just as today Christ is the Groom, and the Church is His bride. So Ruth is offering herself for marriage to Boaz, her kinsman-redeemer.
ii. Why at night? Why after he works, eats, and sleeps – all this presents problems because a tired person is not on guard, and it could be an easy time to fall into temptation. Yet the man who said “May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge” to Ruth, who became a channel of blessing for Ruth and Naomi, now realizes he is God’s possible agent to overshadow Ruth.
1. A satisfied man does not fall prey to simple temptation. You get the since that Boaz could use the internet productively and not to feed an addiction. That he could work for money to give it all away. Why? Because He is satisfied in Christ. Naomi is satisfied, Ruth is satisfied, and Boaz is satisfied – so the temptation that could be the downfall wasn’t even acknowledged in the text. How righteous! Read v. 10-13. Boaz let’s her know that he will only redeem her if the closer relative will not. In other words, he will do it the way the Lord wants it done.
a. But Boaz is also active, he will find out first thing in the morning.
Active faith is preferred in the kingdom. Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz all show it. Their satisfaction in God secures them despite the risks involved. They are righteous to the end – Ruth leaves before anyone can recognize her (her best clothes, shawl) – avoiding the hint of sexual immorality – Eph. 5.
But active faith does not mean life will always be good. Despite all the provision, the success of their plan, Ruth and Naomi and Boaz must now wait to see if this other guy, the closer kinsman redeemer who, for some unknown reason all of us are now rooting against, will take his lawful place.
There is no reward without risk. Satisfaction comes at a Price: Jesus on the cross and you laying down your life. But the reward is great. If you go a step further with Christ and take an active faith – and many of you are just by being involved in a church plant, the risks grow, but so do the rewards. I pray and hope that Grace Harbor grows active disciples, is a refuge for the lost and hurting like Ruth and Naomi were, and is actively advancing the kingdom. But that starts with each of us and the decisions we make:
1. Are you Satisfied?
2. Are you passive or active?
Pray.
For expansion see John Piper’s sermon on this text:
4.04.2006
Everyday Life
Everyday Life
Ruth 2:14-23
Do you find much opportunity to rejoice in everyday life? Or to be happy? Sometimes funny things happen to us, or we get into a humorous situation – a friend this week was describing to me how he bought his wife a new car, and promptly backed into with his old truck. He smashed the grille and had to take it in because the hood was damaged. After taking it in, they realized the damage was worse than they thought because some other panels were smashed out of alignment. They got the car fixed, got it home and she took it to work the next day – where it got keyed and the paint job is ruined. He laughed about it – which is a good attitude, and promised to never buy a new car again.
Laughing isn’t always natural. Pessimism is always easier than optimism. Many of you know that Mandy and I work for the BCNE as collegiate ministers, our boss, the state director of collegiate ministries is undergoing a kidney transplant on Tuesday. It’s a pretty fearsome thing, but throughout the entire process – which we’ve been praying about for months – he’s maintained a thankful and optimistic spirit. To the point that his wife wrote an email announcing the retirement of Bob the kidney and hiring of Bill the kidney.
Sometimes we think optimists don’t live in the real world – kidneys don’t retire. But our attitudes and actions directly connect with this desire of our hearts to be satisfied. In our journey through Ruth we’ve seen how our relationship with God, our understanding of the transforming power of loving Jesus Christ, brings satisfaction in even the hard times. Last week we looked at the role that gratitude plays: grateful people are satisfied people. If you can cultivate thankfulness in your heart: thankfulness to God and to people you will cultivate satisfaction.
Last week we also saw the integrity of Boaz, his attitude of graciousness and love for God. He is a satisfied person: not because of fields or money or employees or productivity, but ultimately because of His love for God. Money won’t satisfy. Only a satisfied person can give money away: when we take up an offering we declare to God “You satisfy me” not the GW’s.
Ruth and Naomi are showing satisfaction and trust in God. Boaz shows the same: they are at 2 different points in life, but God has brought them together and neither despises the other. How easy for one class of people to say to another: you’re not like me, you’re not in my situation, therefore you can’t know me, we can’t be friends, we don’t need to relate. James 2:1 “Don’t show favoritism.” Boaz was full of love, and it overflowed.
We meet Boaz and Ruth and Naomi this week when their lives have come together, and it’s a normal day. Nothing extraordinary, nothing unusual, just a chance for people of faith to live out that faith. Everyday we have the opportunity to worship God: in our attitudes and actions: do we take it? Do we honor God?
Read Ruth 2:14-23.
Christian living cannot be from mountaintop to mountaintop. We can go on a mission trip and get a high, or on a retreat or conference or hear a really spirit-empowered speaker. Those times are great – but if it is just an emotional experience it will not last.
Tough times come in life – we’ve seen this illustrated in the journey of Naomi and Ruth: two widows who have left their homeland for a foreign land, and who have forged a commitment to God and each other. Naomi’s all-encompassing relationship with God opened Ruth’s eyes to His power, and now Ruth serves the living God, the God of Israel.
But life did not remain easy for them. This glimpse of a normal day – Ruth setting out to find food shows a lot of their attitude and keys to life. They found satisfaction first in God, and we see in this passage 2 keys to satisfaction.
I. Rest in God’s Provision (14-17, 22).
A. Ruth worked steadily till lunchtime, and Boaz invited her to lunch. She joined Boaz and was accepted into the group. Already 2x Ruth has expressed gratitude to Boaz, and Boaz made clear that he wants her to trust in the Lord, in “whose wings she has come to take refuge” (v. 12).
B. Ruth did not wander away to another field, or ignore Boaz’s generosity. I’m sometimes left bewildered when someone refuses generosity. It can be for good reasons:
1. They don’t know you or trust you. Ruth had to take a step of faith here – she just met Boaz that day. My mom told me never to take candy from a stranger – and here is Ruth eating grain and drinking wine vinegar. To be satisfied we must trust. We trust God to provide for us, and we express that trust by willingly accepting what he has provided. We also thank Him for it.
2. They don’t need what you’re offering. A poor person who turns down a penny doesn’t need a dollar. A rich man who gives a penny is stingy. Meet the need. If your friend needs a ride and you can meet the need, do it.
3. Pride. Pride can keep us from accepting generosity, and God’s provision. Ruth could have walked away saying – I don’t need you; I’ll make my own way. But she trusted this man who talked about the Lord. She was also humble and grateful – we saw here gratitude last week. She is satisfied, and now she eats all that she wants.
C. Resting in God’s provision also means that we realize that what we have is not our own.
There are 2 examples of this in the passage:
1. Boaz: he did not keep all the grain for himself, or save up the best grain for himself, but invited even Ruth to his table. He trusted God and just as God was gracious to Him, so He was gracious to others. In the Hebrew, v. 14 the NIV says he offered her grain. The Hebrew is more like: he heaped grain on her. He didn’t hold back his grace. He gave it to her. Here is a man who rests and trusts in God and is freed from the slavery of ownership to give to others. When we think of things as ours, they’re hard to let go of. People often chide me for letting others drive away in my car. I even let some of you here today drive my Jeep, when God let me have one. If we can separate ourselves and our tentacles from our possessions and believe that God has provided, we can see that we are much more free to give. We can spend money on ourselves extravagantly – don’t do it. Don’t be a slave to your money or your belongings: use them to honor God. That is resting in God’s provision.
2. Nor did Boaz hoard the grain. He told his workers: don’t embarrass her, even pull out some stalks from the already gathered sheaves for her. He is being graciously kind. Extravagance is meant for others, not yourself.
a. One of the tragedies we experienced in Russia was touring the armory museum in Moscow. The Armory holds the treasure of the tsars – rulers of Russia before Communism. The tsars oppressed the people and used people for their own end. We saw Bibles 3 feet tall and 10 inches think encased in gold. Never opened, just a decoration. We saw hand painted china, riches galore, and yet the people of Russia are poor. The rulers used all the wealth for themselves. That is not the kindness of God, who didn’t even spare His own son to show you love.
3. The 2nd example is Ruth. She takes the leftover grain and all she works for to Naomi, and gives to her. She doesn’t forget about Naomi when she’s eating. She’s caring for her. If your friend is hungry, feed them. Do you think about the others you live with when you’re eating without them? Would you order something they like to take the leftovers back to them? Resting in God’s provision is an attitude that says: the Lord gives, the Lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord. We saw this in the hard times of Naomi and Ruth’s lives, and now we see it in the good. Enjoy the good from God! Rest in Him.
II. The 2nd key toward satisfaction: Return Kindness (17-23)
A. v.17 – Naomi gave Ruth her blessing to go and gather from the harvest (v. 2). Ruth only asked to harvest.
1. When I was a kid, if it involved work like this and my dad had asked me to do it or if I had even thought of it myself, I would only have done what was asked of me. I would have brought back a lot of grain stalks, unthreshed. I would’ve said – “you only said to gather grain, not thresh it.” It’s like the worker who is digging a ditch and the water main is burst, water is pouring out everywhere, and their standing there watching it. You ask them: are you going to do something about it? And they say “I was only hired to dig the ditch, not fix the main.” A key to satisfaction is returning kindness: going the extra mile for the good of the other person.
B. Ruth returned Kindness to God: as the Lord provided for her she gave to Naomi. She returned kindness to Naomi, who was sheltering her, by bringing home ready to use grain. She took the blessing of God, through Boaz, and passed it on. We are not to be a store house of God’s blessing but a well-spring of God’s blessing: pouring into others what He has poured into us. Satisfaction, found in God, is evident when we return kindness to others.
C. Naomi blesses Boaz (v.19, 20). She again roots this blessing in God. She calls on Yahweh to bless Him. She has nothing to give, but such a relationship with God that she gives him everything she can!
D. Naomi accepts the kindness of Boaz and tells Ruth: stay there with his girls, they will look out for you. So Ruth stays: she in effect says to Boaz: “Thank you, I accept your offer and protection.” Again, Boaz recognized what he could do to be God’s advocate in her life, and he did it. He didn’t leave her in v. 12 with a blessing but acted on it. God was kind to all in this passage, and each showed it as they could.
E. A final note to this key: kindness doesn’t stop: Ruth lived with Naomi. She didn’t leave her for a full time life with Boaz’s girls, but stayed with her. The prospects may have been better in Boaz’s house, but she determined to honor her commitments.
There is a lot of integrity in this one-day glimpse into the lives of Boaz, Ruth, and Naomi. Remember the 2 keys: Rest in God’s provision, and return kindness.
Ruth 2:14-23
Do you find much opportunity to rejoice in everyday life? Or to be happy? Sometimes funny things happen to us, or we get into a humorous situation – a friend this week was describing to me how he bought his wife a new car, and promptly backed into with his old truck. He smashed the grille and had to take it in because the hood was damaged. After taking it in, they realized the damage was worse than they thought because some other panels were smashed out of alignment. They got the car fixed, got it home and she took it to work the next day – where it got keyed and the paint job is ruined. He laughed about it – which is a good attitude, and promised to never buy a new car again.
Laughing isn’t always natural. Pessimism is always easier than optimism. Many of you know that Mandy and I work for the BCNE as collegiate ministers, our boss, the state director of collegiate ministries is undergoing a kidney transplant on Tuesday. It’s a pretty fearsome thing, but throughout the entire process – which we’ve been praying about for months – he’s maintained a thankful and optimistic spirit. To the point that his wife wrote an email announcing the retirement of Bob the kidney and hiring of Bill the kidney.
Sometimes we think optimists don’t live in the real world – kidneys don’t retire. But our attitudes and actions directly connect with this desire of our hearts to be satisfied. In our journey through Ruth we’ve seen how our relationship with God, our understanding of the transforming power of loving Jesus Christ, brings satisfaction in even the hard times. Last week we looked at the role that gratitude plays: grateful people are satisfied people. If you can cultivate thankfulness in your heart: thankfulness to God and to people you will cultivate satisfaction.
Last week we also saw the integrity of Boaz, his attitude of graciousness and love for God. He is a satisfied person: not because of fields or money or employees or productivity, but ultimately because of His love for God. Money won’t satisfy. Only a satisfied person can give money away: when we take up an offering we declare to God “You satisfy me” not the GW’s.
Ruth and Naomi are showing satisfaction and trust in God. Boaz shows the same: they are at 2 different points in life, but God has brought them together and neither despises the other. How easy for one class of people to say to another: you’re not like me, you’re not in my situation, therefore you can’t know me, we can’t be friends, we don’t need to relate. James 2:1 “Don’t show favoritism.” Boaz was full of love, and it overflowed.
We meet Boaz and Ruth and Naomi this week when their lives have come together, and it’s a normal day. Nothing extraordinary, nothing unusual, just a chance for people of faith to live out that faith. Everyday we have the opportunity to worship God: in our attitudes and actions: do we take it? Do we honor God?
Read Ruth 2:14-23.
Christian living cannot be from mountaintop to mountaintop. We can go on a mission trip and get a high, or on a retreat or conference or hear a really spirit-empowered speaker. Those times are great – but if it is just an emotional experience it will not last.
Tough times come in life – we’ve seen this illustrated in the journey of Naomi and Ruth: two widows who have left their homeland for a foreign land, and who have forged a commitment to God and each other. Naomi’s all-encompassing relationship with God opened Ruth’s eyes to His power, and now Ruth serves the living God, the God of Israel.
But life did not remain easy for them. This glimpse of a normal day – Ruth setting out to find food shows a lot of their attitude and keys to life. They found satisfaction first in God, and we see in this passage 2 keys to satisfaction.
I. Rest in God’s Provision (14-17, 22).
A. Ruth worked steadily till lunchtime, and Boaz invited her to lunch. She joined Boaz and was accepted into the group. Already 2x Ruth has expressed gratitude to Boaz, and Boaz made clear that he wants her to trust in the Lord, in “whose wings she has come to take refuge” (v. 12).
B. Ruth did not wander away to another field, or ignore Boaz’s generosity. I’m sometimes left bewildered when someone refuses generosity. It can be for good reasons:
1. They don’t know you or trust you. Ruth had to take a step of faith here – she just met Boaz that day. My mom told me never to take candy from a stranger – and here is Ruth eating grain and drinking wine vinegar. To be satisfied we must trust. We trust God to provide for us, and we express that trust by willingly accepting what he has provided. We also thank Him for it.
2. They don’t need what you’re offering. A poor person who turns down a penny doesn’t need a dollar. A rich man who gives a penny is stingy. Meet the need. If your friend needs a ride and you can meet the need, do it.
3. Pride. Pride can keep us from accepting generosity, and God’s provision. Ruth could have walked away saying – I don’t need you; I’ll make my own way. But she trusted this man who talked about the Lord. She was also humble and grateful – we saw here gratitude last week. She is satisfied, and now she eats all that she wants.
C. Resting in God’s provision also means that we realize that what we have is not our own.
There are 2 examples of this in the passage:
1. Boaz: he did not keep all the grain for himself, or save up the best grain for himself, but invited even Ruth to his table. He trusted God and just as God was gracious to Him, so He was gracious to others. In the Hebrew, v. 14 the NIV says he offered her grain. The Hebrew is more like: he heaped grain on her. He didn’t hold back his grace. He gave it to her. Here is a man who rests and trusts in God and is freed from the slavery of ownership to give to others. When we think of things as ours, they’re hard to let go of. People often chide me for letting others drive away in my car. I even let some of you here today drive my Jeep, when God let me have one. If we can separate ourselves and our tentacles from our possessions and believe that God has provided, we can see that we are much more free to give. We can spend money on ourselves extravagantly – don’t do it. Don’t be a slave to your money or your belongings: use them to honor God. That is resting in God’s provision.
2. Nor did Boaz hoard the grain. He told his workers: don’t embarrass her, even pull out some stalks from the already gathered sheaves for her. He is being graciously kind. Extravagance is meant for others, not yourself.
a. One of the tragedies we experienced in Russia was touring the armory museum in Moscow. The Armory holds the treasure of the tsars – rulers of Russia before Communism. The tsars oppressed the people and used people for their own end. We saw Bibles 3 feet tall and 10 inches think encased in gold. Never opened, just a decoration. We saw hand painted china, riches galore, and yet the people of Russia are poor. The rulers used all the wealth for themselves. That is not the kindness of God, who didn’t even spare His own son to show you love.
3. The 2nd example is Ruth. She takes the leftover grain and all she works for to Naomi, and gives to her. She doesn’t forget about Naomi when she’s eating. She’s caring for her. If your friend is hungry, feed them. Do you think about the others you live with when you’re eating without them? Would you order something they like to take the leftovers back to them? Resting in God’s provision is an attitude that says: the Lord gives, the Lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord. We saw this in the hard times of Naomi and Ruth’s lives, and now we see it in the good. Enjoy the good from God! Rest in Him.
II. The 2nd key toward satisfaction: Return Kindness (17-23)
A. v.17 – Naomi gave Ruth her blessing to go and gather from the harvest (v. 2). Ruth only asked to harvest.
1. When I was a kid, if it involved work like this and my dad had asked me to do it or if I had even thought of it myself, I would only have done what was asked of me. I would have brought back a lot of grain stalks, unthreshed. I would’ve said – “you only said to gather grain, not thresh it.” It’s like the worker who is digging a ditch and the water main is burst, water is pouring out everywhere, and their standing there watching it. You ask them: are you going to do something about it? And they say “I was only hired to dig the ditch, not fix the main.” A key to satisfaction is returning kindness: going the extra mile for the good of the other person.
B. Ruth returned Kindness to God: as the Lord provided for her she gave to Naomi. She returned kindness to Naomi, who was sheltering her, by bringing home ready to use grain. She took the blessing of God, through Boaz, and passed it on. We are not to be a store house of God’s blessing but a well-spring of God’s blessing: pouring into others what He has poured into us. Satisfaction, found in God, is evident when we return kindness to others.
C. Naomi blesses Boaz (v.19, 20). She again roots this blessing in God. She calls on Yahweh to bless Him. She has nothing to give, but such a relationship with God that she gives him everything she can!
D. Naomi accepts the kindness of Boaz and tells Ruth: stay there with his girls, they will look out for you. So Ruth stays: she in effect says to Boaz: “Thank you, I accept your offer and protection.” Again, Boaz recognized what he could do to be God’s advocate in her life, and he did it. He didn’t leave her in v. 12 with a blessing but acted on it. God was kind to all in this passage, and each showed it as they could.
E. A final note to this key: kindness doesn’t stop: Ruth lived with Naomi. She didn’t leave her for a full time life with Boaz’s girls, but stayed with her. The prospects may have been better in Boaz’s house, but she determined to honor her commitments.
There is a lot of integrity in this one-day glimpse into the lives of Boaz, Ruth, and Naomi. Remember the 2 keys: Rest in God’s provision, and return kindness.
3.17.2006
Ruth 1:14-22
When we last left Naomi she was left. Her sons and husband died, she was in a foreign country with 2 daughters in law, and heard that the famine ended in Israel and there would be food. So she decided to return.
Last week we discovered how despite her tremendous heartache and grief, her understanding of God sustained her, and her relationship with God nourished her. She kept God at the center of the life, even to the point of accepting difficulty from God as well as blessing.
Someone once said everyone is a theologian: the atheist makes a deliberate choice to not believe in God; the agnostic makes a choice not to care about God; the Christian makes a choice to follow the God of the bible; and countless other religions lay claim to views of God. Everyone has a view of God – whether we are comfortable with our understanding of God or not, we all have some understanding.
Some of our understanding about God is deliberate: we make a choice to believe or not to believe. And we have a basis for the choice. “The fool says in their heart there is no God” (Prov. 14:1). Choosing to believe there is no God the Bible calls foolish. Yet many make that choice despite all the evidence around that there is a creator/designer to the world. It is a great leap of faith.
Some choose to follow only a God they like. A God that never really challenges them or changes them but rather supports their decisions and what they do. We make our own Gods. The Bible calls this idolatry.
In Ruth 1:14-22 Naomi’s view of God is further fleshed out, but even more it challenges those around her and their views of God.
Naomi has just finished urging Orpah and Ruth to return to their mothers.
Read 1:14-22
I. Decisions (14-18)
a. The Rational Choice (14)
b. Orpah made a rational decision. She knew Naomi, her family, and their faith. Naomi just told her point blank: God’s hand has gone out against me.
i. Look at the circumstances Orpah faced.
1. Naomi came to Moab in the 1st place because of famine: her God can’t feed her, yet Chemosh (the god of Moab) provides so much that this Israelite family has come to us for help.
2. Naomi has known nothing good in the 10 years I’ve known her: death has surrounded her, my own husband died: her God cannot save life.
3. Naomi is depressed and attributes it to her God.
4. Maybe my God is better.
c. Orpah quickly said goodbye and returned to the life she knew.
i. There’s a lot in this decision and I don’t want to over spiritualize the passage but there is a point that this brings up.
1. Sometimes the things we did before we came to Christ seem more appealing that life with Christ. We can get easily lured back, Christian, into the life we used to live. Temptation pulls and tugs and strangles us.
2. Following Christ is not easy. Believing in the God of the Bible and holding to Him by faith does not guarantee and easy life: in fact it is quite the opposite. Naomi can be called a hero of the faith because she never let go of Yahweh, the living God (Yahweh – from last week) is the name of God given to Moses and used by Naomi).
3. Are you quick to blame God when life gets tough? Do you abandon Him? Do you run from the life God wants for you to your old ways? Cling to God! Orpah saw the steadfast faith of Naomi and made the choice to go another way.
ii. Another point here is that Naomi was a good evangelist, even though she was urging them to leave and return to their own gods. A good evangelist is not measured by the number of converts but by the fruit they bear (there is a difference).
1. There are plenty of people who will at some point in their life make a decision for Christ but never act on that decision. They may say “I was confirmed” but their life speaks nothing of Christ. In other words there is no fruit.
2. The fruit of a good evangelist results in disciples: people who’ve made the decision for Christ and follow through. They grow in Him and cling to Him and tell others about Him. They become part of His church, His kingdom, and His working in the world. They give their hearts, not just their lips, when they say, “I follow Christ.”
3. A good evangelist presents the truth: Naomi did that: God does not promise a good life, but eternal life in Christ. Heaven will be awesome, but this life can and may be very hard. You may suffer, you may be persecuted, you may have death visit your family in painful and unexpected ways. Yet God is still sovereign.
4. When presented with the call to follow God or return home, Orpah had seen enough and went home.
d. The relational choice (15-18).
i. Ruth makes a relational choice. She decides to follow Naomi. She’s seen Naomi’s faith: Naomi never gave up on God, she held to Him. She’s seen Naomi’s life and witness. Ruth becomes a disciple. That is why I say Naomi was a good evangelist: despite herself she still led Ruth to follow God.
ii. Why would someone who believes in the living God say, “go back to your own people and your own god”?
1. Sometimes our life is more powerful than our words. Naomi said, “return” but she was not willing to leave God herself. Doesn’t that raise your curiosity? Why would someone hold to God despite all this trouble? Isn’t there something more?
a. Our international mission board has a team of missionaries that work in the Horn of Africa: Ethiopia and Somalia. Two places dominated by militants. One convert was arrested and thrown in jail where everyday he would sing a hymn when the sun came up, praising God for the day. Whenever he found paper he would write scripture on it and stick it to his concrete cell wall: the guards would remove it and beat him. The ritual would begin again. One day he was beaten severely, in his cell, in front of other prisoners. The prisoners had jeered him for singing. That day, the sun came up as the beatings continued. All around the guards, hundreds of prisoners stood and sang in unison the hymn they’d heard the Christian sing so often. Despite his trouble, the light broke forth.
b. Ruth saw the light and responded with an awesome declaration of dependence: I am with you (16-18). She used, in v. 17, the name Yahweh for God, not Chemosh, but the living God, the God of Naomi.
e. Naomi’s pretty bitter at this point, there’s a hint of reluctance in v. 18 – she just accepts that Ruth is coming, rather than rejoicing (we have opportunity to rejoice this evening at the Baptism Service).
i. Depression, Life, Trials, they can get you down, to the point of missing some of the most exhilarating times of life. What Ruth said was beautiful: but even as Christians we can get absorbed in our own worlds, especially where bitterness sets in. Satisfaction can seem hard to grasp. Our thirst overtakes us: we’re so thirsty we can’t see the cup of water in front of us. That’s a rotten place to be. At least Naomi held to God, and now Ruth joins her.
II. Praise and Blame (19-21)
a. Believing in God’s sovereignty and blaming God shouldn’t fall hand in hand.
i. We can blame God when things go bad: even when they go bad b/c of our choices.
1. I umpired baseball. Some teams were really bad, they couldn’t do the fundamentals and without fail they would want to blame me at the end of the game. It wasn’t my fault they lost.
2. God calls His people to live certain ways – in holiness. In righteousness and justice and love. When we put our ways first and his 2nd, bad things happen: we shouldn’t fault God for our bad decisions.
3. But here Naomi accepts the difficulties, and we also see her bitterness seep through.
ii. Bitterness can control your life if you let it. Your stomach will wrench at night, your patience will thin in the day, and you’ll become myopic. Bitterness is the result of self-centeredness. Somehow, despite being very bitter, Naomi keeps God at the center and keeps living life. She did not give up, or lash out. She stated the truth: I went away full, the Almighty brought me back empty.
b. When life is hard: can you praise God? Naomi’s return set the whole town to talking: a daughter has come home, but she sums up her 10 year famine experience with: The Lord. We leave Naomi at this point with a cynical attitude. Bitterness is a poison that spreads. Aren’t you down just hearing her words? Wouldn’t the women of the town be discouraged? Bitterness, even when we don’t want it to, seeps through our life, quenching love and leaving us truly dissatisfied. Bitterness feeds thirst. It lingers and lasts and can only be removed, not quenched. Bitterness requires a changed life, not a glass of water. It requires a fresh view of life and God. Naomi held to God, understood that God was in control, and accepted the misfortune, but also welcomed bitterness. It’s hard to accept misfortune and still praise. Naomi wasn’t perfect, but stronger than probably most of us.
III. Faithfulness (v.22)
a. Chapter one closes on a down note, with a slight hint of hope: the barley harvest was beginning. Lest we forget from last week: the Lord had come to the aid of His people. The Lord is Faithful: he cures bitterness.
i. There’s also more hope here: all the people in Bethlehem went through famine: this was the first barely harvest in 10 years: yet the people were faithful to sow seed year after year after year so that when the famine would end, the harvest would be there.
b. Your life may seem dark right now, but keep going: God is faithful.
When we last left Naomi she was left. Her sons and husband died, she was in a foreign country with 2 daughters in law, and heard that the famine ended in Israel and there would be food. So she decided to return.
Last week we discovered how despite her tremendous heartache and grief, her understanding of God sustained her, and her relationship with God nourished her. She kept God at the center of the life, even to the point of accepting difficulty from God as well as blessing.
Someone once said everyone is a theologian: the atheist makes a deliberate choice to not believe in God; the agnostic makes a choice not to care about God; the Christian makes a choice to follow the God of the bible; and countless other religions lay claim to views of God. Everyone has a view of God – whether we are comfortable with our understanding of God or not, we all have some understanding.
Some of our understanding about God is deliberate: we make a choice to believe or not to believe. And we have a basis for the choice. “The fool says in their heart there is no God” (Prov. 14:1). Choosing to believe there is no God the Bible calls foolish. Yet many make that choice despite all the evidence around that there is a creator/designer to the world. It is a great leap of faith.
Some choose to follow only a God they like. A God that never really challenges them or changes them but rather supports their decisions and what they do. We make our own Gods. The Bible calls this idolatry.
In Ruth 1:14-22 Naomi’s view of God is further fleshed out, but even more it challenges those around her and their views of God.
Naomi has just finished urging Orpah and Ruth to return to their mothers.
Read 1:14-22
I. Decisions (14-18)
a. The Rational Choice (14)
b. Orpah made a rational decision. She knew Naomi, her family, and their faith. Naomi just told her point blank: God’s hand has gone out against me.
i. Look at the circumstances Orpah faced.
1. Naomi came to Moab in the 1st place because of famine: her God can’t feed her, yet Chemosh (the god of Moab) provides so much that this Israelite family has come to us for help.
2. Naomi has known nothing good in the 10 years I’ve known her: death has surrounded her, my own husband died: her God cannot save life.
3. Naomi is depressed and attributes it to her God.
4. Maybe my God is better.
c. Orpah quickly said goodbye and returned to the life she knew.
i. There’s a lot in this decision and I don’t want to over spiritualize the passage but there is a point that this brings up.
1. Sometimes the things we did before we came to Christ seem more appealing that life with Christ. We can get easily lured back, Christian, into the life we used to live. Temptation pulls and tugs and strangles us.
2. Following Christ is not easy. Believing in the God of the Bible and holding to Him by faith does not guarantee and easy life: in fact it is quite the opposite. Naomi can be called a hero of the faith because she never let go of Yahweh, the living God (Yahweh – from last week) is the name of God given to Moses and used by Naomi).
3. Are you quick to blame God when life gets tough? Do you abandon Him? Do you run from the life God wants for you to your old ways? Cling to God! Orpah saw the steadfast faith of Naomi and made the choice to go another way.
ii. Another point here is that Naomi was a good evangelist, even though she was urging them to leave and return to their own gods. A good evangelist is not measured by the number of converts but by the fruit they bear (there is a difference).
1. There are plenty of people who will at some point in their life make a decision for Christ but never act on that decision. They may say “I was confirmed” but their life speaks nothing of Christ. In other words there is no fruit.
2. The fruit of a good evangelist results in disciples: people who’ve made the decision for Christ and follow through. They grow in Him and cling to Him and tell others about Him. They become part of His church, His kingdom, and His working in the world. They give their hearts, not just their lips, when they say, “I follow Christ.”
3. A good evangelist presents the truth: Naomi did that: God does not promise a good life, but eternal life in Christ. Heaven will be awesome, but this life can and may be very hard. You may suffer, you may be persecuted, you may have death visit your family in painful and unexpected ways. Yet God is still sovereign.
4. When presented with the call to follow God or return home, Orpah had seen enough and went home.
d. The relational choice (15-18).
i. Ruth makes a relational choice. She decides to follow Naomi. She’s seen Naomi’s faith: Naomi never gave up on God, she held to Him. She’s seen Naomi’s life and witness. Ruth becomes a disciple. That is why I say Naomi was a good evangelist: despite herself she still led Ruth to follow God.
ii. Why would someone who believes in the living God say, “go back to your own people and your own god”?
1. Sometimes our life is more powerful than our words. Naomi said, “return” but she was not willing to leave God herself. Doesn’t that raise your curiosity? Why would someone hold to God despite all this trouble? Isn’t there something more?
a. Our international mission board has a team of missionaries that work in the Horn of Africa: Ethiopia and Somalia. Two places dominated by militants. One convert was arrested and thrown in jail where everyday he would sing a hymn when the sun came up, praising God for the day. Whenever he found paper he would write scripture on it and stick it to his concrete cell wall: the guards would remove it and beat him. The ritual would begin again. One day he was beaten severely, in his cell, in front of other prisoners. The prisoners had jeered him for singing. That day, the sun came up as the beatings continued. All around the guards, hundreds of prisoners stood and sang in unison the hymn they’d heard the Christian sing so often. Despite his trouble, the light broke forth.
b. Ruth saw the light and responded with an awesome declaration of dependence: I am with you (16-18). She used, in v. 17, the name Yahweh for God, not Chemosh, but the living God, the God of Naomi.
e. Naomi’s pretty bitter at this point, there’s a hint of reluctance in v. 18 – she just accepts that Ruth is coming, rather than rejoicing (we have opportunity to rejoice this evening at the Baptism Service).
i. Depression, Life, Trials, they can get you down, to the point of missing some of the most exhilarating times of life. What Ruth said was beautiful: but even as Christians we can get absorbed in our own worlds, especially where bitterness sets in. Satisfaction can seem hard to grasp. Our thirst overtakes us: we’re so thirsty we can’t see the cup of water in front of us. That’s a rotten place to be. At least Naomi held to God, and now Ruth joins her.
II. Praise and Blame (19-21)
a. Believing in God’s sovereignty and blaming God shouldn’t fall hand in hand.
i. We can blame God when things go bad: even when they go bad b/c of our choices.
1. I umpired baseball. Some teams were really bad, they couldn’t do the fundamentals and without fail they would want to blame me at the end of the game. It wasn’t my fault they lost.
2. God calls His people to live certain ways – in holiness. In righteousness and justice and love. When we put our ways first and his 2nd, bad things happen: we shouldn’t fault God for our bad decisions.
3. But here Naomi accepts the difficulties, and we also see her bitterness seep through.
ii. Bitterness can control your life if you let it. Your stomach will wrench at night, your patience will thin in the day, and you’ll become myopic. Bitterness is the result of self-centeredness. Somehow, despite being very bitter, Naomi keeps God at the center and keeps living life. She did not give up, or lash out. She stated the truth: I went away full, the Almighty brought me back empty.
b. When life is hard: can you praise God? Naomi’s return set the whole town to talking: a daughter has come home, but she sums up her 10 year famine experience with: The Lord. We leave Naomi at this point with a cynical attitude. Bitterness is a poison that spreads. Aren’t you down just hearing her words? Wouldn’t the women of the town be discouraged? Bitterness, even when we don’t want it to, seeps through our life, quenching love and leaving us truly dissatisfied. Bitterness feeds thirst. It lingers and lasts and can only be removed, not quenched. Bitterness requires a changed life, not a glass of water. It requires a fresh view of life and God. Naomi held to God, understood that God was in control, and accepted the misfortune, but also welcomed bitterness. It’s hard to accept misfortune and still praise. Naomi wasn’t perfect, but stronger than probably most of us.
III. Faithfulness (v.22)
a. Chapter one closes on a down note, with a slight hint of hope: the barley harvest was beginning. Lest we forget from last week: the Lord had come to the aid of His people. The Lord is Faithful: he cures bitterness.
i. There’s also more hope here: all the people in Bethlehem went through famine: this was the first barely harvest in 10 years: yet the people were faithful to sow seed year after year after year so that when the famine would end, the harvest would be there.
b. Your life may seem dark right now, but keep going: God is faithful.
2.10.2006
Ruth 1
Satisfaction
Ruth 1:1-13
Satisfaction can be found in the midst of tough times in life. We’re going to walk through the book of Ruth and see from the lives of, mostly godly, people how God does work and completes purpose, and importantly, the types of attitudes we’re to maintain and treasure in life.
Ruth is an ancient book, written with similarity to Samuel, and occurring during the time of the Judges, well before Israel gained a king. It has a lot of customs that we’ll unpack for their meaning because they certainly aren’t customs today. And it has a lot of drama. It has been called the best short story ever written; but even that misses the mark because it is historical, not fictional. One sign that it is historical is caught up in the names of the people: Ruth being a main person and Orpah a minor person. They are Moabite names. The other names in the book are Hebrew and have meanings that add to the life of the book. But Ruth and Orpah are thoroughly Moabite and we do not know the meanings nor have they been passed down through the church or people of God. It’s all speculation. And Ruth is in the genealogy of David, and Jesus. Why would someone create a fictional account that would be celebrated in the genealogy of Israel’s greatest King, David? They rationally wouldn’t. It is just evidence towards the historicity of the book.
The lives of Ruth, Naomi, Boaz, and the others were lived during the time of judges. The last verse of the book of Judges gives us the framework we need for the study: In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit.
It was a time like ours: ultimate relativism. Absolute truth was only recognized out of dire need, not love for God and His truth. People lived life their way, not God’s way. There was an attitude of complacency with regard to spirituality, and acceptance of all ideas as equal. This attitude goes against the grain of Biblical Christianity, and Lawful worship in the days of the Judges. The living God is one, and His truth is unified, and that turns a lot of people off: both in the days of the judges and today. The book of Judges is a time of Chaos and anarchy, and yet Ruth is a life of beauty in suffering and providence. Even in times of cultural chaos, God watches over His children, and there are beautiful lives faithfully lived that point to Him.
John Piper said the book should be called Naomi – because the book is about her – from the beginning to the end. Leon Morris, a commentator, said it should be called “God” because it is a book of His sovereignty and worship played out practically. There are no worship services or church rituals that we’ll see, but rather faithful lives. In other words, believers who lived Monday through Saturday like they do on Sunday. Ultimately, that is what brought them satisfaction. It was not found in riches or clothes or homes, but in the God of Israel, God Almighty, the Lord. Yahweh is the name of God used by Israel. It comes from the name God gave to Moses when God said to Him “tell them ‘I am’ sent you”. Yahweh is the I am. The living God, creator God, the God who is. Jesus, especially in the Gospel of John, makes it clear that He is. Jesus says ‘I am.” Connecting Himself with God, being the Son of God but equal with the Father.
In Ruth we see Yahweh called Yahweh. This is important, not only in view of satisfaction and sovereignty, but also in the view of God that was held by believers. It should help shape our view as well.
So satisfaction, it turns out, comes from our view of God. Ruth happened during chaotic, pluralist times. Tragedy strikes, as we’ll see, quickly, and yet during it all there was contentment, satisfaction. Why? Ultimately satisfaction came from God, the true God, and was available because the people held a correct view of God that was evident in their lives and words.
Read Ruth 1: 1-5
I. Setting and Tragedy (1-5)
a. Famine: meaning there wasn’t a crop, and without a crop commerce stopped, and that forced life changes.
i. Things happen in life that force changes. These can be good milestones, which bring a manner of satisfaction in themselves: graduating is a good change. Children are a great, though challenging, change; as is marriage. Getting new job is a great change. Children leaving home is a milestone, and hopefully satisfying. But even in each of these cases the satisfaction usually lasts as long as the event. Graduation puts you into the real world with new decisions and challenges. A degree only takes you so far. The euphoria of graduation only lasts for a time. Marriage is exciting but challenges come as the honeymoon ends. Children bring a new level of commitment and challenge to raise them. Satisfaction based on any of these milestones is fleeting, and maybe never attained, leaving you unsatisfied.
ii. There are also events that bring unwelcome challenges, such as famine: losing a job isn’t welcome. Not having the funds to pay for an emergency isn’t a good challenge. Dealing with disobedient children stretches us. Life and circumstances test marriage bonds. Alcoholism, drug addiction, and poverty are unwelcome, and we have to respond. Elimelech took has family and headed to, literally, the fields of Moab, where, presumably, there could be work and food and prosperity.
1. Moab was kind of a neutral place. It is interesting to note that in the law, the Israelites were not strictly prohibited from marrying Moabites, as they were other people (Deut. 7:1-3). Elimelech likely felt this was the best possible scenario for his family, because Moab was neutral. Not America, but not al-Qaeda either. Maybe like Canada: a place where you won’t be hated but has less than 5% believing Christians.
2. Though marrying a Moabite wasn’t forbidden, the children of such a marriage were not permitted into the Israelite assembly until the 10th generation (Deut. 23:3). So, the kids would pay – to the 10th generation – for the decision to marry, but it wasn’t forbidden.
3. The decision to live for a while in Moab means they were planning to return, probably before the sons would marry.
b. Isn’t it satisfying to make a plan that honors God, to commit your way to God and carry it out? That’s what Elimelech was aiming for, when tragedy struck again: he died. That leaves Naomi with her sons, who were likely young, but approaching the age to marry. And still, the famine was happening in Bethlehem.
i. God is sovereign, even over our plans. Naomi will be sustained through her love and understanding of God.
c. The sons marry: which, again, is not forbidden, just highly risky for the 10 generations to follow. But they, Mahlon and Kilion, also die. So Naomi is left living without husbands, without sons, just foreigner daughters in law.
d. She was grief stricken, yes, but we get no sense that she was unsatisfied. Jaded, very much so – she calls life bitter, herself afflicted, and her circumstances unfortunate. But she keeps God at the center.
Read Ruth 6-13
II. A God-centered Worldview (6-13)
a. This family was a believing family. Elimelech’s name, which means God is King, reflects religious conviction. Naomi’s worldview – they way she sees and responds to life – is thoroughly Biblical and God-centered.
i. There is now way that we can see with our eyes hope in the midst of desperate grief. Life seems helpless, yet there is a contentment that comes from Naomi’s worldview. Suffering can strengthen our faith.
1. A lady whose husband attended church but she never did. When he died, she became faithful.
ii. This was not likely the first suffering Naomi encountered in her life. Mahlon and Kilion have curious names. Mahlon means sickly. What grief parents go through when their children are sick. We’ve have friends who have lost children to sickness. Many of you know people who’ve experienced that loss. Yet Naomi held to God (and Mahlon lived to marry). Kilion means pining and annihilation. I don’t know where to go with that – but he must have been a handful as a youngster to get that name. They are not common names in the Bible.
1. Naomi’s suffering with her children strengthened her understanding of the sovereign God. And when all her men died, she held fast to God.
b. V. 6 – The Lord brought aid.
c. V. 8 & 9 – The Lord shows kindness.
d. V. 13 – The Lord’s hand.
i. Naomi did not curse God; she recognized His working, and Lordship. She used, in these three verses the name of God: Yahweh. She did not succumb to the Moabites who worshiped Chemosh. She knew the living God and stood for Him despite all her experiences and the pressure of the world around her. She wasn’t afraid to call Him by name, and to accept the good and the bad from Him.
1. The name Jesus is not celebrated in our world. We are challenged when we pray in His name in public. We are criticized for following Him. When our life goes bad we are tempted to blame Him, rather than accepting good and bad from Him. Standing for Him is not easy: even in our own thoughts. But that is where the battle begins and Naomi had firmly decided: she would be for the Lord, the God of Israel and none other.
2. She already had victory over the circumstances because she had peace in her heart. Grief could not shake her faith, loss of all possessions could not shake her, death couldn’t shake her, the depressing prospects of dying a widow without children couldn’t shake her: she worshipped and loved God. His love is better than life. She lived it.
e. There is no room for pluralism in a biblical worldview. That sounds harsh, especially today. But when Naomi lost husband and sons and was stuck in a foreign land without her possessions (from v.20-21 we can see that she had been a leader in Bethlehem and from a well known family) pluralism wouldn’t suffice.
i. God alone could sustain her. And the Lord alone had the power to comfort her. The thought that many roads would lead to heaven isn’t comforting when your loved ones die; you’re stranded and impoverished. You need a God who lives and acts and cares and loves with certainty. Only the God of the Bible stands ready and able to help. Where was Chemosh, god of Moab during this time? Nowhere. Naomi accepted life and stayed satisfied because she knew the Lord. He is a Lord who shows kindness and mercy and is sovereign over the events of life. She could accept death knowing that God, the Lord, stood beside her and was sovereign over the situation.
1. Saying “it’s God’s will” isn’t always comforting. But Naomi didn’t separate life from God: she believed God’s hand went out against her. She knew how “to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” Phil. 4:11-13
f. She could say that with Paul because she believed it and lived it. Satisfaction will not be found in this world. Satisfaction is found in God: Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble? [Job. 2:10]
g. Peace despite circumstances. Naomi had it, deep down under her grief she held a Scriptural worldview that would not let her be shaken. Depression would come; possessions would go; yet through it all she was content.
h. Christian, are you content? Do you take the good and the bad with a glad heart? Do you see God’s hand at work in your life and point to Him? Can you trust Him in your current situation? Naomi had no good prospects, and was even encouraging her widowed daughters-in-law to leave her. Yet she trusted.
Ruth 1:1-13
Satisfaction can be found in the midst of tough times in life. We’re going to walk through the book of Ruth and see from the lives of, mostly godly, people how God does work and completes purpose, and importantly, the types of attitudes we’re to maintain and treasure in life.
Ruth is an ancient book, written with similarity to Samuel, and occurring during the time of the Judges, well before Israel gained a king. It has a lot of customs that we’ll unpack for their meaning because they certainly aren’t customs today. And it has a lot of drama. It has been called the best short story ever written; but even that misses the mark because it is historical, not fictional. One sign that it is historical is caught up in the names of the people: Ruth being a main person and Orpah a minor person. They are Moabite names. The other names in the book are Hebrew and have meanings that add to the life of the book. But Ruth and Orpah are thoroughly Moabite and we do not know the meanings nor have they been passed down through the church or people of God. It’s all speculation. And Ruth is in the genealogy of David, and Jesus. Why would someone create a fictional account that would be celebrated in the genealogy of Israel’s greatest King, David? They rationally wouldn’t. It is just evidence towards the historicity of the book.
The lives of Ruth, Naomi, Boaz, and the others were lived during the time of judges. The last verse of the book of Judges gives us the framework we need for the study: In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit.
It was a time like ours: ultimate relativism. Absolute truth was only recognized out of dire need, not love for God and His truth. People lived life their way, not God’s way. There was an attitude of complacency with regard to spirituality, and acceptance of all ideas as equal. This attitude goes against the grain of Biblical Christianity, and Lawful worship in the days of the Judges. The living God is one, and His truth is unified, and that turns a lot of people off: both in the days of the judges and today. The book of Judges is a time of Chaos and anarchy, and yet Ruth is a life of beauty in suffering and providence. Even in times of cultural chaos, God watches over His children, and there are beautiful lives faithfully lived that point to Him.
John Piper said the book should be called Naomi – because the book is about her – from the beginning to the end. Leon Morris, a commentator, said it should be called “God” because it is a book of His sovereignty and worship played out practically. There are no worship services or church rituals that we’ll see, but rather faithful lives. In other words, believers who lived Monday through Saturday like they do on Sunday. Ultimately, that is what brought them satisfaction. It was not found in riches or clothes or homes, but in the God of Israel, God Almighty, the Lord. Yahweh is the name of God used by Israel. It comes from the name God gave to Moses when God said to Him “tell them ‘I am’ sent you”. Yahweh is the I am. The living God, creator God, the God who is. Jesus, especially in the Gospel of John, makes it clear that He is. Jesus says ‘I am.” Connecting Himself with God, being the Son of God but equal with the Father.
In Ruth we see Yahweh called Yahweh. This is important, not only in view of satisfaction and sovereignty, but also in the view of God that was held by believers. It should help shape our view as well.
So satisfaction, it turns out, comes from our view of God. Ruth happened during chaotic, pluralist times. Tragedy strikes, as we’ll see, quickly, and yet during it all there was contentment, satisfaction. Why? Ultimately satisfaction came from God, the true God, and was available because the people held a correct view of God that was evident in their lives and words.
Read Ruth 1: 1-5
I. Setting and Tragedy (1-5)
a. Famine: meaning there wasn’t a crop, and without a crop commerce stopped, and that forced life changes.
i. Things happen in life that force changes. These can be good milestones, which bring a manner of satisfaction in themselves: graduating is a good change. Children are a great, though challenging, change; as is marriage. Getting new job is a great change. Children leaving home is a milestone, and hopefully satisfying. But even in each of these cases the satisfaction usually lasts as long as the event. Graduation puts you into the real world with new decisions and challenges. A degree only takes you so far. The euphoria of graduation only lasts for a time. Marriage is exciting but challenges come as the honeymoon ends. Children bring a new level of commitment and challenge to raise them. Satisfaction based on any of these milestones is fleeting, and maybe never attained, leaving you unsatisfied.
ii. There are also events that bring unwelcome challenges, such as famine: losing a job isn’t welcome. Not having the funds to pay for an emergency isn’t a good challenge. Dealing with disobedient children stretches us. Life and circumstances test marriage bonds. Alcoholism, drug addiction, and poverty are unwelcome, and we have to respond. Elimelech took has family and headed to, literally, the fields of Moab, where, presumably, there could be work and food and prosperity.
1. Moab was kind of a neutral place. It is interesting to note that in the law, the Israelites were not strictly prohibited from marrying Moabites, as they were other people (Deut. 7:1-3). Elimelech likely felt this was the best possible scenario for his family, because Moab was neutral. Not America, but not al-Qaeda either. Maybe like Canada: a place where you won’t be hated but has less than 5% believing Christians.
2. Though marrying a Moabite wasn’t forbidden, the children of such a marriage were not permitted into the Israelite assembly until the 10th generation (Deut. 23:3). So, the kids would pay – to the 10th generation – for the decision to marry, but it wasn’t forbidden.
3. The decision to live for a while in Moab means they were planning to return, probably before the sons would marry.
b. Isn’t it satisfying to make a plan that honors God, to commit your way to God and carry it out? That’s what Elimelech was aiming for, when tragedy struck again: he died. That leaves Naomi with her sons, who were likely young, but approaching the age to marry. And still, the famine was happening in Bethlehem.
i. God is sovereign, even over our plans. Naomi will be sustained through her love and understanding of God.
c. The sons marry: which, again, is not forbidden, just highly risky for the 10 generations to follow. But they, Mahlon and Kilion, also die. So Naomi is left living without husbands, without sons, just foreigner daughters in law.
d. She was grief stricken, yes, but we get no sense that she was unsatisfied. Jaded, very much so – she calls life bitter, herself afflicted, and her circumstances unfortunate. But she keeps God at the center.
Read Ruth 6-13
II. A God-centered Worldview (6-13)
a. This family was a believing family. Elimelech’s name, which means God is King, reflects religious conviction. Naomi’s worldview – they way she sees and responds to life – is thoroughly Biblical and God-centered.
i. There is now way that we can see with our eyes hope in the midst of desperate grief. Life seems helpless, yet there is a contentment that comes from Naomi’s worldview. Suffering can strengthen our faith.
1. A lady whose husband attended church but she never did. When he died, she became faithful.
ii. This was not likely the first suffering Naomi encountered in her life. Mahlon and Kilion have curious names. Mahlon means sickly. What grief parents go through when their children are sick. We’ve have friends who have lost children to sickness. Many of you know people who’ve experienced that loss. Yet Naomi held to God (and Mahlon lived to marry). Kilion means pining and annihilation. I don’t know where to go with that – but he must have been a handful as a youngster to get that name. They are not common names in the Bible.
1. Naomi’s suffering with her children strengthened her understanding of the sovereign God. And when all her men died, she held fast to God.
b. V. 6 – The Lord brought aid.
c. V. 8 & 9 – The Lord shows kindness.
d. V. 13 – The Lord’s hand.
i. Naomi did not curse God; she recognized His working, and Lordship. She used, in these three verses the name of God: Yahweh. She did not succumb to the Moabites who worshiped Chemosh. She knew the living God and stood for Him despite all her experiences and the pressure of the world around her. She wasn’t afraid to call Him by name, and to accept the good and the bad from Him.
1. The name Jesus is not celebrated in our world. We are challenged when we pray in His name in public. We are criticized for following Him. When our life goes bad we are tempted to blame Him, rather than accepting good and bad from Him. Standing for Him is not easy: even in our own thoughts. But that is where the battle begins and Naomi had firmly decided: she would be for the Lord, the God of Israel and none other.
2. She already had victory over the circumstances because she had peace in her heart. Grief could not shake her faith, loss of all possessions could not shake her, death couldn’t shake her, the depressing prospects of dying a widow without children couldn’t shake her: she worshipped and loved God. His love is better than life. She lived it.
e. There is no room for pluralism in a biblical worldview. That sounds harsh, especially today. But when Naomi lost husband and sons and was stuck in a foreign land without her possessions (from v.20-21 we can see that she had been a leader in Bethlehem and from a well known family) pluralism wouldn’t suffice.
i. God alone could sustain her. And the Lord alone had the power to comfort her. The thought that many roads would lead to heaven isn’t comforting when your loved ones die; you’re stranded and impoverished. You need a God who lives and acts and cares and loves with certainty. Only the God of the Bible stands ready and able to help. Where was Chemosh, god of Moab during this time? Nowhere. Naomi accepted life and stayed satisfied because she knew the Lord. He is a Lord who shows kindness and mercy and is sovereign over the events of life. She could accept death knowing that God, the Lord, stood beside her and was sovereign over the situation.
1. Saying “it’s God’s will” isn’t always comforting. But Naomi didn’t separate life from God: she believed God’s hand went out against her. She knew how “to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” Phil. 4:11-13
f. She could say that with Paul because she believed it and lived it. Satisfaction will not be found in this world. Satisfaction is found in God: Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble? [Job. 2:10]
g. Peace despite circumstances. Naomi had it, deep down under her grief she held a Scriptural worldview that would not let her be shaken. Depression would come; possessions would go; yet through it all she was content.
h. Christian, are you content? Do you take the good and the bad with a glad heart? Do you see God’s hand at work in your life and point to Him? Can you trust Him in your current situation? Naomi had no good prospects, and was even encouraging her widowed daughters-in-law to leave her. Yet she trusted.
1.30.2006
Satisfy
Isn't this the one quest: satisfaction? I had meetings this morning that stressed the importance of planning now so that you will have plenty in the future - be satisfied, I suppose, in retirement. I've talked with couples looking to marry, who believe in marriage they will be satisfied [that is possible, but it takes work and planning - like retirement I suppose]. Google gave me 341,000,000 pages in 0.13 seconds talking about satisfaction. Surely I don't have to read them all to be satisfied or find the way to satisfaction. Right?
This morning I read through a Psalm. It screamed: satisfaction is in God alone. Money won't buy it, jobs won't secure, victory won't keep it [a lesson I learned in 2005-06 with the formerly championship Red Sox and Patriots]. With God, will I always feel it? Was Jesus satisfied when he said "it is finished"? That is not a pretty picture of satisfaction to think about enduring, but a beautiful one to behold. How can I be satisfied in life: a husband, a father, a minister, a friend, a hard worker [okay, maybe in my own eyes - but look, I figured out enough html to make things bold]?
That's the voyage I'm taking and the answer I seek: Lord, satisfy me.
This morning I read through a Psalm. It screamed: satisfaction is in God alone. Money won't buy it, jobs won't secure, victory won't keep it [a lesson I learned in 2005-06 with the formerly championship Red Sox and Patriots]. With God, will I always feel it? Was Jesus satisfied when he said "it is finished"? That is not a pretty picture of satisfaction to think about enduring, but a beautiful one to behold. How can I be satisfied in life: a husband, a father, a minister, a friend, a hard worker [okay, maybe in my own eyes - but look, I figured out enough html to make things bold]?
That's the voyage I'm taking and the answer I seek: Lord, satisfy me.
12.05.2005
Holy Spirit
God the Holy Spirit is among His people today. He does not ever leave us, we were sealed with Him when we believed, so there's not really a need to work ourselves up and get into an attitude that we think allows us to experience HIm. We just need to ask Him to fill us - in other words, remind us that He is God, He is in us, and we should follow Him. Another way of saying the Holy Spirit is here, is to say: God is my Leader.
Jesus promises the Holy Spirit to His followers: John 14:15-31. He is the Counselor and Spirit of Truth. That's comforting. Paul calls Him "Spirit of life" in referring to the law of the Spirit of Life. Romans 8:1-2 "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death." The rule of the Holy Spirit is one of life and peace and righteousness.
In Acts, the Holy Spirit works all kinds of miracles and gives direction to His people. The book of Acts is structurally reliant upon Acts 1:8:: but you will be my witnesses into Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. The Holy Spirit empowers this progression. Miracles and signs accompany His work. At pentecost, evidence of the Spirit is in tongues - actual spoken languages that each person understood: the Spirit spoke to each person's heart language. The gospel spreads throughout Judea and Samaria, and the evidence is that the recipients speak in tongues or show great faith. Then, through Paul's missionary journeys, the Gospel is carried throughout the world. But the signs accompanying the Spirit are more evident in the Fruit of the Spirit (see Galatians 5) rather than signs and wonders. Why? The barrier had been crossed from Jew to Gentile in the spread of the good news. The early church now became multi-cultural [it started out among Jewish people only]. The signs of the Holy Spirit encouraged the church in realizing the Acts 1:8 progression of the Gospel. Not everyone who believed spoke in tongues or worked wonders. All were baptized. Hmmm...
So, what about today? Scripturally, passages like John 14:15-31, Romans 8:1-17, Galatians 5:16-26 should guide our understanding. To say "God is my Leader" is one thing. To live like God is my leader is another. The Spirit impacts my life, attitudes, and actions. Being filled with the spirit is emptying the sin [confessing it] and asking God to lead. Exhale sin, Inhale leadership.
So many passages, so little time.
11.29.2005
Trinitarian Statement
God
There is one and only one living and true God. He is an intelligent, spiritual, and personal
Being, the Creator, Redeemer, Preserver, and Ruler of the universe. God is infinite in
holiness and all other perfections. God is all powerful and all knowing; and His perfect
knowledge extends to all things, past, present, and future, including the future decisions
of His free creatures. To Him we owe the highest love, reverence, and obedience. The
eternal triune God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct
personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being.
A. God the Father
God as Father reigns with providential care over His universe, His creatures, and the flow
of the stream of human history according to the purposes of His grace. He is all powerful,
all knowing, all loving, and all wise. God is Father in truth to those who become children
of God through faith in Jesus Christ. He is fatherly in His attitude toward all men.
Genesis 1:1; 2:7; Exodus 3:14; 6:2-3; 15:11ff.; 20:1ff.; Leviticus 22:2; Deuteronomy
6:4; 32:6; 1 Chronicles 29:10; Psalm 19:1-3; Isaiah 43:3,15; 64:8; Jeremiah 10:10;
17:13; Matthew 6:9ff.; 7:11; 23:9; 28:19; Mark 1:9-11; John 4:24; 5:26; 14:6-13; 17:1-
8; Acts 1:7; Romans 8:14-15; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 4:6;
Colossians 1:15; 1 Timothy 1:17; Hebrews 11:6; 12:9; 1 Peter 1:17; 1 John 5:7.
B. God the Son
Christ is the eternal Son of God. In His incarnation as Jesus Christ He was conceived of
the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. Jesus perfectly revealed and did the will of
God, taking upon Himself human nature with its demands and necessities and identifying
Himself completely with mankind yet without sin. He honored the divine law by His
personal obedience, and in His substitutionary death on the cross He made provision for
the redemption of men from sin. He was raised from the dead with a glorified body and
appeared to His disciples as the person who was with them before His crucifixion. He
ascended into heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God where He is the One
Mediator, fully God, fully man, in whose Person is effected the reconciliation between
God and man. He will return in power and glory to judge the world and to consummate
His redemptive mission. He now dwells in all believers as the living and ever present
Lord.
Genesis 18:1ff.; Psalms 2:7ff.; 110:1ff.; Isaiah 7:14; 53; Matthew 1:18-23; 3:17; 8:29;
11:27; 14:33; 16:16,27; 17:5; 27; 28:1-6,19; Mark 1:1; 3:11; Luke 1:35; 4:41; 22:70;
24:46; John 1:1-18,29; 10:30,38; 11:25-27; 12:44-50; 14:7-11; 16:15-16,28; 17:1-5,
21-22; 20:1-20,28; Acts 1:9; 2:22-24; 7:55-56; 9:4-5,20; Romans 1:3-4; 3:23-26; 5:6-
21; 8:1-3,34; 10:4; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 2:2; 8:6; 15:1-8,24-28; 2 Corinthians 5:19-21;
8:9; Galatians 4:4-5; Ephesians 1:20; 3:11; 4:7-10; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians
1:13-22; 2:9; 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; 3:16; Titus 2:13-14; Hebrews
1:1-3; 4:14-15; 7:14-28; 9:12-15,24-28; 12:2; 13:8; 1 Peter 2:21-25; 3:22; 1 John 1:7-
9; 3:2; 4:14-15; 5:9; 2 John 7-9; Revelation 1:13-16; 5:9-14; 12:10-11; 13:8; 19:16.
C. God the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, fully divine. He inspired holy men of old to write the
Scriptures. Through illumination He enables men to understand truth. He exalts Christ.
He convicts men of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. He calls men to the Saviour,
and effects regeneration. At the moment of regeneration He baptizes every believer into
the Body of Christ. He cultivates Christian character, comforts believers, and bestows the
spiritual gifts by which they serve God through His church. He seals the believer unto the
day of final redemption. His presence in the Christian is the guarantee that God will bring
the believer into the fullness of the stature of Christ. He enlightens and empowers the
believer and the church in worship, evangelism, and service.
Genesis 1:2; Judges 14:6; Job 26:13; Psalms 51:11; 139:7ff.; Isaiah 61:1-3; Joel 2:28-
32; Matthew 1:18; 3:16; 4:1; 12:28-32; 28:19; Mark 1:10,12; Luke 1:35; 4:1,18-19;
11:13; 12:12; 24:49; John 4:24; 14:16-17,26; 15:26; 16:7-14; Acts 1:8; 2:1-4,38; 4:31;
5:3; 6:3; 7:55; 8:17,39; 10:44; 13:2; 15:28; 16:6; 19:1-6; Romans 8:9-11,14-16,26-27;
1 Corinthians 2:10-14; 3:16; 12:3-11,13; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30; 5:18;
1 Thessalonians 5:19; 1 Timothy 3:16; 4:1; 2 Timothy 1:14; 3:16; Hebrews 9:8,14; 2
Peter 1:21; 1 John 4:13; 5:6-7; Revelation 1:10; 22:17.
There is one and only one living and true God. He is an intelligent, spiritual, and personal
Being, the Creator, Redeemer, Preserver, and Ruler of the universe. God is infinite in
holiness and all other perfections. God is all powerful and all knowing; and His perfect
knowledge extends to all things, past, present, and future, including the future decisions
of His free creatures. To Him we owe the highest love, reverence, and obedience. The
eternal triune God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct
personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being.
A. God the Father
God as Father reigns with providential care over His universe, His creatures, and the flow
of the stream of human history according to the purposes of His grace. He is all powerful,
all knowing, all loving, and all wise. God is Father in truth to those who become children
of God through faith in Jesus Christ. He is fatherly in His attitude toward all men.
Genesis 1:1; 2:7; Exodus 3:14; 6:2-3; 15:11ff.; 20:1ff.; Leviticus 22:2; Deuteronomy
6:4; 32:6; 1 Chronicles 29:10; Psalm 19:1-3; Isaiah 43:3,15; 64:8; Jeremiah 10:10;
17:13; Matthew 6:9ff.; 7:11; 23:9; 28:19; Mark 1:9-11; John 4:24; 5:26; 14:6-13; 17:1-
8; Acts 1:7; Romans 8:14-15; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 4:6;
Colossians 1:15; 1 Timothy 1:17; Hebrews 11:6; 12:9; 1 Peter 1:17; 1 John 5:7.
B. God the Son
Christ is the eternal Son of God. In His incarnation as Jesus Christ He was conceived of
the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. Jesus perfectly revealed and did the will of
God, taking upon Himself human nature with its demands and necessities and identifying
Himself completely with mankind yet without sin. He honored the divine law by His
personal obedience, and in His substitutionary death on the cross He made provision for
the redemption of men from sin. He was raised from the dead with a glorified body and
appeared to His disciples as the person who was with them before His crucifixion. He
ascended into heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God where He is the One
Mediator, fully God, fully man, in whose Person is effected the reconciliation between
God and man. He will return in power and glory to judge the world and to consummate
His redemptive mission. He now dwells in all believers as the living and ever present
Lord.
Genesis 18:1ff.; Psalms 2:7ff.; 110:1ff.; Isaiah 7:14; 53; Matthew 1:18-23; 3:17; 8:29;
11:27; 14:33; 16:16,27; 17:5; 27; 28:1-6,19; Mark 1:1; 3:11; Luke 1:35; 4:41; 22:70;
24:46; John 1:1-18,29; 10:30,38; 11:25-27; 12:44-50; 14:7-11; 16:15-16,28; 17:1-5,
21-22; 20:1-20,28; Acts 1:9; 2:22-24; 7:55-56; 9:4-5,20; Romans 1:3-4; 3:23-26; 5:6-
21; 8:1-3,34; 10:4; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 2:2; 8:6; 15:1-8,24-28; 2 Corinthians 5:19-21;
8:9; Galatians 4:4-5; Ephesians 1:20; 3:11; 4:7-10; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians
1:13-22; 2:9; 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; 3:16; Titus 2:13-14; Hebrews
1:1-3; 4:14-15; 7:14-28; 9:12-15,24-28; 12:2; 13:8; 1 Peter 2:21-25; 3:22; 1 John 1:7-
9; 3:2; 4:14-15; 5:9; 2 John 7-9; Revelation 1:13-16; 5:9-14; 12:10-11; 13:8; 19:16.
C. God the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, fully divine. He inspired holy men of old to write the
Scriptures. Through illumination He enables men to understand truth. He exalts Christ.
He convicts men of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. He calls men to the Saviour,
and effects regeneration. At the moment of regeneration He baptizes every believer into
the Body of Christ. He cultivates Christian character, comforts believers, and bestows the
spiritual gifts by which they serve God through His church. He seals the believer unto the
day of final redemption. His presence in the Christian is the guarantee that God will bring
the believer into the fullness of the stature of Christ. He enlightens and empowers the
believer and the church in worship, evangelism, and service.
Genesis 1:2; Judges 14:6; Job 26:13; Psalms 51:11; 139:7ff.; Isaiah 61:1-3; Joel 2:28-
32; Matthew 1:18; 3:16; 4:1; 12:28-32; 28:19; Mark 1:10,12; Luke 1:35; 4:1,18-19;
11:13; 12:12; 24:49; John 4:24; 14:16-17,26; 15:26; 16:7-14; Acts 1:8; 2:1-4,38; 4:31;
5:3; 6:3; 7:55; 8:17,39; 10:44; 13:2; 15:28; 16:6; 19:1-6; Romans 8:9-11,14-16,26-27;
1 Corinthians 2:10-14; 3:16; 12:3-11,13; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30; 5:18;
1 Thessalonians 5:19; 1 Timothy 3:16; 4:1; 2 Timothy 1:14; 3:16; Hebrews 9:8,14; 2
Peter 1:21; 1 John 4:13; 5:6-7; Revelation 1:10; 22:17.
11.17.2005
True Fathers stay close
Ps. 31:11-12
"I am the utter contempt of my neighbors; I am a dread to my friends - those who see me on the street flee from me. I am forgotten by them as though I were dead; I have become like broken pottery."
We all do things that put us in crazy situations. Feeling isolated from friends, family, neighbors, is pretty normal at times. Gossip abounds, and it gets to the point where we feel isolated, alone, abandoned. That's not a new feeling. David penned these words over a millenium ago - he says he's like broken pottery: sharp trash that only causes hurt as it is throne out. Ouch.
But the Father is faithful. He stays close. David goes on to say "But I trust in you, O Lord; I say "You are my God." My times are in your hands; deliver me from my enemies and those who pursue me. Let your face shine on your servant, save me in your unfailing love."
We are never too far from God to call to Him. When everything is crumbled and against us - we can still call to Him. Whether I've made the situation, or life made it happen, God listens. Staying close to God reveals the father. Jesus revealed the father, and did what he saw the Father doing. Ps. 31:19: "How great is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you, which you bestow in the sight of men on those who take refuge in you."
God is my refuge. God stands with me even when I'm alone. That doesn't mean that he always advocates what we do - but He always loves us. Good fathers stay close. If my son disobeys, I discipline him because I love him. I stay close to him. God does the same. He sent his Son to save us, to bring us to Him. And gives His spirit to draw us to Him consciously and actively. That is love, the love of a Father.
11.15.2005
God is my Father
When I think about God, it's easy to be thinking things like: powerful, awesome, mighty. It's a little harder to think things like: personal, near, gentle. But God is both. Actually, He's three: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Grasping this reality is a challenge, but I like living in reality so I'm going for it. Here's how Wayne Grudem, a Christian theologian, defines the Trinity: God eternally exists as three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and each person is fully God, and there is one God. Say what? 3=1. Yes, 3=1. There are three persons, one God
God is my Father. Jesus taught to pray this way; He started the famous prayer with Our Father who is in heaven. As a child, Jesus was on a trip with his parents, and when they left he stayed back hanging out and teaching in the temple. His parents noticed he was missing [that can really happen to parents in crowds, especially if they have several kids. I don't have several kids so it hasn't happened, yet]. They turned to go back and found him in the temple. Jesus' reply "Did you not know that I had to be in My Father's house?" Literally, house means affairs - so it would be something like in the things of My Father. Jesus was about doing His Father's will.
Psalms 68:4-6 makes an interesting statement regarding God the Father. I'll quote it in entirety.
Sing to God, sing praises to his name; Lift up a song for Him who rides through the deserts, Whose name is the Lord and exult before Him. A father of the fatherless and a judge for the widows, Is God in His holy habitation. God makes a home for the lonely; He leads out the prisoners into prosperity, Only the rebellious dwell in a parched land.
God is worthy of praise and great and can do things we can't. Sorry, I can't ride through the desert. But I can worship, and who is the Father I worship? The One who is just, a father for the orphan and advocate for the widow. He's that way in His home. Not just for show, but in His holy habitation. The Father cares for His people. Just as Jesus is the Good Shepherd, so the Father is good for His people. In Psalm 68:35 we see that "The God of Israel Himself gives strength and power to the people." Any good father empowers His children. A good father also instructs and disciplines His children in love. God does all of this. Those who rebel face discipline, not as a sign of hatred, but of enmity. The rebellious choose to go against their father, and face the consequences. God loves such that the lonely are befriended. God loves such that He gives strength and power to His people. This power comes through the Holy Spirit, but we'll get to Him later. [while we're at it, Psalm 68:19 completes the trinity with "Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears our burden, the God who is our salvation." - Jesus is our salvation].
The Father does not abandon His children, He is sovereign over everything, and Jesus prayed to Him. But He is not remote; God is love and personal: making homes for the lonely and caring for the orphan and providing for the widow. God loves. "See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God." [I John 3:1-2a]. All children have a father, and God that father has made Himself known. For those who rebel or reject, there is only a parched land. Sin is leaving the water fountain and drinking dirt when you're thirsty. The Father turns on the fountain for His children. Those who reject decide they like dirt. "Only the rebellious dwell in a parched land." Ps. 68:6. "But as man as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name." John 1:12.
God is my Father. Jesus taught to pray this way; He started the famous prayer with Our Father who is in heaven. As a child, Jesus was on a trip with his parents, and when they left he stayed back hanging out and teaching in the temple. His parents noticed he was missing [that can really happen to parents in crowds, especially if they have several kids. I don't have several kids so it hasn't happened, yet]. They turned to go back and found him in the temple. Jesus' reply "Did you not know that I had to be in My Father's house?" Literally, house means affairs - so it would be something like in the things of My Father. Jesus was about doing His Father's will.
Psalms 68:4-6 makes an interesting statement regarding God the Father. I'll quote it in entirety.
Sing to God, sing praises to his name; Lift up a song for Him who rides through the deserts, Whose name is the Lord and exult before Him. A father of the fatherless and a judge for the widows, Is God in His holy habitation. God makes a home for the lonely; He leads out the prisoners into prosperity, Only the rebellious dwell in a parched land.
God is worthy of praise and great and can do things we can't. Sorry, I can't ride through the desert. But I can worship, and who is the Father I worship? The One who is just, a father for the orphan and advocate for the widow. He's that way in His home. Not just for show, but in His holy habitation. The Father cares for His people. Just as Jesus is the Good Shepherd, so the Father is good for His people. In Psalm 68:35 we see that "The God of Israel Himself gives strength and power to the people." Any good father empowers His children. A good father also instructs and disciplines His children in love. God does all of this. Those who rebel face discipline, not as a sign of hatred, but of enmity. The rebellious choose to go against their father, and face the consequences. God loves such that the lonely are befriended. God loves such that He gives strength and power to His people. This power comes through the Holy Spirit, but we'll get to Him later. [while we're at it, Psalm 68:19 completes the trinity with "Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears our burden, the God who is our salvation." - Jesus is our salvation].
The Father does not abandon His children, He is sovereign over everything, and Jesus prayed to Him. But He is not remote; God is love and personal: making homes for the lonely and caring for the orphan and providing for the widow. God loves. "See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God." [I John 3:1-2a]. All children have a father, and God that father has made Himself known. For those who rebel or reject, there is only a parched land. Sin is leaving the water fountain and drinking dirt when you're thirsty. The Father turns on the fountain for His children. Those who reject decide they like dirt. "Only the rebellious dwell in a parched land." Ps. 68:6. "But as man as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name." John 1:12.
10.27.2005
count me in... count us in
Throughout the New Testament there is a little guy who doesn't get a whole lot of press. His name is Barnabas. He was a Levite, meaning he was from the line of Israelites who served the priests in the temple. He probably grew up learning how to serve others. He was also from Cyprus - an Island in the Mediterranean, yet the Levites still had particular responsibilities in Jewish worship, no matter the locale. Though things changed by the time Barnabas was living compared to the time when the Levites were first assigned duties in worship, the line was still responsible in religious affairs.
But Barnabas was a believer. His real name was Joseph but he was called Barnabas by the Apostles. Joseph means "may he add" and Barnabas means "son of encouragement." It's interesting, this little name play, because the first we hear of Barnabas, he has sold a field [things changed, originally the Levites weren't given any land] and brought the money and put it at the apostles' feet. Not necessarily an action indicative of a man known as "may he add." Better to call him an encourager.
He was an encourager: he saw the potential in people and sought to lead them in God's way. He mentored Paul, encouraged the early church, and was highly trusted. He vouched for Paul - pretty important at the time because the first leaders of Christianity weren't about to accept Paul [aren't we glad Barnabas stood up for his friend!]. He was so trusted by the early church that they sent him around investigating, to see if the reports of Greeks believing on Jesus were true. He went to Antioch and "saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts." [Acts 11:23]. He was described as a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith. He co-taught the church at Antioch with Paul, this is where the disciples were first called Christians. Even though prominent in the church, they weren't called Pauline's or Barnabasians {okay, I'm making that one up} but Christians. His focus was christ. His life wasn't about himself - he sold his land and gave the money to be given to the poor. He wasn't obsessed with material or money or power or fame, but Christ. Because of his obsession Paul was accepted, and the disicples were knows as Christians 'little Christ's'.
The church in Antioch sent a gift to the Jerusalem church, and they sent Barnabas and Paul to take it. Barnabas saw the potential in people, and raised up leaders, so the church wasn't "his" but God's. It didn't need him or Paul to survive, but Christ. And they had leaders to take them further and deeper with Christ. Most of us today, we'd stick with Paul. We'd work to keep Paul as our Pastor. Some would even move to where Paul went. That's called cultish. Paul and Barnabas - they were Christians, and people who followed them knew they were only pointers - pointing to Christ.
Paul and Barnabas returned to Antioch, and the Spirit told the church to set them apart. They took what became Paul's first missionary journey. They went first to Cyprus - Barnabas' home. An encourager isn't scared to encourage his hometown in the way of Christ. No matter how close the friendship, an encourager seeks to speak truth. Along the journey there was a huge response to God's word and God worked miracles through Paul and Barnabas. At one Greek town, Barnabas was called Zeus and Paul was called Hermes, because he did all the talking. Encouragement is more about action than talking, doing than saying, and being than doing. The Greeks also recognized the leader of the two was the encourager. Barnabas was, in our terms, the "older, more mature" Christian [doesn't feel right saying that compared to Paul]. Anyway, the priest to Zeus brought them a bull and wreaths. Normally, when people pay me for religious services, like a wedding, a prayer, a memorial service, for preaching at a church - I'm pretty happy to take the money. The worker does deserve their wages. However, Zeus and Hermes weren't working for Zeus, they were working for Jesus. So Barnabas and Paul didn't take the bull. If you're hungry, a bull is a pretty attractive thing. If you want fame, a wreath is great to wear around town because people look at you. But if you want to glorify Jesus, don't take the bull. They went a step further - Paul and Barnabas tore their clothes and yelled at people to turn from their worthless things to the living God. Some Jews showed up and turned the crowed against Paul - stoning him and dragging him out of the city thing he was dead. But the disciples gathered around him and he got up and went back to the city. whew. that was close. Anyway, the next day Barnabas and Paul left - encouragers aren't afraid to help out in the worst of circumstances. Encouragers are also team players.
They took along a friend - John Mark, who would later cause them some problems. He left for Jerusalem, leaving Paul and Barnabas to complete the journey. The next time around Paul wanted nothing to do with him, but Barnabas, ever the encourager, did. And he took John Mark and went a different way. That's pretty much where the close attention to Barnabas ends. John Mark was later an encouragement to Paul, in prison at the time - Barnabas rubbed off. Later in Antioch Barnabas was pulled astray, along with Peter, and followed some Judaizers - he stopped eating with Gentiles. This is the big weakness of encouragers: being a people pleaser. The big lure: encourage people: affirm them, don't confront them. That's why Paul and Barnabas were a great team. Paul: he could confront. Barnabas: he could encourage. And neither of them cared about things, they cared about people. Our strengths, together, when we all say "count us in" grow stronger. God calls us to join Him and join His church and do our part. It doesn't have to be done alone. Life doesn't have to be lived alone. We all need some encouragement, and we need to encourage.
But Barnabas was a believer. His real name was Joseph but he was called Barnabas by the Apostles. Joseph means "may he add" and Barnabas means "son of encouragement." It's interesting, this little name play, because the first we hear of Barnabas, he has sold a field [things changed, originally the Levites weren't given any land] and brought the money and put it at the apostles' feet. Not necessarily an action indicative of a man known as "may he add." Better to call him an encourager.
He was an encourager: he saw the potential in people and sought to lead them in God's way. He mentored Paul, encouraged the early church, and was highly trusted. He vouched for Paul - pretty important at the time because the first leaders of Christianity weren't about to accept Paul [aren't we glad Barnabas stood up for his friend!]. He was so trusted by the early church that they sent him around investigating, to see if the reports of Greeks believing on Jesus were true. He went to Antioch and "saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts." [Acts 11:23]. He was described as a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith. He co-taught the church at Antioch with Paul, this is where the disciples were first called Christians. Even though prominent in the church, they weren't called Pauline's or Barnabasians {okay, I'm making that one up} but Christians. His focus was christ. His life wasn't about himself - he sold his land and gave the money to be given to the poor. He wasn't obsessed with material or money or power or fame, but Christ. Because of his obsession Paul was accepted, and the disicples were knows as Christians 'little Christ's'.
The church in Antioch sent a gift to the Jerusalem church, and they sent Barnabas and Paul to take it. Barnabas saw the potential in people, and raised up leaders, so the church wasn't "his" but God's. It didn't need him or Paul to survive, but Christ. And they had leaders to take them further and deeper with Christ. Most of us today, we'd stick with Paul. We'd work to keep Paul as our Pastor. Some would even move to where Paul went. That's called cultish. Paul and Barnabas - they were Christians, and people who followed them knew they were only pointers - pointing to Christ.
Paul and Barnabas returned to Antioch, and the Spirit told the church to set them apart. They took what became Paul's first missionary journey. They went first to Cyprus - Barnabas' home. An encourager isn't scared to encourage his hometown in the way of Christ. No matter how close the friendship, an encourager seeks to speak truth. Along the journey there was a huge response to God's word and God worked miracles through Paul and Barnabas. At one Greek town, Barnabas was called Zeus and Paul was called Hermes, because he did all the talking. Encouragement is more about action than talking, doing than saying, and being than doing. The Greeks also recognized the leader of the two was the encourager. Barnabas was, in our terms, the "older, more mature" Christian [doesn't feel right saying that compared to Paul]. Anyway, the priest to Zeus brought them a bull and wreaths. Normally, when people pay me for religious services, like a wedding, a prayer, a memorial service, for preaching at a church - I'm pretty happy to take the money. The worker does deserve their wages. However, Zeus and Hermes weren't working for Zeus, they were working for Jesus. So Barnabas and Paul didn't take the bull. If you're hungry, a bull is a pretty attractive thing. If you want fame, a wreath is great to wear around town because people look at you. But if you want to glorify Jesus, don't take the bull. They went a step further - Paul and Barnabas tore their clothes and yelled at people to turn from their worthless things to the living God. Some Jews showed up and turned the crowed against Paul - stoning him and dragging him out of the city thing he was dead. But the disciples gathered around him and he got up and went back to the city. whew. that was close. Anyway, the next day Barnabas and Paul left - encouragers aren't afraid to help out in the worst of circumstances. Encouragers are also team players.
They took along a friend - John Mark, who would later cause them some problems. He left for Jerusalem, leaving Paul and Barnabas to complete the journey. The next time around Paul wanted nothing to do with him, but Barnabas, ever the encourager, did. And he took John Mark and went a different way. That's pretty much where the close attention to Barnabas ends. John Mark was later an encouragement to Paul, in prison at the time - Barnabas rubbed off. Later in Antioch Barnabas was pulled astray, along with Peter, and followed some Judaizers - he stopped eating with Gentiles. This is the big weakness of encouragers: being a people pleaser. The big lure: encourage people: affirm them, don't confront them. That's why Paul and Barnabas were a great team. Paul: he could confront. Barnabas: he could encourage. And neither of them cared about things, they cared about people. Our strengths, together, when we all say "count us in" grow stronger. God calls us to join Him and join His church and do our part. It doesn't have to be done alone. Life doesn't have to be lived alone. We all need some encouragement, and we need to encourage.
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