Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] It's great to see you guys.
[00:00:02] Good morning. $7.6 million. It'll be fine. That's $7.6 million worth of gospel ministry. It'll be fine. If we bring in 8 million, that'll be okay, too.
[00:00:14] But, man, I am excited. I'm excited that we're all here. Great job Being back for week two of our series in Ruth, I'm trying not to be sad that it's almost over. Today we are going to look at what is likely the most famous love story in the Bible.
[00:00:29] At the same time, we will see one of the most famous pictures of the work of Jesus in the Old Testament.
[00:00:37] But first, I want us to begin by talking about two of the greatest love stories in history.
[00:00:45] I'm going to read you teaser statements from the only two rom coms that I've seen more than once, like 20 years ago.
[00:00:54] See if you can tell what I'm talking about. A man and a woman meet one night and have the best night of their collective lives. But unsure about the future, they decide to leave their future to fate.
[00:01:05] A few years later, fate is catching up to them.
[00:01:09] What is that referring to?
[00:01:12] Serendipity.
[00:01:13] Man, Nobody in the 8 o' clock service got it. Y' all crushed it.
[00:01:17] The movie in question is the 2001 film Serendipity. And now, what I want you to notice is that Serendipity does not simply claim to be a story of two humans finding love. It suggests it has greater significance. They leave their future to fate. It says fate is catching up to them. It's implied that something about the story is going to help us understand how the world works. But I've seen it, and in the end, all that happens is they fall in love.
[00:01:51] Here's the second one. One of the greatest love stories of my lifetime, or any other.
[00:01:56] See if you recognize it. A romantic comedy about love, destiny, and other things you can't plan for.
[00:02:06] This one is referring to the cinematic feat the Wedding Planner, also from 2001, which tells you that teenage Brandon wanted a girlfriend.
[00:02:18] But again, notice that the Wedding Planner doesn't just promise a love story. It pretends to be a way to understand the universe. It puts it on the poster. A story about destiny.
[00:02:33] What is implied by these stories is that there's going to be some sort of insight into destiny and fate and the way the universe works. They're love stories pretending to help us understand the story of the universe. But of course, that's just a way to put something on a poster to help sell movie tickets. Nobody actually thinks that Matthew McConaughey is going to help them understand the ultimate meaning behind everything. At least I don't think.
[00:03:02] But here's what is incredible.
[00:03:05] The love story we're going to look at right now actually does help us see the ultimate meaning behind everything.
[00:03:15] The love story in Ruth literally reveals the ultimate story above everything, underneath everything that there is. The story we're going to see in chapters two through four of Ruth can help us see into the heart of the God of the universe and his plan for us. So I have two goals for this message.
[00:03:36] One is for us to see the powerful message at the heart of the story of Ruth that I promised we would get to this week, last week.
[00:03:45] The second goal is for us to be more in awe, more in love with our Bibles.
[00:03:52] Ruth is an incredible opportunity to think about reading the Bible in such a way that we see the central story of the world in every moment of Scripture. Before coming to Grace, I worked as a Bible study publisher for 11 years. I got to lead a team that that helped millions of people study God's Word. And I can tell you that so much about that kind of work is asking the right questions.
[00:04:20] The last series that my team published included daily Bible readings that went along with the Bible study, and each day came with the same four questions, classic questions for understanding and applying a biblical text. You've seen things like this for, but I'm going to put them on the screen as an example of how the right questions can help you read the Bible. Well, they can help you in your time with God's Word tomorrow. In the last service, people started taking pictures. You could do that. But I'm going to email you these questions, both this list and the ones that we're going to walk through in the sermon together. What's the main point of this text? Classic question?
[00:04:53] What thoughts, questions or feelings did you have while reading the text? What do these verses reveal about God, about yourself?
[00:05:02] How will you respond in prayer or application when you are in God's Word? Ask what does this passage actually say?
[00:05:11] What more do I need to understand in order to get it? What is it teaching me about my relationship with God and what should I do differently because I've read it?
[00:05:20] Questions can help us know and follow God's Word, but often some of the most misinterpreted and misapplied portions of Scripture are Old Testament narratives.
[00:05:34] We struggle with knowing what to do with these in our lives so often. And I want to give us some questions to help us understand this category of scripture, and we're actually going to use them together today in this love story.
[00:05:46] Ready?
[00:05:48] Okay, we're doing it.
[00:05:51] So let's go through the narrative and Ruth. We're going to ask so simple, three so simple questions to help us understand both the love story that we see on the service and the love story that is beneath the surface. Here's the first question to ask when you're reading a biblical narrative, whether you're in the Book of Ruth or anywhere else, what happens in this story? Pretty obvious, right?
[00:06:13] What happens? What is this narrative fundamentally communicating? This is simply about understanding what the story is about. So let's catch up on the part of the Ruth narrative that we covered last week in chapter one. And I'm going to power through it quickly in case someone wasn't here. And to refresh everybody, the Book of Ruth centers first on Ruth and her relationship with her mother in law, Naomi, right?
[00:06:33] That is correct. Naomi is married to a man named Elimelech. And there's a famine in Bethlehem. And Elimelech and Naomi take their two sons, Mahlon and Chilion, to Moab.
[00:06:44] But in Moab, Elimelech died.
[00:06:48] The two sons, Mahlon and Chilion, which I am still requesting one baby named Chilion this year from our church.
[00:06:56] This is not in my notes and we're already going long, but there's a couple in my group that is with child.
[00:07:04] My small group has pray that it's a boy so it can be named Chilean. Okay, just need one.
[00:07:13] So the two went so Malan Chilean. They married two women from Moab, Ruth and Orpah.
[00:07:20] Then Milan and Chilion also die. So Naomi is a widow in Moab with two daughters in laws who are also widows. And neither daughter is able to bear a son. In 10 years they have lost so much. Naomi hears that there's bread in Bethlehem again, so she decides to go back. Amazingly, we talked about this last week.
[00:07:39] Ruth shows Naomi God's love for her.
[00:07:43] Ruth tells Naomi she will be with her always, that she will never leave her, that Naomi's God will be Ruth's God. But Naomi still returns to Bethlehem filled with heartbreak. She says, don't call me Naomi anymore, which means pleasant.
[00:07:58] Instead, call me Mara, which means bitter. Naomi wants her name changed from Pleasant to bitter because Naomi says at the end of chapter one, the Almighty has afflicted me.
[00:08:12] Sometimes God's people questions God's love.
[00:08:15] But we saw last week some of the redemption in the life of Naomi. Because God's love is based on his kindness, not our questions.
[00:08:23] We move from there into chapter two. And now the romance story begins. It is three chapters long, so I'm going to tell you some of it and we will read some parts together. Remember where we left off last week? God brought Ruth and Naomi back to Bethlehem in time for the barley harvest. So then, now we're in the next phase of the story. So then Ruth asks Naomi to let her pick up the leftovers from the barley harvest. This is important because of a command that God gave his people back in Deuteronomy 24. And I want you to see this. The Bible's very cool. Check this out. When you reap your harvest in your field and forget a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it. It shall be for the sojourner, the fatherless and the widow, that the Lord your God may bless you and all the work of your hands. This is so beautiful. This means that God cared about Ruth and Naomi before they were even born.
[00:09:19] A widow foreigner is allowed to pick up God's people's overlooked barley.
[00:09:25] And of all of the fields she could have gone to, Ruth went to the field of one of Naomi's relatives, a man named Boaz. The Bible calls Boaz a man, a prominent man of noble character. This gets translated in so many different ways by our Bibles, but it at least means that Boaz was rich.
[00:09:44] We also know that Boaz was kind and that he honored the Lord. Basically, every time Boaz opens his mouth in the four chapters of Ruth, it's to talk about the Lord.
[00:09:55] So Ruth is collecting in his field when Boaz arrives. So this is where Boaz and Ruth have their meet. Cute.
[00:10:04] Boaz notices her. He speaks to her and he says to her, don't go to any other field. I will make sure that you are protected. I will make sure you have plenty of barley.
[00:10:15] Strong move by Boaz.
[00:10:18] Ruth is blown away and asked why she's receiving this kindness. Let's pick up reading in Ruth 2, 1112, Boaz answered her.
[00:10:29] All that you have done for your mother in law since the death of your husband has been fully told to me. And how you left your father and mother in your native land and came to a people that you did not know before the Lord repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge. Hold onto that phrase for later on in the story. Are y' all with me in the story so far? Everybody good you're doing great. So Ruth goes home with the barley of love that she got from Boaz.
[00:11:02] And now it's Naomi's turn to be stunned.
[00:11:06] This is where the possibility of redemption breaks into what has been so far a devastating story of loss and grief in Naomi's life, which we looked in last week.
[00:11:20] When Naomi hears that Ruth is in the field of Boaz, she tells Ruth that Boaz is what is known as a family redeemer or a kinsman Redeemer. We'll come back to that in a minute. But she tells Ruth, it is good for you to work there. Keep going back there. And a little while later, Naomi goes to Ruth and basically tells her that she's realizing that maybe life won't always be bitter.
[00:11:49] She says to Ruth in chapter three, verse one, shouldn't I find rest for you? And isn't Boaz our relative?
[00:11:57] Naomi begins to believe that after all of their grief and pain, redemption might be possible. So Naomi tells Ruth to stop wearing mourning clothes, to stop dressing like a funeral, and to dress like she's back on the market. It.
[00:12:14] Read it.
[00:12:16] And then she tells Ruth to go to Boaz while he is sleeping at the threshing floor. This is love story stuff. So in chapter three, Ruth goes to Boaz at night, uncovers his feet while he's sleeping. Let's pick up reading in verses 8 and 9 at midnight. The man was startled, of course he was. And turned over and behold, a woman lay at his feet, exclamation point.
[00:12:40] He said, who are you? And she answered, I am Ruth, your servant.
[00:12:44] Spread your wings over your servant, for you are of Redeemer. I already know where the sermon's going, so I'm already excited now.
[00:12:53] It's incredible.
[00:12:55] We've had our meat. Cute.
[00:12:57] We've had emotional baggage, and now we've got witty, romantic banter. Because remember, remember what Boaz told Ruth when they first met.
[00:13:08] He said, a full reward be given you by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge. And now Ruth is saying, boaz, let me rest under your wing.
[00:13:23] You can be the one God uses. Uses to bless me. She's saying, it doesn't always have to be this way for me, Boaz. Ruth is asking Boaz to redeem her. She is hoping for restoration. She's pleading for it. So what is a family redeemer or a kinsman Redeemer in this culture, when a man died, a relative could marry the widow so that his name and property would live on. With that Family. I told you last week that one of the big fears of the Jewish people is that their name, their property, their inheritance would die off. But if someone married the widow and had a child with her in the family name, the legacy would continue.
[00:14:05] Naomi and Ruth's only hope is for a family redeemer to step in and redeem them.
[00:14:13] And Boaz response was, yes, I want to redeem you and take care of you.
[00:14:20] And the very next day, this romance story gets its grand gesture because Boaz goes to the city gates where the leaders sit. And Boaz talks to the man who was before him in line to be the family redeemer for Ruth. But the other guy says he won't do it because if he has children with Ruth, it hurts his inheritance. He says he wants the land, but he doesn't want to make the sacrifice in order to redeem her. So Boaz steps up in Ruth, chapter four and pays the family redemption price. Boaz redeems the land, he redeems their family, completely changes their lives. And let's read the happy ending moment in verse 14 in chapter 4. This is family day of worship. So, kids, close your ears.
[00:15:03] So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife, and he went into her, and the Lord gave her conception and she bore a son.
[00:15:11] Then the woman said to Naomi, blessed be the Lord who has not left you this day without a redeemer. And may his name be renowned in Israel. He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher your old age.
[00:15:29] Thank God.
[00:15:31] What a love story. What a beautiful story.
[00:15:34] Ruth and Naomi were destitute, grieving, bitter. And then hope arrived in the form of a redeemer named Boaz in a barley field. And what they thought was lost was restored. Put it on a movie poster.
[00:15:50] That's what happens in the story of Ruth.
[00:15:54] But that takes us to the second question that helps us begin to really understand the bigger reality this story points to. Guys, there's more going on here than an ancient story of barley and love.
[00:16:08] So question two.
[00:16:10] Where do you see yourself in this story?
[00:16:17] Not asking you, I just want you to sit with it. You don't have to shout it out.
[00:16:21] Where do you see yourself in the story we've just looked at for the last week and a quarter of a sermon.
[00:16:31] What is your place? Anywhere you read a narrative, especially in the Old Testament. When you're reading Old Testament narrative, where are you in the story?
[00:16:38] What does it say about you? Scarlett and I have been trying to help our kids understand the Bible. This way for their whole lives.
[00:16:44] This question is such a simple, powerful way to see our need for Jesus love everywhere in Scripture, which is how he wants us to read the Bible. Everything in the Bible is trying to help the world see the need for a Savior who redeems, a rescuer who saves. Scarlett and I use the Jesus storybook Bible. A lot of you guys have experienced that. I would recommend it to any family that has young children. Honestly, if you don't have young children, I still recommend it to you.
[00:17:15] I think we've been through it three times as family and we'll do a fourth as soon as James has any clue what's going on in this life.
[00:17:25] It's helped our family see how all the stories of the Bible are telling the same story of Jesus love for me and you.
[00:17:34] I remember when our oldest daughter was real young and we read from the actual Bible the story of the Good Samaritan. And I'll never forget, I asked her, which person are we most like in this story?
[00:17:46] Do you remember? Yeah, she remembers.
[00:17:49] She was maybe 6 or 7 years old at the time.
[00:17:52] And she could have said, the priest or the Levite who ignores and rejects the hurting person. That would be some self awareness. She could have said, you know, the Samaritan, the Good Samaritan who helps and shows love to a stranger. That is what we are supposed to become. She could have even said, tried to identify with Jesus, the one who was telling the story. But she got it right. At six or seven years old, she said, we are the hurt person on the side of the road who needed someone to rescue us.
[00:18:26] That's how you read the Bible. First, Jesus taught us that blessed are the poor in spirit. And that is the only way to truly understand God's word.
[00:18:40] We always need to start there, even in the book of Ruth. I know you want to be Boaz.
[00:18:47] You want to save the day. And sometimes you can come back next week and we'll talk about that.
[00:18:54] I know you want to be Ruth. The version of Ruth who's dressed to the nines, boldly going into the threshing floor at night with her request. You can't start there.
[00:19:06] Not in the story of the universe.
[00:19:09] In the story of the Bible, we have to realize that first. We are Ruth the barley beggar.
[00:19:17] You are Naomi the bitter.
[00:19:22] So who are you in the story?
[00:19:25] Maybe you're Naomi who was broken because life fell apart. Her husband and her sons died. Her lineage was doomed. So much disappointment, so much loss. We are Naomi.
[00:19:37] Maybe you're Ruth. Ruth is trying, but there's no denying that she's broken. She's a young widow, childless, a foreigner with no place, literally picking up leftovers for food. Ruth was living an undeniably needy life.
[00:19:56] We are Naomi.
[00:19:59] We are Ruth. We all know bitterness and brokenness, grief and deep disappointment in the unfolding story of the universe. We are the needy ones. We are the destitute who will die without a redeemer. The story of the ages is that each one of us needs the true Boaz to show up and rescue us from our futility, to redeem us from our despair.
[00:20:29] That's where we should see ourselves in this story.
[00:20:35] I want to share my mom's testimony as an example of what the story of Ruth is really all about and share two of the most difficult seasons of her life. She texts me every Sunday morning that she's praying for me as I preach. And I text her back, telling some sad stuff about you today, but it'll have a happy ending.
[00:20:53] My parents marriage for years my mom had a bad marriage.
[00:21:00] I don't love talking about it because it feels like another lifetime at this point. And that's kind of the beautiful point.
[00:21:08] But my parents marriage when I was growing up was not awesome.
[00:21:12] My dad was unfaithful to my mom several times.
[00:21:16] And in mine and Scarlet's first year of marriage, my mom or my parents separated because of another affair.
[00:21:23] And my mom ended up sleeping on the couch in our no bedroom efficiency apartment.
[00:21:30] And all she did was cry.
[00:21:33] It's still as visceral of a Naomi moment as I can personally remember. My mom didn't understand why things were the way they were. She thought things would always be that way. And she was bitter.
[00:21:46] Her life was bitter. Her second Naomi or Ruth season was for nine years until just last month.
[00:21:55] As she was the caretaker for her parents nonstop for nine years. She took care of my Nini, who lost her memory for several brutal years before she died two years ago. And my papa constant needs until he went to Jesus last month.
[00:22:13] And my mom suffered for years the physical demands of of this life and the emotional pain as she watched what happened to her parents. And I think those are great examples because they're such sadly common examples.
[00:22:28] So many of you have experienced those Naomi moments.
[00:22:32] That's what's wrong in the story of the world.
[00:22:37] My mom is Naomi.
[00:22:39] So are you.
[00:22:42] We are Ruth.
[00:22:44] We have broken hearts and barren lives and immense needs and griefs we can't fix by ourselves.
[00:22:53] And we long for redemption in so many ways.
[00:23:00] We're Going to get back to my mom in a moment.
[00:23:03] But our need takes us to the last question we should ask.
[00:23:10] We see that the story of Ruth is teaching us about love, redemption and hope. And we see that in the story, we are the ones who need love and redemption and hope. So the third question we ask is, where do you see Jesus in the story?
[00:23:30] Please.
[00:23:32] When you read the Bible, every chance you get, ask, where is Jesus? Who am I and where is he? What is he doing?
[00:23:41] You know he's doing good, I'll tell you that.
[00:23:46] What points us to Jesus in the Book of Ruth?
[00:23:50] This is one of the easiest to see and most beautiful patterns of Jesus in the whole Old Testament. Because Jesus is the great kinsman redeemer. Jesus is the true and better and forever. Boaz, when you're answering the question, where do you see Jesus in a story?
[00:24:08] Just look for the hero.
[00:24:11] It's not you. That's why we get it wrong so much.
[00:24:15] Sorry, I was going to save that for next week.
[00:24:19] Come back, I'll reiterate.
[00:24:24] Imagine that hero as perfect and complete and for all of forever. And that is pointing us to Jesus. The Old Testament promised Jesus over and over. And the heroes of the Old Testament pointed to Jesus over and over. Boaz got to serve as a picture of the coming Messiah because he showed sacrificial love and a readiness to redeem the brokenness and the loss in the lives of Naomi and Ruth. The graciousness of Boaz was supposed to point us to Jesus, who is the kinsman, redeemer of the world, who was willing to die on a cross to redeem us back into his family.
[00:25:09] Jesus knew that Naomi and Ruth had bitter lives.
[00:25:16] Jesus knew that Susan Hiltabeidl and Christy and Patrick, Sandra, Jared, Mark, Joe, on and on throughout our church, would live in brokenness.
[00:25:34] Jesus knew that ultimately we would have nothing.
[00:25:40] We would be forever without hope unless he, like Boaz hundreds of years before him, was willing to step in and pay the price to bring us under his wing.
[00:25:57] As you read Ruth and I hope you'll read it again, Jesus is whispering to your heart, I am your kinsman redeemer.
[00:26:12] Jesus says, what you have made bitter, I can make sweet. What you have lost, I can restore. Jesus literally gave his life to be the restorer of your life, the redeemer of your circumstances, the hope, your future, and beyond. This is why this is. This is a story that's not just about Ruth and Boaz. It's a story about God and every person who ever calls on the name of Jesus, knowing that they need redemption that they cannot ever provide for themselves. That is what Jesus gives. Like Ruth, we all run to the Redeemer and say, take me under your wing.
[00:26:51] One of the reasons I love this book so much is that it leads us to be able to say in any circumstance, any story in our lives, one of the most powerful truths of the Christian faith.
[00:27:04] It won't always be this way.
[00:27:07] Not gonna ask you to say it sometimes that's cheesy. Think won't always be this way.
[00:27:15] When you're reading the devastation of chapter one in this book, it is so beautiful because we can say, naomi, it won't always be this way. Boaz is coming.
[00:27:27] It's an awful chapter and what a joy to read because the kinsman Redeemer is on his way. And Christians can always be looking for redemption. Often in this life, always in eternity. Because redemption is what Jesus does. Do you know what I wish I had said to my mom when she was on my couch in a bitter marriage 18 years ago?
[00:27:49] I wish I had said, mom, it won't always be this way.
[00:27:53] But I didn't know what to say back then.
[00:27:57] But I do remember calling her when my Nini was suffering from Alzheimer's. And we talked about how painful it was for her to watch her mom fail.
[00:28:07] And you know what I told her?
[00:28:09] I said, mom, it won't always be this way.
[00:28:13] And then I literally told her, the kinsman Redeemer is coming.
[00:28:18] And I called her again two months ago as she watched my papa die. And I said, mom, it won't always be this way. She believed me.
[00:28:26] Oftentimes like Ruth and Naomi did, we see redemption and restoration from Jesus in this life. When the kinsman Redeemer showed up, Ruth in the book of Ruth, their land, their family, their lives were restored. That happens over and over again in scripture.
[00:28:43] That's what happened in my parents marriage 18 years ago. Jesus changed my dad.
[00:28:51] He's different.
[00:28:53] He is not the same. Jesus redeemed my parents marriage. My mom has told me too many times over the years that she says your dad is a saint. My dad is not a saint, but he does have a Savior who redeems, restores. And that marriage that was once very bitter is now sweet.
[00:29:15] Other things won't be redeemed here, but they will be redeemed hereafter. My mom did not see my Nini and papa restored back to the mind and bodies of their 20s because that's not how it works in a broken temporary world.
[00:29:31] But they are in Christ.
[00:29:35] And Jesus always redeems.
[00:29:38] And he has something even better in mind.
[00:29:42] Bill and Mildred Sawyer right now are immeasurably more than they ever were on this earth because they have been eternally glorified in the presence of the God of the universe. This is insane. Romans 8:18. The sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed in us. The heartbeat of the Christian faith is that because of Jesus, it won't always be this way. Don't say it, but think it again. Hey, Naomi's. Naomi's.
[00:30:18] If you have bitterness or brokenness or grief more than you can bear, Ephesians 1 says, in him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses according to the riches of his grace that he richly poured out on us with all wisdom and understanding. In him we also have an inheritance according to the plan of the One who works out everything in agreement with the purpose of his will. That means because of Jesus, it won't always be this way.
[00:30:46] If right now you feel hopeless or broken, hear the words of Psalm 130 and put your hope in the Lord.
[00:30:57] For there is faithful love with the Lord, and with him is redemption in abundance.
[00:31:07] It won't always be this way.
[00:31:11] Jesus is your kinsman Redeemer.
[00:31:15] He makes all things new and that lets us always live hope.
[00:31:23] Always.
[00:31:24] Let's pray that he'll help us do it.
[00:31:27] Father, I thank you again for the beauty of your word, but mostly because the beauty of your word helps us see the undeniable love that you have for us through the work of Jesus Christ. I pray again for my brothers and sisters and anyone in this room that does not have a relationship with you, that you would help us all to see and believe our need for Jesus and your unshakable love for us. God, I pray that we would trust you every day as our kinsman Redeemer.
[00:32:02] Sometimes this world is bad.
[00:32:07] And some of my friends here today things are awesome.
[00:32:13] Some of my friends here today can't imagine things being less awesome.
[00:32:19] In all cases, you are the Redeemer. And in this life or the next, it won't always be this way.
[00:32:30] God, I pray that you would be our hope.
[00:32:36] Please, God, help us to help one another to be steadfast in hope, to be surrendered in joy, to be walking in love.
[00:32:50] I pray that you would make us more like your son. As we experience the love of your Son as we wait for him to redeem and make all things new. We pray in his name and it's to him we sing Amen let's stand and let's worship our Kinsman Redeemer together.
