The Church of Eleven22 - Wk 5: The Sovereignty of God in Our Perfect Redeemer

Episode Date: August 6, 2017

Jesus is our perfect Redeemer. - Jesus has the right to redeem: He became our “kinsman” by becoming a man. - Jesus has the resources to redeem: He lived a perfect life and died in our place. - Jesus has the resolve to redeem: He loves us and was willing to pay the price for His glory.

Amen. How are we doing, church? Doing okay? Hope so. Quiet. Hey, if you grab your Bible, we're in Ruth Chapter 4. We're in the fifth week of the series on the book of Ruth. And really, the story of Ruth and the story of the Gillums are very, very similar. It starts, the story of Ruth. It starts with a funeral and it ends with a wedding. We're going to have a wedding today. It starts and real tragedy. It's going to end in triumph. And it's also the story of the entire Bible. When things look like they are completely. out of control, it turns out God still has the whole world in his hand. And what looks like a setback from our point of view is most often just a set-up for God to display his glory for the entire world. And the reason I just want to start out of the gate with that is just to let you know is that you may be going through a terrible chapter in your life. That may be true, and we are not denying that. But what I want you to hear because of the story of Ruth, but even more importantly because of

the story of Jesus on the cross, you may be going through a really, really tough chapter in your life, but God has not finished writing your story. That what looks like utter ruin that God can actually redeem that for his glory and your joy. And so that's what we've been studying in the Book of Ruth. Just a quick recap in case you're new to us here. It started back in chapter one, and there was a guy named Alemelaq, and he was married to a girl named Naomi. Naomi means sweetness. Elimelech means my God.

is king but really he didn't act like God was his king he acted like his current circumstances were his king and there was a famine in Bethlehem which means the house of bread and then a limelach and very poor leadership leads his family away from the people of God away from the presence of God away from the worship of God and he moves this place called Moab it's about 30 miles away and you're like what's the big deal with that well God said multiple times before this don't live in Moab it's a terrible place to live all right but part of the reason is not I mean it's not just kind of a hick town like Dylan where I

grew up it's a bad town Just bad people doing bad things. They worship this pagan god named Kimosh. There is child sacrifice and temple prostitution and just very, very bad things. And so Limelek moves his family there, and they have two sons, Malon and Chillon. Their name is death and dying. And they marry these two mollbite girls. And so basically what they're trying to do is just take the temporary things right around them

and elevate them to most important. Well, the reason they moved to Moab was to survive the famine, and they didn't. All three of the dudes die. So you find yourself there with Naomi like, are you being serious, God? I'm just kind of minding my own business, do what I'm supposed to do as a good godly wife and following this idiot husband that I have to the wrong place, doing the wrong things, and now here I am. And so it is utter tragedy.

And then she has these two daughter-in-laws that are mollbite women, and one of them goes back to live with the mollabites. And then Ruth, somehow, in watching Naomi authentically deal with the pain that she goes through, even though everything she said was not right, but somehow in the lowest point of her life, when Naomi has lost everything, I mean everything, Naomi decides to turn to God and not turn away from God. And so somehow in Chapter 1, Ruth sees that and says, you know what, I want to sign up for that. And your God will be my God. Uses the covenant name of God.

She's saying, I don't believe just that there is a God, but I want to have a relationship like you have. And so your God is my God And in fact, when I sign up for your God, I sign up for God's people. And so I'm going to go with you. And wherever you go, I will go. And where you are buried, I will be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also, if anything but death, parts you and me. And they move back to Bethlehem.

And when they're rolling into Bethlehem, everybody recognizes Naomi or name me sweetness. And they're like, what's up sweetheart? And she's like, whoa, whoa, don't call me sweetheart anymore. Now call me morrow, which means bitter. She's just a bitter old mother-in-law. And some of you're like, wow, the Bible is relevant. Okay, and so. And so then, but Ruth, with her newfound faith in the Lord, she's not a complainer.

She, even though she is in a helpless and hopeless situation, she is a hopeful girl, and she says, I'm going to go to work. And so of all the places in all the world, she decides to work. She strolls up on this field to glean. It was kind of like the soup kitchen of the day. And of all the people in the whole world that could be the boss of that field, she just happens to roll up on a guy named Boaz. That's his field. It means strong man. Turns out he is a kinsman redeemer.

We'll explain what that means in a little while. And really, through no effort of her own, he is just gracious to her. He provides for her. He protects her. And then we picked it up last week. They go on this date, and then he didn't call her for a while. So if that's happened to you, ladies, then he's kind of biblical. And then the mother-in-law steps in and says, I got an idea.

Why don't you get all dolled up and crawl up under the covers on the night of the threshing floor? and there's this verse that I love that we've been studying all week in my house where Naomi says to Ruth, crawl under the covers, and he will tell you what to do. Praise God. What a great verse. Trying to get Gretchen to memorize that in every translation I can find. All right.

And so they had this romance. By the way, one of the things we talked about last week, and by the way, if you missed last week, I would highly encourage you to watch it online. I had a really good time. Almost had to fire myself twice in the text. So we talked about dating. And one of the things we said is that husbands, you should continue to date your wives.

And so real quick, I want to give you two announcements of date opportunities that we are providing here at 1122. One is on August the 25th here at our San Pablo location, Michael W. Smith will be here in concert. So if you know who that is, you should come. It's great. If you don't know who that is, you will know about 50 of his songs, okay? He is like the Leonard Skinner of Christian music. He's been around forever. and he's got a bunch of famous songs, and so you should be here.

And it's in partnership with Night to Shine. So if you go to Night to Shinejacks.com, we partner with the Tim Tebow Foundation, a bunch of other churches, to host proms for students with special needs. This is like a fundraiser for it. So this will be a great date opportunity. You can go to that website and get tickets. The other date opportunity that I'm really excited about is this.

It's in your bulletin here, and it's called 24 hours of preaching. Now that's a date. All right. So listen, ladies, and some fellow goes, hey, you want to go out? You'd be like, yes, I do. All night long. And then come here for preaching all night. All right.

So what we're doing is as we're preparing ourselves for saturated, saturated is our version of a revival. All throughout church history, two things precede revival in the church, prayer and preaching. And so we will do elder-led prayer, and we'll gather together, and the elders will lead us in a time of prayer. And then after that, when that thing is over, for 24 hours, we will preach the word of God. And so if you come for the entire time, there is a prize for you. You will find it when you get to heaven, but I would like to encourage you to be here for that.

24 hours of preaching. There are two-date opportunities. So married men, ask her right now, single guys, good luck. All right. And so last week, remember, they go on this date. She invites, basically what Ruth does last week is she doesn't propose to Boaz, but she proposes that Boazs were proposed to her. She says, why don't you cover me under the covering of your knaf or under your wing? It was a way, it was like marriage language.

And if you'll remember, the thing he says back to her, he says, well, there's just one thing, okay? There's another guy that's a kinsman redeemer that's kind of in my way. That's sort of how we ended it. And so when we pick it up here in chapter 4, verse 1, Boaz has this fella in the way he's got to take care of. All right? And so basically in the conversation, Boaz knows that Ruth has. has a guy kind of in the way, and he says, you know, what's your man got to do with me. That's what chapter three is about.

Get to chapter four, verse one. It says this. Now, Boaz had gone up to the gate, and he sat down there, and behold, the redeemer of whom Boaz had spoken came by. So here is another piece of evidence of the providence of God. Sometimes God works through his mighty hand of miracle, and he parks, sees, and makes bushes cat on fire, and he talks out of him. And sometimes he works through the mighty hand of his providence. Where God, like there is no such thing as coincidence. Coincidence is just when God decides to remain anonymous.

And everything just happens to work out. And of all the people in all the world that could walk through the city gate at this time, the one guy that Boaz needs to talk to, he walks in. And so Boaz says, turn aside, friend. And in Hebrew where it says, friend, that's really a euphemism. Boaz knows the guy's name. He's like his first cousin or something. But what Boaz is saying is, he's like, you know, this is Mr. Wuss's his face.

That's what he's saying. He's saying, I'm not even going to put his name in print because he's that insignificant to the story of me and Ruth and the sovereignty of God. So he kind of calls him, what's his face? Or Mr. So-and-so. That's what it means when it says, friend. It's sort of like, by the way, I'm just going to confess to you. I meet way too many people and hear too many names for me to keep up with all of it, all right? And I am terrible, terrible at matching names with faces.

And so if you come up to me at the end of a service or at public or wherever, and you're like, hey, That helps me none, none. And so I will say something like this. I'll go, hey, brother, that means you're Mr. Wiss's face. Okay, so I love you. I just don't know your name. That's kind of what he's doing here. So Mr. Wusses' face.

He says, sit down here. And so he turned aside and he sat down. And he took 10 men of the elders of the city and said, sit down here. And so they sat down. This is how they conducted official business back in the day. Verse 3. And then he said, to the Redeemer, to Mr. Wusses' face. Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, is selling a parcel of land that belonged to our relative, Alemlech.

So I thought I would tell you of it and say, buy it, in the presence of those sitting here and in the presence of the elders of my people. And if you will redeem it, redeem it. But if you will not, tell me that I may know, for there is no one besides you to redeem it, and I come after you. And he goes, I'll redeem it. Of course he will. this time in history, in biblical times, land is everything. Land means power, land means money, land means influence. You could lose all your money, but you can't take away your land.

I mean, it is important. It's incredibly important. And so obviously, Mr. Wuss's face, if he's got this opportunity to grab hold of a big old parcel of land, it changes everything about his portfolio. Like my daddy Perry Martin said, they ain't making no more of it, so get as much as you can. That's kind of what's going on here. And if you're watching this, you're thinking, Boaz, what's you doing, bro? I thought you loved Ruth.

I thought you wanted to redeem Ruth. Why in the world are you letting What's his face know about such a great opportunity to buy this land? But what we're going to see is Boaz knows exactly what he's doing. You see, Boaz is a legit leader. He is a shrewd manager. Everything that he does is moral and only up and up. But he is working the system to his benefit. on to say this, verse 5. Boas says, hey, Mr. Wash your face, here's just a little fine print.

The day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you also acquire Ruth, the mollbite, the widow of the dead, in order to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance. Now, if we read this when it was written and you knew Jewish culture, you would laugh your face off right now. He'd be like, look at Boaz. Here's what Boaz is saying. He's like, I got this incredible piece of property. You want it? And the guy's like, you know I want it. He's like, all right, just a couple things to come with it, just some minor conditions. One, it comes with a free mother-in-law. You get her.

By the way, her name's bitter, all right? And you get a molebite widow. And he's like, weren't the mollbite women the reason God killed 25,000 Jews back in the day? Yep, that's them, okay? Great girl. All right, met her at the club. And not only that, you got to split it all up with her inheritance, not your own. And so the guy's like, oh, sorry.

second thought, it would be like if you, if you're looking for a new house and your wife comes in, and she's like, maybe I found it. I found the house of our dreams. And so you go to the address and the realtor's like, why don't you just show yourself around and you're walking around and be like, man, it's got the master bedroom and bathroom. It's got everything we need. It's got the split floor plans so we don't have to see our children. It's got everything we have been looking for. And then you walk in one bedroom and there's a mother-in-law. And you're like, uh, hello? And the realtor's like, no, she comes with it. You go, I don't think we're going to buy the house. That's what's happening right here. After he lays that out, verse 6, the Redeemer says, I cannot redeem it for

myself. Like on second thought, he goes, lest I impair my own inheritance, so, Boaz, take my right of redemption yourself, because I ain't doing it. Here's basically what he's saying. He's saying I have the right to redeem it. I even have the resources to redeem it, but I don't think I'm willing to pay that price. Not to get that kind of baggage, not to get a bitter mother-in-law and in this widowed Moabite girl that I've never even met that you met at the soup kitchen line. I don't think I'm willing to pay the price for them. And the reason that he was not willing to pay the price for those girls is because he didn't know them. He had no relationship at all.

And Boaz, on the other hand, is going to look at them and say, worth it. And so he looks and goes, nah, I don't think so. Verse 7. Now, this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and exchanging. So we've been talking about this idea of kinsman Redeemer from the very beginning. That is kind of the title that Boaz has. And so what God had done in the book of Leviticus and Deuteronomy, in a time where there's no Medicare, Medicaid, nursing home, welfare, social security,

anything to take care of people in need, God institutes a way for the people of Israel to take care of their family members, primarily in two ways. One was the redemption of land, and one was the redemption of land. and one was the redemption of people, widows and orphans. And so in the book of Leviticus, which I'm sure you've been reading all weekend, but the Leviticus 25, 24 and 25, talks about this idea that they're talking about here with the elders in this town. It says this, and in all the country you possess, you shall allow a redemption of the land.

If your brother becomes poor and sells part of his property, then his nearest redeemer, or kinsman redeemer, shall come and redeem what his brother has. had sold so that your family didn't lose land. That's what's happening. So that's a part of it. That's part of the framework that Boaz is working under. And then the other part of it is found in Deuteronomy. And this is how you like redeemed people so that if you were a widow, you had somebody to take care of you. And it's kind of long. It's Deuteronomy chapter 25, 5 through 10. I'm going to read it. It says, if brothers dwell together and one of them dies and he has no son, the wife of the dead man shall not be married outside the family to a stranger.

Her husband's brother shall go into her and to take her as his wife and perform the duty of a husband's brother to her. Now, I know that sounds super strange to us in the 21st century, but this was the best way to take care of a widow because without it, she would be homeless and helpless, etc. Verse 6, and the first son whom she bears shall succeed to the name of his dead brother that his name may not be blotted out of Israel.

And if the man does not wish to take his brother's wife, then his brother's wife shall go up to the gate to the elders and say, My husband's brother refuses to perpetuate his brother's name in Israel. He will not perform the duty of a husband's brother to me. And then the elders of his city shall call him and speak to him and be like, come on, man, you need to do this. And if he persist saying, I do not wish to take her. This is where it gets crazy. Ready? Then his brother's wife shall go up to him in the presence of the elders.

and pulled his sandal off his foot and spit in his face. Sounds like a family reunion to me, but that's different. And she shall answer and say, so shall it be done to the man who does not build up his brother's house. And the name of his house shall be called in Israel, the house of him who had his sandal pulled off. So this was like to shame him for the rest of his life. But who's that guy? Oh, that's all one sandal spit face right there. Remember him?

That's what happened. All right. So that's the context in which Boaz is sort of working. Now, if you look at it very closely, Boaz is not the next of kin. He's like one layer removed, which means that by the letter of the law, Boaz was not required to redeem Ruth and Naomi nor the land. And this is why it's very important.

Because he wasn't just doing his legal duty. But what he did is he had to hop over some hurdles and kind of run through some hoops here in order to position himself in first place. Like that other guy get out of the way, position himself in first place, and the reason that he is going to redeem them is not for legal reasons, but he is going to shed his grace on them because of love. That is his motivating factor. When the other guy looks at them and says, nah, I don't think so.

That's too high of a price. Then Boaz steps in and goes, I'll pay it. not because he was required to by law, but because of grace, he is willing to pay the price. That's a really big deal. And so Ruth wants us to know. The book of Ruth wants us to know. So this is how things happened then. And it goes on to say, in verse 7, to confirm a transaction, the one drew off his sandal and gave it to the other.

So there's no spitting and slapping here. And this was the manner of attesting in Israel. So when the Redeemer said to Boaz, buy it for yourself, he drew off his sandal, and then Boaz said to the elders and all the people, You were witnesses this day that I have bought from the hand of Naomi all that belongs to Elimelech and all that belongs to Chilin and Malon, also the Moabite, the widow of Malon. I have bought to be my wife to perpetuate the name of the dead and his inheritance, that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brothers and from the gate of his native

place. You are witnesses this day. Now this is important. that Boaz makes it legal. He makes it legal. There was a legal transaction that had to happen in order for him to be the kinsman redeemer and redeem not only Ruth,

but then everything that comes with Ruth. Land, children, a mother-in-law, all of that. And so here's what he didn't do. He did not say, hey, let's stay engaged for like eight or nine years and we'll just be married in our hearts. No, you're not, okay? You've got to actually get married. And so, first of all, he does that.

He makes it legal, and it is a... legal transaction, but this is what you have to understand. But he is not driven by legalities. He's driven by love. He is doing what it takes to be the answer to the prayer that he prayed over her in chapter 2. May you find rest under the provision and protection of the wing of the Lord. And then she says, maybe God's answer to that prayer that you were praying is you, big boy. And he goes, okay. And so he legally provides for her and protects her. But what is driving him is not some kind of Old Testament law. What is driving him is the fact that he loves her and is willing to pay the price for her.

And so when this happens legally, he takes off the sandal and they shake hands, they sign the documents, they do all of that. Then the whole crowd begins to erupt. It's like the crowd around them sort of knows what's going on. And they begin to cheer and they begin to bless his household. It says this in verse 11. Then all the people who were at the gate and the elders said, we are witnesses. may the Lord make the woman who is coming into your house like Rachel and Leah. Now, when you hear that, maybe you think, I've heard those names before.

I don't know how familiar you are with Bible study, but this is a weird blessing. There's some positives and some negatives. There's some like, it's sort of that backhanded compliment. You know, when somebody's trying to say something nice to you, but they don't have to be like, you don't sweat much for a fat guy. Thanks? Like, you don't know. So, may the Lord, may they be like Rachel and Leah.

So Rachel and Leah were fertile. Their sisters, they gave birth to 12 boys that become the 12 tribes of Israel. And that's the good part. But the part that got him there is a mess. I mean, an absolute mess. I don't know if you read this part of your Bible. It's back in Genesis. There's this kid named Jacob.

He's jacked up. He's really bad. And so he falls in love with this girl named Ray. And she's young, she's pretty. And so he works for seven years to earn the right to marry her. And then, and I don't have time to explain how they got married like 4,000 years ago, but it was not the way we do it today necessarily. And so the night that he was supposed to marry her,

you weren't really married until you consummated the relationship. And they were like sheets and you couldn't in veils and all this stuff. And so when he gets up the next morning after marrying who he thinks is Rachel, Leah, her older sister's in bed. He's like, uh-oh. You think your marriage is jacked up? You got nothing on this one. The father-in-law gave him the wrong bride.

And so he goes back, he's like, bro, are you kidding me? It's very loose translation. But this is it, okay? He's like, oh, what are you thinking, man? I wanted the hot younger one. You gave me the ugly old one. He's like, well, I know. Who do you think is going to marry?

And he's like, are you serious? Okay, well, what do I do to get the one I wanted? He goes, you've got to work seven more years. So he does. And he marries both of them. And they both have kids. You think your wife's a little insecure? Talk about, you know, how do Thanksgiving here?

Well, that's her getting as good as mine last year. I mean, it is a train wreck of a family, and yet God uses this train wreck of a relationship to create the 12 tribes of Israel. And so they say, may the Lord make the woman who is coming into your house like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you act worthily in Ephraitha,

that's like an old name for Bethlehem and be renowned in Bethlehem. And here comes the second blessing, which is sort of a blessing. And may your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah. Perez, his name means breach, because he was born Breach. Who's that? That's my boy pain in the butt. Ask his mama, right?

Now let me tell you about his mama and his daddy. Tamar bore Judah. Judah is Tamar's father-in-law. Judah was jacked up, sleeping around with people, had some sons. And one of his sons marries Tamar. And that son died, and then the second son didn't do what he was supposed to do, so God killed him. And then there was a third son, and the dad said, hey, daughter-in-law, wait for my third son to get old enough, and I'll give him to you in marriage.

And then one day she's at, you know, the town center, and there he is, and he's giving him away to somebody else. And she's like, uh-uh. And so she dresses up like a prostitute and seduces the father-in-law. This is in the Bible, people. Genesis 38. I told you, you should read your Bible. Southern Charm got nothing on the Bible. You understand what I'm saying?

And so the father-in-law sleeps with this daughter-in-law that she stinks as a prostitute. And then when he finds out that she's pregnant outside of wedlock, he, because he's such a hypocrite, is going to have her killed. And then it's like a Jerry Springer, like reveal. Uh-uh, it's your baby. He's like, all right, maybe I won't kill you. Maybe it's not so bad. This is the famed.

It's crazy. It is absolutely crazy. And Perez is in the lineage of Jesus, that God can use the most jacked up. situations in the world for his glory and for your joy. Which, by the way, this is one of the reasons I highly encourage you to join a disciple group. Here's why. Because sometimes you think, man, my life is a wreck. Then you go to a disciple group and you get to the prayer time, you're like, I might be okay.

You know what? I think I'm not having my father-in-law's baby, so that's the step in the right direction. So they say, may your house, the house of Perez, whom tamar your house. bore to Judah because of the offspring that the Lord will give you by this young woman. Here's why I think, in my opinion, that they pick these two train wrecks of stories to say, hey, maybe God can bless you like you bless them. If God can redeem those train wrecks, if God can redeem some mismarrying and some, I mean, some of the worst or the worst or the worst, then Ruth, don't ever hang your head

because you grew up in Moab and you weren't supposed to. Don't ever hang your head because you're a widow and you're a widow. weren't a virgin and all that kind of stuff, if God can redeem people like this, then who's to say he can't use you to change the world? If just because you didn't grow up in church or just because you promised God when you were 12, but you didn't really live that out, just because you keep struggling with the same sin over and over and over, just because you don't know enough Bible, or just because whatever that thing is that God's sovereign hand is so much greater than anything you have done, including your own sin.

Who are you to tell the Almighty God that you are beyond His God? redemption. I think that's why. That's why he blesses them with those two. I thought I'd get an amen or like, that's good. Give me a break. Verse 13. So, I love this. So Boaz took Ruth. She became his wife, and he went into her. That's a way to say it. The Bible just says it right there. And he, not go to her house, he'd go to her house. So I'm going to read it again. So Boaz. So Boaz, took Ruth, she became his wife, and he went in her. Okay, if that makes you uncomfortable, you're going to hate the church. You should just leave now. All right. Listen to the podcast. You can fast forward to these parts. So here's, so the Bible is very, very specific about what is happening.

All right? And then, and here's why I want to point this out is because remember last week, when they went on that weird date, she laid at his feet. So the Bible wants us to know, we ain't talking about feet anymore. So this is how we know that they did not cross any kind of moral lines. They did not have premarital sex last week on their date that they waited until they got married. And Boaz, I'm going to read it again. I just keep reading it. So Boas took Ruth. She became his wife and he went into her. And the Lord gave her conception and she bore a son. Boaz is a sniper. Boom. One for one. I'm telling you, that thing's dialed in, man. He is sighted in. Ten ring. Which is crazy because there's been all this buildup for four chapters. Like there's

a whole chapter on a lunch that they have. And here you've got covenant consummation and conception in one verse. Boom. It all happens here. And then check it out, man. And the Lord gave her conception and she bore a son. You see, she would have never in a million years thought that that would be possible for her. She was married for 10 years in Moab and she was barren. And then God Almighty in the lowest place in her life actually is going to be the thing that leverages the glory of God, even to us today.

You see, if the tomb is empty, anything is possible. No matter how low you think you are, God's arms are not too short to save. I promise he can reach you. And in fact, sometimes I'm telling you, it seems like when I'm going through like the mud puddles of my life

and I'm like, Lord, help me. He says, I have you my son. And then he just like drags me right down there in it. I don't know why. Except maybe it just makes me more desperate for him. And so here she is, man. I mean, she has gone from weeping to wedding. She's gone from misery to motherhood.

Verse 14, and then the women said to Naomi, that's the grandma now. 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 of your old age for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons has given birth to him. Now, in the original language, in the Hebrew, I think it is intentionally muddy. Because it's talking about a redeemer, but if you look through the Hebrew, it's kind of hard to tell who the redeemer is.

Is it this baby? It sort of looks like it's talking about the baby. How could the baby be a redeemer? It's sort of talking about Boas, but it's clear in the Hebrew that it's supposed to make us think about God being our perfect redeemer. that there's this idea of a kinsman redeemer, but really God is that perfect redeemer, because she says that he has not left you. And from the garden to the garden, from the garden of Eden to the garden of heaven, God's promise is this. And I will be with you always, even to the ends of the age, that God pursues us, that God comes after us, that he would never leave us or forsake us. She says that his name be renowned.

And you see, again, what you saw as a setback in your life could actually be the greatest set up to display the glory of God, that through your life, his name would be renowned, and that he restores life. Do you know why he restores life? Because in him is life. That he breathed his spirit into Adam, and that's when he went from a shell of a man to a living being. That in God there is life, and the reason that he restores life is because that's where life is found in him. and he nourishes our life. The God doesn't do just enough to save us so that one day we go to heaven,

but he feeds us and nurtures us in our walk with Christ. In other words, the gospel is not just about our salvation, but our sanctification. If you look at the life of Ruth, you see this progressive sanctification. In chapter one, she was far from God. She was a foreigner. She didn't even know him. In chapter two, she is converted, meets Boas, and then she begins to reap some of the rewards, but she doesn't really know him well yet.

Then she moves into kind of this dating relationship in chapter 3, and by the time you get to chapter 4, there is this intimate relationship going on. When God sent his only begotten son to die on a cross for you, it was so that you would have life and have it in abundance. That doesn't mean that eternal life starts when you die. It means it starts when you die to yourself and you're resurrected in Christ because he nourishes our life. And he is the source of blessing, even and especially when his plans are different than

ours because they're always different than ours because his ways are so much greater than our ways and so what the friends of naomi are saying is blessed you always had a redeemer that would never leave you or never forsake you verse 16 and then naomi took the child and laid him on her lap and became his nurse now naomi here is a grandparent she's a grandma remember what naomi said when she got back to Bethlehem? She said, don't call me sweetness, call me bitter, because my hands are empty. Now what's she got in her hands? Her grandbaby. How many grandparents we have at all of our locations? If you're a grandparent, raise them mind, keep them up for a second. Look around. All right, look, grandparents, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you for being here.

Okay? Thank you. Because without you, we are not a legit church. We're just kind of like a weird, older youth group without you. You understand? We need you. When we say that we're a movement for all people, we mean all generations too. And the last thing in the world I want at the Church of 1122 is this thing to just be full of 20 year old only, you know? Because that kind of concentration and ignorance in one place telling each other how to live is a scary proposition. We need, we need, like the Bible says, older generations, training up the younger generations. And so thank you, thank you, thank you for being here and being a significant part of this movement that is the Church of 1122. And I don't know by personal experience, but I've heard many times, but being a grandparent as

way better than being a parent. You get all the blessings of like the love of a kid without the responsibility. Then Naomi is holding that little baby and goes, Ruth, all right, there you go. And so, she is, I mean, just blessed of God. She's a grandma. And then the women of the neighborhood gave him a name, which is kind of weird to let your grandma's friends name the kid, but they do, saying, a son has been born to Naomi and they named him Obed, which doesn't sound like a great name, but it really is awesome. It means worshiper. Worship her.

She thinks in chapter one, Naomi is weeping. In chapter four, she's holding a worshipper. And it's the sovereign hand of God that has taken her from weeping to worship. And then it's crazy, man.

It says they named him Obed and he was the father of Jesse, the father of David. Now next week, we're going to spend the entire time reading and going through the part of the Bible that we usually skip in our own quiet times, genealogies, but they really, really matter.

And what a part of what, so I won't take away from what's happening next week, but a part of what's going on here that the writer of Ruth wants us to know, if you remember, the book of Ruth started this way. In the days of the judges, and remember, we studied judges a year ago or so, and the predominant verse in judges is this, they did what was right in their own eyes. And so what God wants us to see here is that through this single girl from Moab, from the wrong place, doing the wrong things, that God could use her life and legacy to take a people from the days of the judges where people did what was right in their own eyes to the king, King David, who was a man after God's own heart.

You see, I think that's a part of the reason that Ruth, the book of Ruth, is in the Bible. A part of it is so that we would see the historical lineage, but I think a bigger part is this, what we've been talking about a lot. That the reason I think that the Book of Ruth is in the Bible, I put it as the point in your notes, is because Jesus is our perfect redeemer. And then here at 1122, we believe in the inerrancy of Scripture, the authority of Scripture, it's not just a history book,

it is God's Word to us. And the whole thing is about one thing, but that thing is not you. Don't get me wrong, God, it's for you. It's just not about you. And what the whole thing is about, is the hero that we all need, and his name is Jesus. And Boaz is a picture of the coming Jesus, that Boaz is a foreshadowing of what Christ would do for us. You see, Boas has the right to redeem as the kinsman Redeemer.

Boaz has the resources to redeem because he's a rich man, and Boas has the resolve to redeem. He looks at Ruth and Naomi and says, I will pay the price. And you see, Jesus is our perfect redeemer. Jesus has the right to redeem because he became our... kinsmen by becoming a man. This is very important. He did not have to. He did not have to, but by his grace, the second person of the Trinity, the almighty son of God, who is before all things and in all things hold together, he stepped off of the throne of heaven and into the person of Jesus as a baby in a manger. Made himself incredibly vulnerable. It was fully God and fully man. This means

that the sovereign king of the universe knows what it's like to get tired. He knows what it's like to be frustrated. He knows what it's like to be hungry. The Bible tells us that he was tempted in every way. You ever have a friend betray you? Jesus knows what that feels like. You ever been wrongfully accused of something? Jesus knows what that feels like. Have you ever been depleted and you feel like you just can't go on and just at that moment the enemy puts that temptation right in front of your face? Jesus knows what that feels like because when God became a man, when God put on a body. In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God and the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us, moved into the neighborhood. Hebrew says that Jesus became our

brother. And when he became our brother, he moved into the pole position to have the right to redeem us as our kinsman redeemer. Philippians chapter 2 says it this way that Jesus emptied himself by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men, and being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross. Now see, this is why this is such a big deal. Every worldview has one thing in common. Something's wrong. I mean, whether you're a Buddhist or an atheist or a fundamentalist Christian, every single one of us, look at this world or look at yourself or look at your wife and go, there's a problem. And then every world religion, every world religion says, and the fix to that problem is

found in you, so here's how you fix it. And then the gospel comes along with a radically different message that Jesus came to do for you what you can't do for you. That Jesus came to fix from the inside out what you can't come to fix. That Jesus came to be a rescuer or a redeemer to pay a price that you and I cannot pay because he is our kinsman redeemer. Jesus has the right to redeem. And Jesus has the resources to redeem. You see, it's one thing if the kinsman Redeemer is broke and can't afford to buy the land and purchase Naomi and Ruth back, but Jesus has the resources to redeem. And what I mean by this is that Jesus lived a perfect life and he died in our place. Because God is holy and because God is just, he demands perfection. Regardless of your opinion on that,

God is not looking for your approval or permission. Because God is who he says he is, he's He's perfect. He's just. He's holy other. The only thing that would satisfy him is the perfect life. And then Jesus shows up on this earth, tempted in every way and never sins. He lives a perfect life. And then because he loves us is willing to pay with his life the debt that you and I owe. 2 Corinthians 521 says it this way. For our sake, he made him to be sin who knew no sin so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. This is called double imputation, not imputation, imputation. That our sin debt is counted towards Jesus on the cross and his perfect life or righteousness is credited to us. It would be like God opens up his bank account with infinite

amount of money. You open up your bank account with a whole bunch of debt that you can never pay off and he says, I tell you what, we'll make the greatest exchange ever. I will dump all of my resources into your account and I will take all of your debt. You see, Jesus had the resources to redeem because he lived the perfect life. And then third, and I think most importantly, I think the reason that Ruth is in the Bible is this, that Jesus has the resolve to redeem, that he loves us and is willing to pay the price for his glory. You see, Mr. Wuss's name, looked at it, he had the right, because he was in the right spot, he had the resources, and then when he looked down and he went, nah, I don't think I'm willing to.

to pay that price. And Jesus looks at you and I and says, you were not your own. You were bought at a price. And the price that God was willing to pay for you was the blood of his only begotten son, Jesus. You see, it was his love that drove us. Romans 5-8, but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

The way I'd like to explain it is this way. it's like God was going to make a deal and he ran a Carfax on you to see what he was getting. And it came back bad. Worse than you think. Not only is it banged up on the outside, it's banged up under the hood. That thing, the timing's off. It needs a new head gas to get the leaks oil. It kind of drifts to the left.

The windows don't work. The radio doesn't work. I mean, the thing is just lemon, lemon, lemon, lemon, lemon, lemon. Don't buy. Don't buy. And Jesus looks at that and says, perfect. I'll take it. This is what it means when Jesus is the proliferation.

epitiation for our sin. A payment that satisfies what means this, that you can never dissatisfy God. See, you like this so much, you blinked at us right there. That he looks at you and is jacked up as we are and says, I will take it and I will pay full price. This is what, he has to resolve. He has the love. Like Boaz looked at Ruth and says, whatever it takes to make you mine, I am willing to pay that price. That's what Jesus Christ did for us on the cross. It's what the majority of the book of Romans chapter. eight is all about. Everybody loves some Romans 828. Everybody misquotes it and says, well, the Bible says everything happens for a reason. If you say that in me, I go, the reasons you're an idiot,

because that's not what it says. Sometimes bad things happen to you for the reason that you're bad. That's why, all right? So, brew on that for a minute. Romans 828 actually says, God works in all things for the good of those that love him and are called according to his purpose. That God is the subject, not the things. But then it goes on to say some verses that make some people really uncomfortable, but doesn't bother me. Here we go. It says this, those whom he foreknew, he also predestined. Now, the word predestined just means to predestine. That's just what it means. But the reason that he did is because he foreknew you. And it doesn't just mean like know about. It means in Greek to know and to love are like really intertwined. The way the Bible will use the word

no, it's like Adam knew Eve and she bore a son. So like there's no one and then there's no one. You know what I mean? And so God so loved you before you, even were an idea to anybody else other than God. Charles Spurgeon said that God must have loved me before I was born because after I was born, there was nothing lovable in me. And so I want to read these verses to let you know about Jesus' resolve to love you and redeem you. It says, for those he foreknew or for love, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son in order that he might be firstborn among many brothers.

And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he justified, and those whom he justified, he also glorified. Once God starts the glory train in you, it takes you all the way to heaven. There's no derailing. Verse 31, what then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, then who can be against us? He who did not spare his own son but gave him up for us all? How will he not also with him graciously give us all things? So you want to know if Jesus loves you?

quit looking at your circumstances and start looking at the cross. And then he says, who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died more than that, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. I mean, Jesus is praying for you right now. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?

Shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword or the fact that you're a widow or you're a moll bite or you lost your husband or you lost your father-in-law, the fact that you've got to glean in somebody else's field because you can't afford to feed yourself. Or what could separate you from the love of Christ? That mistake you made, that sin that you can't seem to get out of, the fact that you don't understand all the things that we talk about, what can separate you from the love of Christ? Can any of these things? And then Paul goes, no, no.

In all these things, we are more than conquerors through Him. him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor death, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ, Jesus, our Lord. Amen. Amen. That Jesus has the resolve to redeem us. He is not reluctantly saving you, I guess. Come on. put up with you until you get to heaven and all the sin gets washed away. No, he loves you right now as demonstrated by his death and resurrection. And so don't miss this. The fundamental reason I think that the Book of Ruth is in the Bible is because too many times, honestly, at churches like ours,

that want to be doctrinally sound, which is very, very important, sometimes we can see the gospel as transactional. And the gospel is primarily beautiful. It is driven by love for God's soul loved you. And so don't see your walk with Jesus as a courtroom drama. You need to see it as a love story. And I think the reason that the gospel is found here in the context of this love story between Boaz willing to pay

whatever price it took to get Ruth is because Jesus loves us so much. He was willing to pay whatever price it took. And, not because you're awesome, but because he is. Listen, the reason I married Gretchen was not practical. It's very expensive. Don't get me wrong, she's really good-looking. In case you don't know, the really pretty girl up here at San Pablo, this singing, that's my wife. But I did not go.

You know what, I'm going to need some female vocalists at the church I'm planting one day. How about her? No. No, I didn't take a DNA sample to see if I'd have to pay her for college or not. You know, I said if I'm going to have smart kids and athletic kids. I didn't do that. didn't measure, are these child bearable of those? No. I would just get around her and lose my mind. Like, I don't know how to describe it, except that I didn't think transactional. I just thought beautiful.

Just this thing, just my heart would explode. I was like, I don't do that forever. And so was there legal transaction? Yes, we got married. But man, it is more than that, man. That relationship, I mean, you know your marriage is in rough shape when you just got like a, a, Butler and a maid living together and everybody's just kind of doing all the chores, but you lost that thing. May that never be said of your relationship with Jesus. I mean, God helped a man, God helped the woman, God helped the church that trades in a relationship with Jesus. You know what this, that's what this whole thing's about. We're a movement for all people to discover and deepen a relationship with Jesus that the gospel would come alive in you.

And you trade that for some kind of man-made religious duty. You see, it happens. often is what the book of Galatians is all about. In the book of Galatians, some people at church, called the Judaizers, they traded in a love for God for trying to do everything right first. And they actually believed that to be saved, it was Jesus plus some stuff. And Paul writes Galatians, which basically says, Jesus plus anything is nothing. And Jesus plus nothing is everything.

And so he writes to him in Galatians chapter 4 and he says this. He says, in the same way, we also, when we were children, we were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. In other words, we were kind of like Ruth. We were homeless and we were hopeless and we were foreigners with absolutely nothing to offer. But when the fullness of time had come, in other words, at just the right time, God sent forth his son, Born of a woman, he became our kinsman redeemer, born under the law, he lived that perfect life to redeem those who were under the law. That word redeem means to buy back.

And if you ever use the coupon, you have participated in a picture of the gospel. You open the mailbox and there's a coupon. You did nothing to deserve it except open your mailbox, and there it is. And you read it. And it says free ham and Publix. And you go to Publix and you get your ham. and then you go get into 10 items or fewer line, and I always count and see if people in front of me can't read or count,

which one and judge them. And then that part's over. You get up to the front and you lay down the ham. And they're like, that'll be $30. Maybe for the unelect, but not me. I have a coupon. And so my coupon says free ham. And then what do you do?

We even call it this. You redeem the coupon. I give you the coupon. It costs me nothing. You give me the ham. It cost him everything, his whole life. But it at least cost the manufacturer of the ham full price. And it is a picture of the gospel.

One day you will stand before your almighty maker, sovereign king of the universe. And he will say, how will you atone or pay for your sin? And you say, I have the gospel. I am not trusting in myself. I am trusting in the one that paid for me. And so I would like to receive the free gift of salvation. But what did it cost him? It cost him everything.

The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus. And though that is transactional, it doesn't stop there. It says to redeem those who are under law so that we might receive adoption as sons. God is like the sovereign judge of the universe that doesn't just want to bring down the gavel and say not guilty. He takes it the step further and says, come on, come on. Now take off your prison. clothes and put on some new clothes because I'm going to bring you home as my son. And honestly, ladies, you were a son too because in the first century, the son was the firstborn son was in a place

of preeminence or prominence. And whether you're male or female, God says that. When you surrender your life to Christ, you are co-equal with Christ as your brother. And nobody adopts anybody because of practical reasons. Nobody. Are there legal transactions? Yes. It's expensive you've got to go through a whole lot of paperwork but there's not a family that sits around our church is like you know what i need somebody cut my grass we should adopt no god does this thing there where you look at a person you understand i am chosen to choose and then he says that we might receive adoption as sons and because you were sons god sent the spirit of his son into our hearts crying abba father so you are no longer a slave but a son and if a son then an heir through

God. You see, Jesus is our perfect redeemer. He has the right to redeem. He has the resources to redeem, and he has the resolve to redeem that he loves you and says, why don't you receive this free gift of salvation? It's free to you. It cost him everything. And God the Father's invitation to every single one of us who are beaten up, busted, broken, homeless, hopeless, hopeless, like Ruth from a foreign land. We go, I got nothing to offer. And he looks at you. And he looks at you. You, you and says, you know what, not only do I want to declare you not guilty, but I want to adopt you into my house as my son. Come on in. I got everything you could want and need because I'm the sovereign judge of the universe. You guys realize when Jesus was asked what the greatest

commandment is, it was not to believe God. It was to love God. Because God first loved us that we would reflect his love back to him. So my question, how many of you are ready to move from a slave of fear and by Christ's payment on the cross, Christ's redemption of us, to be entered into God's family as one of his children, as a son. See, what he did through the life of Ruth, he wants to do in us right now, to redeem us, to adopt us, because he loves us, and he's willing to pay the price. So if that's you, that maybe for the very first time today, no matter where you are, you're ready to admit it. I need a redeemer because I can't redeem myself.

And I believe somehow that when Jesus said it is finished on the cross, that that counted for me. And today, I want to confess him as Lord. I want to give you that opportunity. Would you please bow your head and close your eyes? And if that's you, if you're ready to admit it that you need a redeemer, if today, for the very first time, because you realize that God loves you, you want to love him back and you believe when Christ died on the cross that counted for you and today you would confess your sonship in him then just pray that just just tell him right now and if you've

prayed that prayer from your heart would you just raise your hand and say father here i am redeem me adopt me into your family as your son or your daughter our good and gracious heavenly father god we love you because you first loved us god thank you that you have the right to redeem god that you have the resources to redeem and that you have the resolve to love us even though we are not very lovable. And God, I thank you, I thank you for the free gift of salvation that you are willing to pay full price for. And Lord, I pray that even those that are walking in one of the toughest chapters of our life, God, would you remind us right now, just like Ruth and more importantly like the cross, that you're not finished writing our story and that our story would be used for your glory.

And we pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.