A Unique Courtship (Ruth 3) - Pastor Daniel Fusco

[Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] so I'm not too ashamed to confess that I'm a great fan of a good love story you know sometimes people say you know that's like not a manly thing to say but listen like I love my dad my dad was great but my mom was around a lot I had two sisters so you know kind of when you're as a family and you're like choosing family movie time me and my dad will always get outvoted you know I mean I mean even like when my dad was at work IV what my sister's I know like hey we'll go see this movie and I'm like hey can we go see like this like you know special facts movie or a cop movie or something they'd be like no I get voted down every time now as I was a young man obviously I was trying to make sure that like that they knew that I was like a man and so like I would never tell them that I liked it but deep down in my heart I really liked the stories you know and and and uh and then of course I got married you know what I mean and it's like I want to hang out with my wife and so you know psyche like hey listen we can watch us like end-of-the-world thriller movie or any movie with meg Ryan in it my wife was like meg Ryan you know and so and and I want to hang out with my wife I she's cool you know and so if that's what it took that's what I was watching and so and it's funny now that I've gotten the old they're like you know vielen will be watching a movie or something you know of course of course there's previews like 97,000 previews and then like and I've gotten so housebroken and well-trained at this point that I'll see one and I'll notice Linna back oh that's gonna be really good she's like yes it is you know and so but but like I've learned to appreciate a beautiful love story and and you know it's funny because I think about you know somebody someone's bound to ask you know so what's your favorite love story out of all of them obviously it's mine and Lynn's story it's it's the best story the story that of what God did to bring us together no no no I know you want me to tell the story but I've also been housebroken enough to know that I'll tell the story not adequately so you have to ask Lynn because she'll tell you the story the right way every once in a while I'll be telling the story to someone she's like you're leaving out all the best parts I mean really I'm going you want to take it and she just assumes right in there and take tells us so ask Lynch I'd love to tell the story but you got all you know it it's a good story it's a God story and so a good love stories probably know the reason I bring this up is because we're at that place as we're doing this series called Oasis and the Book of Ruth that now we see that there is a love story that is blossoming you know that this woman Ruth who has walked by faith by choosing Naomi and the god of Naomi and the people of Naomi now we're in that place where something is beginning to transpire now here's the thing what you have to realize in the Bible is the Bible tells the story of people but the Bible is always interested in a greater story and really it's the story of God in the midst of the lives of people we love our own loves stories and we love the idea of God bringing a man and a woman together and they fall in love and they live happily ever after and we just saw it recently as our whole you know it's like our whole culture was captivated by the royal wedding you know and it was funny that cuz I'm like watching this and I'm like I wonder why everyone cares so much you know and that's me being a total dude you know like I don't care whatever and then it's like it's like a princess story I'm like I don't even think about it you know so yeah I mean it's it's a princess story and so we love these ideas of these love stories but there's a greater love story that the Bible really wants to talk about and that's the love of God for people you know and this idea of the people of God being the Bride of Christ you know you have all these pictures that the Bible uses to remind us that God loves people and God came to to create the ultimate love story that Jesus would lay down his life you know and so even as we look at this blossoming love between Boaz and and Ruth we realized that Boaz is a beautiful picture of Jesus Boaz is the Redeemer of this woman this woman who was lost and destitute and Boaz not only can do it he wants to do it he chooses to do it and so really we see now as we we take this next step in this see we really see the gospel the good news of Jesus being on display in the life of Ruth in a very powerful way so open up your Bibles to Ruth chapter 3 Ruth chapter 3 as we continue this series that we're calling Oh ASA so if I want you to if you brought your Bible with you to church I want you to pull it out finding the Book of Ruth is really easy it's towards the beginning of your Bible you have the five books of Moses right Genesis Exodus Leviticus numbers and Deuteronomy and then you have the book of Joshua then you have the book of Judges and then you have the Book of Ruth now Ruth you could miss it because it's a short book that's only four chapters long so it sits between the book of Judges and of course first samuel and of course if you brought a smart device with you i mean i think it's super cool that like you could just pull out your your phone and you could find pretty much anything you want to find in the world like right there it's kind of a cool thing so you could put in ruth chapter 3 on the phone - i kind of i still prefer reading the bible in the book because I'm just retro like that I don't know just something about the pages and the whole thing I just I still love that so I I haven't converted to be completely digital but that's my own journey so it starts like this in in Ruth chapter 3 verse 1 it says then they owe me her mother-in-law said to her my daughter shall I not seek security for you that it may be well with you now Boaz verse 2 whose young woman you were with if is he not our relative in fact he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor therefore wash yourself and anoint yourself put on your best garment and go down to the threshing floor but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking then it shall be that when he lies down that you shall notice the place where he lies and you shall go in uncover his feet and lie down and he will tell you what you should do and she said to her all that you say to me I will do so she went down to the threshing floor and did according to all that her mother-in-law instructed her and after Bo has had eaten and drunk and his heart was cheerful he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain and he came softly uncovered his feet and lay down now I know I just read that and all of you are like what is going on you know as though you know I call this message a unique courtship because we read this and in 21st century western context you're like what is going on here but I'm gonna explain it to you so don't worry now what I want to say before you any further is I wouldn't recommend doing it this way okay but in that culture this is totally culturally appropriate way for courtship to happen right and I'm gonna unpack it for you now if you recall as we finished Ruth chapter two Boaz's kindness towards Ruth and Naomi has been extraordinary we're in the midst of the harvesting time Boaz sees Ruth and he knows her testimony and her testimony opens doors and he looks out for it he takes care of her right and then if you recall it towards the end of Ruth chapter two naomi makes the case that hey Ruth whatever you do don't go into any other field we don't want boys here you just go to Boaz his field it's gonna be super fun because naomi is smart she's she's a wise woman and she cares about Ruth and so in when we by the time we get to verse 1 Naomi says to her my daughter shall I not seek security for you that it may be well with you so she's saying listen me and you together is good but there's a greater rest that's available to you and we've been making the case that in that culture a woman who did not have a husband or adult children who her sons were completely vulnerable whose long before our day and age were when they were able to work outside of the home all these things in that culture they were vulnerable and so what Naomi is saying her is should I not be seeking a spouse for you right so Naomi begins she puts on her she's a mother-in-law but she puts on her matchmaker hat now she's like I'm gonna work this thing out now listen for those of you who are single if you want to get married you should find a good matchmaker I'm not I'm not kidding somebody who loves the Lord knows people who love the Lord because you want to get a good match mate now remember I told you about linen eyes my favorite life story while my pastor's wife was actually Matchmaker you know it wasn't like you know we just like God married one day and we met uh you know like an arranged marriage but I was talking with my pastor's wife about it just recently you know she used to give me a hard time I was planning a church in New Jersey she's like man you are really messing up with Lynn like what are you talking about she's a godly woman she loves Jesus she's gonna make a great pastor's wife but if you don't jump get in there right now you're gonna miss it and I suggest we just leave me alone would you leave me alone you know Michael I'm busy here you know but then eventually I feel like the Lord was like then you shouldn't listen Hillary you're being a bozo and so and Gaga literally just a couple weeks ago Hillary said to me she's like I did a good job didn't I I'm like I'm like yeah you did yeah you did I'm like I'm not so sure if it was good for Lynne but it's great for me you know so they always looking out for Ruth and and then notice what she says in verse 2 she says now Boaz whose young women you were with is he not our relative now if you've been studying through this with us we've been making the case that in that culture there was something called the lever right marriage where if a woman was a widowed without you know a male heir then a near relative normally it would be a the knit the next oldest brother or one of those would come and they would redeem this woman they would raise up an heir for them and I know it sounds crazy but that was the way the culture worked it was a way to protect women in a culture where women were not protected at all it was very unique if you read other literature from the same time here you almost have nothing like the things you find in the Bible the way to protect women and so she what they owe me is saying is that Boaz could be your Redeemer Boaz could receive you as his wife raise up offspring and and you will be protected and so Naomi 'he's got a plan knows what she says she says in fact he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor now really what this means is we saw Ruth in the midst of the harvest so I've never worked at a farm in my life and so but I've read about it and so those of you who have worked the land you know that this goes that day that when a field is time for harvest you harvest it but when you harvest it back in the day it wasn't done you harvest it and then you would take all of the harvested grain and then you'd go to the winnowing floor and it would be the time to separate the the fruit the edible piece from the outer shell that protected it and so you would harvest you take all the things you harvested to a place called the wintering floor now in most communities in that day there was one winnowing floor for the entire community and really what it was is it was it was a house that was set up which would have open walls on two sides where the wind would go through and they would take this thing called a winnowing fan and they would throw the grain up in the air and because the fruit was was was heavier it would fall down and then the outer husk would which is below right out out of the room and so do you be able to it was a simple process they would do this and so what would happen was as landowners would reserve time at the windowing floor to be able to harvest you know they've harvest their grain but now they're gonna separate the wheat from the chaff if you know the Bible that's a big picture right it's that which is fruitful as oppose from that which is not and you know the Bible always speaks of how God is glorified when we're fruitful and the chaff is gonna be burned up with unquenchable fire now I bring all this up not only is it here but it's the idea that you want to make sure that your life is fruitful and I'm gonna tell you the only way for your life to be fruitful in a way that you are not judged is by putting your faith and trust in Jesus she said without me you could do nothing I remember the first time I read that as a seeker reading the Bible I thought to myself yikes like you know and and and reading it at this point in history where you're like you know you're not supposed to talk that way in like men Jesus is really not very politically correct right now without me you can do nothing and the thing is the only way for us to be fruitful not with any sort of fruit but with the fruit of the Spirit is to abide in Christ to put your faith and trust in him and to allow Jesus to connect you to himself he is the divine and we are the inches and as we trusted him his essential life that was bought for us at the cross by his the way that he lived that makes its way to us and bears fruit that redounds for God's glory and into eternity and so this picture of the the wheat and the chaff Jesus uses it and so Boaz is now going in it he's harvested all the grain but now it's time to separate the the chaff the outer protective layer that was inedible from the fruit that he could use and so I look at Naomi's counsel because she knows that Boaz is going to be working at the winnowing floor it says this in verse three therefore wash yourself and anoint yourself put on your best garment and go down to the threshing floor but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking and it shall be when he lies down that you shall notice the place where he lies verse four and you shall go in uncover his feet lie down and he will do he will tell you what you should do and she said to her all that you say to me I will do that I put it to you this way that you and I need to learn how to put yourself at Jesus's feet that's really what this is about you we have to learn how to put ourselves at the feet of Jesus see what Naomi is recommending is Naomi's recommend listen I want you to go to the wintering floor and as Boaz is doing all his work when it's time for him to go to sleep I want you to go and I want you to lay at his feet and when he wakes up he's gonna tell you what you should do now don't miss the fact that she also says you might want to get yourself cleaned up a little bit no I don't want to overstate this but really you have to realize that they live in a culture where there wasn't showers and spas I mean it was a much different hygienic style of a culture and so people didn't you know go by special dresses for special occasions you know people didn't have you know closets full of food of clothes and shoes and so it was a much different culture and so really what he's saying is that like you need to make sure she's saying you need to be sure that you put yourself together and that you and yet you wash yourself because people didn't bathe everyday you know there's lots of cultures in the world that are still like that today we you know we live in an overly you know maybe not an overly but in a hygienic culture so he's like listen I want you to I want you to anoint yourself with oil for that was fragrant oil and I literally want you I don't see him until he goes to sleep and then when he goes to sleep I want you just to to put yourself at his feet now you notice where does she say she wants her to put him/her self at his feet so this is not anything inappropriate this was an old courting ritual Naomi knows that when he wakes up and he notices there's someone his feet he's gonna ask some questions and this was her way of saying I want to surrender to you I would like for you to redeem me that's what she's saying you know and so this is not you know cuz it's funny you read Bible commentaries and speakers and people go freak out about this like how improper - no no this was a normal way that this happened and she's not saying listen I want you to show up there and I want you to put your moves on him no it's like wait till he goes to sleep lay at his feet and when he wakes up he's gonna tell you what you should do and I think this is beautiful because in the exact same way this is what God is asking of each of us the idea of being at someone's feet literally means being submitted to them or or surrender to them the idea of you know the Lord is my love you know sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool I put them under your feet the picture in Genesis chapter 3 of how Jesus will crush the Serpent's head the idea is of a place of submission or surrender and really that's what happens when you put your faith and trust in Jesus you submit yourself to him you surrender yourself now I know that that's not a popular concept today I know lots of people don't like that idea but listen everybody submits to something or someone if you get a job you in a sense have submitted yourself to that employer so that employer says this is your hours you do that if you don't work these hours you don't get paid that's part of the process and we live in a culture that does not enjoy topics of submission or surrender but I'm here to tell you if you're a follower of Jesus if you're not surrender to Jesus you're not a follower of Jesus because even calling him Lord gives him a place of divine authority in your life and what goes on today and we talk about this a lot that someone puts their faith in trust in Jesus right which is all that you need to be justified but for many people today maybe some of us here you've trusted Jesus for your salvation but you don't surrender yourself to him you don't live submitted to the will of God you live however you want to live now I'm gonna tape you can do that but you your life won't be fruitful the way God wants it to be because if God says I want you to love your enemies why I'm really not gonna do that then just do your enemies get love from you know it Scott says listen I want you to stop doing that thing whatever that thing is for you and we all have those right the Spirit of God says hey that's not exactly how I want you to be but if you don't submit yourself to that counsel then that does not become a part of your life Jesus says I want you to forgive that person you have to choose to forgive them don't you and once you choose to forgive them you have to continue to forgive that how many times did somebody hurt you and you forgive them but you can you tell them you forgiven but you really don't and then something goes on you want to roll that old skeleton of hurt back out there again and then you're like well we're talking I thought you forgave me oh yeah I'm sorry new you roll that skeleton back in the closet you know I think we do that kind of thing but the idea is is that Jesus wants each one of us to be surrendered to him like this you think about how vulnerable Ruth is throughout this story and this is a very vulnerable position isn't it I mean if this van wasn't a man of integrity he could take advantage of her there's all sorts of things that could go wrong here but Naomi's got a plan and so I think it's important for you to ask yourself a simple question have I surrendered myself to Jesus and not only one time unto salvation and if you're here today and you're hearing this and you've never before surrendered to Jesus for the very first time and become born-again I want to give you an opportunity to do that by the the service like it begins with that decision but once you have said yes to Jesus then your growth in Christ comes from continued surrendering I don't know how many times I've have to gone back to the war and be like lord I trust you and teach me to trust you Lord I've submitted myself to you but teach me to submit myself in this area in this situation in this moment and that's where growth happens and I'm sure there's many of you right now we were saying yourself yeah I got a really surrender a fresh right now there's parts of my life that I'm not surrendered to him I know what he wants but I don't want to do it this of course reminds me of Luke chapter 10 verses 38 to 42 classic story it says this and now it happened that as they went that he entered speaking of Jesus a certain village as a certain woman named Martha welcomed them into her house and she had a sister named Mary who also sat at Jesus his feet and heard his word but Martha was distracted with much serving and she approached it but she said Lord do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone therefore tell her to help me and she's answered and said to her Martha Martha you are worried and troubled about many things but one thing is needed and Mary has chosen that good part which will not be taken away from her see many of us are distracted with much surfing and you're getting mad at other people like I'm all you're busy and they're just sitting at Jesus's feet and Lord tell her to leave tell me get go ahead help and here's the thing hold on you're a little overwhelmed Martha Mary's chosen the right thing it's not gonna be taken from her see Jesus life still when we're at his feet now don't get me wrong doesn't mean we say well listen I can't help anybody in the world I'd only be a servant I don't wanna help anybody because I gotta sit at Jesus feet cuz we sit at Jesus feet we get built up and then what do we do then we serve and some ways that's what church is if you read the book of Ephesians chapter four churches design that we come together we sit under the Word of God so that we get built up so that we can go and sir in all the different areas that we are the key is to make sure that you get time at Jesus's feet that you learned from him that you are connected to him and so what we find is that Naomi is advising Ruth to go and put herself at Boaz his feet right and we find out in verse 6 it says she went down to the threshing floor did according to all that her mother-in-law instructed her and after Boaz had eaten and drunk and his heart was cheerful he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain and she came softly uncovered his feet and lay down so there's nothing inappropriate here she's she's laying at his feet right now as the story continues it says this and in in verse 8 it says now it happened at midnight that the man was startled and he turned himself and there a woman was lying at his feet and he said to her who are you and she answered I am Ruth your maidservant take your maidservant under your wing for you are a close relative and he said blessed are you of the Lord my daughter for you have shown more kindness at the end than at the beginning in that you did not go after a young man whether poor or rich and now my daughter do not fear I will do for you all that your request for all the people of my town know that you are a virtuous woman now it is true that I am a close relative however there is a relative closer than I stay this night and in the morning it shall be that if he will perform the duty of a close relative for you good let him do it but if he does not want to perform the duty for you then I will perform the duty for you as the Lord lives lie down until morning now I love this because in the middle of the night Boaz wakes up startled it says that he rolled over right as I rolled over and all of a sudden there's something at his feet and he's like what who are you and she says I'm Ruth your maidservant and then she tells him what's going on take your maidservant under your wing for you our close relative now if you've been studying the Book of Ruth with us this phrase under your wing keeps popping up doesn't it remember it's like what Ruth did by following Naomi as she wanted to put herself under the wing the protective arm of the Lord and the people of God and in chapter 2 when Boaz was speaking to Ruth he acknowledged that's what she did and now Ruth is saying I want to be taken under your wing see this is why I called this series Oasis because in Oasis the place of safety in the midst of barrenness a place of blessing at hard times and we keep seeing this idea how the Lord wants to be a refuge for us he wants to take us under his wings and he wants to protect us but God also uses people in the same way and now Ruth is requesting that Boaz be that place of refuge for her now I know what I love about this it's a simple principle here and that's this ask and you shall receive you ask and you receive see Ruth is unashamed to say will you take me your maidservant under your wing because you're a close relative you can fulfill this role of the kinsman redeemer and of course when I think it I think of Matthew chapter 7 verses 7 & 8 right Jesus said ask and it will be given to you seek and you will find knock and it will be open to you for everyone who asks receives and he who seeks finds and to him who knocks it will be opened now notice beautiful about those verses were says ask and seek and knock in the Greek text those verbs are in the tents that's called the present continuous tense so the idea that we should keep on asking and we should keep on seeking and we should keep on knocking so this really reminds us of the need to be persistent and consistent in our requests of the Lord no as I was preparing this I really got this sense in my heart that it was important for me to encourage you not to be weary and asking seeking and knocking because sometimes God says no and sometimes God says not yet and sometimes God says I just want to see if you're gonna keep growing by keeping seeking me one of the things that I've learned in my life is now I look back over now twenty years of walking with Jesus and I'm grateful for God's delays now then I was in the midst of the delays you know why because what I learned when God delayed as I learned how to persevere I learned how to not throw in that well god of you to give it to me right now then I don't want to talk to you anymore cuz that sort of Sapporo breath does right if I did not get it right now I mean you've all been in the coffee shop right when someone's like I can't believe I've been waiting here for five minutes for my coffee it's like what you could have made it at home you know but they're mad and they're all frustrated and they're all worked up and we and you watch someone who's like that and some of you were like that if you are stop it right if you're a bystander watches you're totally put off by this person you like what is wrong with this person you know I know everyone so and I said this before I you guys know that like I'm a pastor because I got a big mouth you know and so sometimes I get frustrated cuz like someone just they're just work in I'm like will you I'm like if you wanted your coffee yesterday you should have made it at all be nice you know and then they look at me you know my they're doing their job and it's a lot of people here like what's the problem you know then they kind of look at you and I'm I'm a pastor that's what Jesus says no I did I don't I don't say that every once in a while out I'm like you know something will go awesome as I think they might know you're the pastor across rose am I good you know I think gotta get it together you know what I mean so either someone's watching this online me like I knew I knew that guy from somewhere you know so I don't like Jesus you know but like so seriously though it's like god delays sometimes so that we grow in a relationship like you gals listen if a guy says that he wants to take you under his wing so to speak make him work for it like it's a good like what's this guy made everything okay well but you know okay so so yes she said no she said you better get a job you know and I mean you know well then it you know if he really loves you he's gonna stick it out you know make him work for it you know it says and that's a good counsel I think to make it look like she was made of coz you know what it is it was too often with God and with people we like I wanted it yesterday if I don't get what I want go find something else that I want shows that they don't care about you and what Jesus does is Jesus isn't as interested in giving you the things that you want as he is for giving you what he knows you really need which is em and when you when God delays and answering certain prayers he knows that you're gonna seek Him and that's what you really need and at some point you like I really don't care if I get that thing because I got what I really wanted which is a relationship with the Lord which is a relationship with God you know but don't be afraid to ask for what you want so there's some people that you know we we have these weird views of God like like I had to do reverse psychology with God now you're trying to do reverse I called you with the all-knowing one like Lord I really don't care if I ever get married because you think that like if you don't care then God's gonna bring you your spouse as if God is waiting there just been like I wonder how much I can mess up that person's life no some people think it's like we're obviously saying oh yeah well you know if I you know God all I want to do is be a missionary cuz all you want you to stay there cuz God's playing opposite day with you every day think he loves you he created you used to stage you cuz he sent Jesus on a rescue mission for you you think Jesus is looking to mess up your life for fun they play sport with your life no but sometimes he delays cuz he knows that there's other things he wants to accomplish and that's why it's okay to keep asking it's okay to keep see it's okay to keep knocking cuz that in God's perfect timing God does what he wants to do memory talked about being surrendered or being submitted it's hard to be surrendered and submitted to God's timing isn't it when God says it's not not ever it's just not now or not yet and then I'm gonna surrender I'm gonna trust you see Ruth has no problem asking for what she wants and as a child of God you shouldn't have any problems think oh this is what I would want and then Lord if this is your will then bring it to pass and if it's not then changed my heart so that I that my wants and my desires line up with yours because sometimes we just ask for the plain wrong things can we admit that sometimes we want the wrong things and gods like yeah I love you too much to give you that you know I have better plans for you than that and gods knows are good like rejection is God's protection sometimes God he answered our prayers with no he's like I got something better for you and we should trust that he's a good father and he's your best interest at heart so what's beautiful here is is Ruth tells him that she would like to be redeemed by him she asks and I you gotta love Boaz his response blessed are you of the Lord my daughter see Boaz is the blessing man right he's blessed his workers they're blessing him now you know Boaz is just blessed are you of the Lord my daughter he just blesses her in the name of the Lord right for you have shown more kindness at the end than at the beginning for you did not go after a young man whether poor or rich he's saying listen he's like when we made the case that Boaz was probably more of Naomi's age and Ruth's age but he's saying man you are amazing at SRI saying to her you could have gone after some young handsome do but you went after me you want to be you want to be part of of my family and he's blown away by her and then right away bow as being a man of integrity starts to look out for her look he says my daughter do not fear I will do for you all that you requests for all the people of my town know that you are a virtuous woman he's saying your request okay but notice it's her testimony this idea of you are a virtuous woman this is the wife of valor of Proverbs 31 same phrase a wife of virtue a valor now listen ladies listen be a woman of virtue a valor be a woman whose testimonies rock-solid because here's the thing your testimony is God's letter that's being written to the world in your life and Ruth's testimonies like that everybody knows that you're a godly woman so I'd be it be my joy for this what a great I mean just the way he speaks I just I'm so amazed by Boaz cuz this is the kind of guy men need to be a guy who's looking out for a woman who's virtuous a man who's he's like don't don't yes I'll do your request but notice there's other variables here look what it says in verse 12 now it is true I am a close relative however there is a relative closer than I stay this night and in the morning it shall be that if he will perform the duty of a close relative for you good let him do it but if he does not want to perform the duty for you then I will perform the duty for you as the Lord lives lie down until morning see now a couple things here first Boaz is also a man of God and Boaz is like listen because we have to realize there's somebody who has the right of redemption before me there's someone closer so if he will do it then that's his prerogative but if not I'd be happy to do it now don't you love that Boaz as a man of God is not looking to cut any corners he understands that the right thing is the right thing there's truth involved and he's willing to say I'm gonna trust the Lord now what I love about Boaz is Boaz he reminds me a lot of Abraham remember when God gave Abraham the land but then Abraham and his nephew lot there was issues amongst it cuz there they were growing so fast at all this livestock and even though God gave Abram this land he let Locke choose because Abraham trusted God he said God if you're gonna give me this land I can let lot choose and Boaz is doing the same thing obviously Boaz thinks a lot of Ruth he took care of her in in chapter 2 right but now he's saying look there's somebody who has the right before me and I'm gonna give them the option but notice also this he tells her first to stay the night and second he says and lie down until morning now you ever wonder why he did that because a single woman walking around at night was even more vulnerable in that culture and at the same time he was protecting her testimony because you could imagine this story all of a sudden someone sees Ruth leaving the threshing floor with Boaz and now her test them you know and so once again Boaz is her protector he's or she's already dwelling under the under his wing even though it's not formal yet see he's consistently making sure that this woman is okay and he's taking care of her and then look at how this whole moment continues because look what it says so she lay at his feet verse 14 until morning and she arose before one could recognize another then he said do not let it be known that the woman came to the threshing floor also he said bring the shawl that is on you and hold it and when she held it she measured six EFA's of barley and laid it on her and then she went into the city and when she came to her mother-in-law she said verse 16 is that you my daughter then she told her all that the man had done for her and she said these six EFA's of barley he gave me for he said to me do not go empty-handed to your mother-in-law then she said sit still my daughter until you know how the matter will turn out for the man will not rest until he has concluded the matter this day so when I read this this is what I wrote down and I want you to see this that you and I need to learn how to bless bless and then bless some more you see Boaz he has blessed Ruth all the way through but he's not content yet he's still taking care of her I mean this idea of these six measures of barley equaled about sixty pounds of grain now remember in Chapter two she brought home like thirty pounds now he sends her home with sixty pounds of grain this would feed a lot of people for a long time and I'd see Boaz is such a shining example of generosity such a powerful example of it you know and of course this reminds me what Jesus said in Acts chapter 20 verse 35 where Paul says I've shown you in every way by laboring like this that you should support the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus that he said it is more blessed to give than to receive see and Boaz is an embodiment of that Boaz knows a more blessed to give them receive when you eat when everyone gets up in the morning he says don't tell anybody doesn't bring your shawl over here don't go home empty-handed I mean he already sent her home with more grain that she knew what to do with probably a week or so earlier and now he's like here take this home and when by the time Ruth gets home she shows all this to Naomi and Naomi's like okay listen just rest sit still until this matters worked out but Boaz isn't gonna let this thing drag out he's a man of action he's a man of integrity he's gonna take care of him and you know for each one of us I think we have to learn how to choose to live lives of generosity I mean but West didn't have to do any of the things he's doing he could have very easily said yeah yeah I'm not looking to redeem you you can't clean in my field I'm not gonna send you home empty-handed like he doesn't have to do any of these things but he wants to why because he trusts in the most generous person who's ever lived in that's God and I wonder how different our lives would be if we stepped down in generosity if we started to see our lives not as places that were discontented by what we don't have but we see all the opportunities that we do have is one of those I love so much about the crossroads family I mean as a people were or by and large at generous people but I also realized that the generosity the crossroads family has also accomplished by a small percentage of us there's lots of folks who cross roads as their family but never show up to serve never say hey I'm gonna jump in and do VBS or don't you know give of their resources at all statistically that's the case yes I'd ask myself why why would that be the case why would someone want to receive salvation and not want to give of themselves to bless others and what I realize is the reason many of us don't do it is because we're just scared but then you hear think of verses like perfect love casts out fear and like okay so really the the reason we're not generous is it's the gospel problem we don't understand what Jesus has done for us we we received forgiveness but we've never taken the step into maturity but here's the thing stepping on into maturity it's a step that you have to take it and no one could take it for you I mean like we don't believe in like in there's some churches like this where you even have to ask the pastor if you're not to like change your job or get married and some of that stuff that's we're not that Church we that we believe that God's given you your life and you're responsible live your life but here's the thing we give you a million opportunities here to step in what's keeping me from stepping in what's keeping you from saying you know what I'm gonna serve a VBS this year what's keeping you from saying I'm gonna go and give to one of these projects or just the life of this church I'm gonna I like the fact that we have lights and air conditioning and when I come in there's not piles of garbage everywhere because people give and that's how we did all these things done well what's keeping you from saying hey I'm gonna start being a greeter because I am friendly or maybe I'm not friendly but I want to be what's keeping you from choosing to be a blessing in this world [Music] listen God wants to substitute your fear with faith and here's what I'll tell you if you step out it's not easy I remember that when I first started given I wasn't you know living hand-to-mouth and I remember like what how's this gonna work it makes no sense on paper and the Lord's again well guess what walk of my faith doesn't make sense on paper that's why I walk on my faith I'm here to tell you God's provided and it's also caused me to think Ray differently about the resources I have because when you realize all that I have come from comes from the Lord then all of a sudden you say oh well that comes from the Lord then I'm gonna give God what he deserves not because I have to because I get to and then he caused me to think about all the other resources differently and that's the problem for many of us the way you think about your resources are all backwards it's not biblical but when you take the step all of a sudden you Gus those who say why would I ever want to take a week vacation and serve a bunch of kids at VBS I mean I can go to you know Bora Bora I can go you know backpack across Europe or or ever until you do that you realize that was the most fun I had in my whole life watching hundreds of kids say yes to Jesus but you'll never know until you do it see that's the thing about the Lord see you have to taste and see that he's good until you taste you will not see until you and you know you think about taste and see that the Lord is good you know it's like it's like someone says hey this meal is great if you're looking at yeah it looks nice but is it really great until what you do you guys stick your fork in it you'll put it in your mouth you got to see what it's all about and it's the same thing with generosity the reality is is you will not see what God does and how it transforms your life until you do it and for many of us never taken that step so I just want to encourage you listen if you're a follower of Jesus and you are here and cross shows as your family get fully engaged take the opportunities don't be I know it's scary but the only way to overcome a fear is to face that fear and when you take the step of faith with the Lord you do what God asked you to do all of a sudden you realize hey God is really amazing and it is more blessed to give them received and it's a powerful thing see if you until you step out and said I remember when I first heard that serving was important I remember like man why would I ever want to serve I'd being like and want to serve yet in my life it's like what is this what I thought and then all of a sudden I started serving and I'm like man is the most fulfilling thing I get to do it gets me outside of myself that's my biggest problem I'm so focused on myself all the time and God's got a whole plan and as you're serving you have all these experiences with all these people you would never chosen to have experiences with because you're outside of your comfort zone and before you know it the gifts and talents that God has placed in your life start to come to the surface if you didn't even know that they were in there because you never had to use those muscles and your whole life changes so I want to encourage you to take a step of faith find all the ways that you can live generously by being a person who gets it done quickly by by being a person who goes out of their way to be a person of integrity by protecting people by giving of the resources that you have we see Boaz doing all of these things take those steps blessed blessed and blessed some more and see what God does what I always remind people is that we don't give to get more we give because that's what we're supposed to do and the gift that we get is knowing that we're the hands and feet of Jesus in the world it's an awesome thing for this and if you're here today and you've never before put your faith and trust in Jesus God wants to redeem you doesn't matter where you've been does matter what you've done no matter what your background is whether it was good or horrible doesn't matter he knows it already everyone every hair on your head is numbered I mean think about I mean think about how many hairs I have on my head God's got he's got all he knows everything's got full disclosure oh he knows everything and he still sitting Jesus on a rescue and if Jesus lived the life that all of us have failed to live and he died the death that we deserve he says anyone who ever wants to come and drink deep from the wells of salvation come to me and I'm gonna tell you if you have never before put your faith and trust in Jesus if you say yes to him today God will receive you to himself and he will forgive you and he will empower you by His Holy Spirit and as he plays this fear within you he not only fits you for eternity he fits you for the present moment he says I want to give you life and life more abundantly right here right now and I'm gonna ensure I hear after with me in heaven so I don't want you to be fearful to put yourself with Jesus's feet today that's where we belong and under the shadow of his wings under his protection we begin to uncover in a life that we were truly created to believe and live out that's what God longs for you so if our heads in our hearts as we pray together [Music]

Channel: Crossroads Community Church

Views: 5,739

Rating: 4.8333335 out of 5

Keywords: Crossroads

Id: IumMb0muVfw

Length: 48min 11sec (2891 seconds)

Published: Sun May 27 2018