THANKS FOR JOINING US FOR
TODAY’S PROGRAM. ADRIAN ROGERS’ HAD THIS UNIQUE
ABILITY TO APPLY BIBLICAL TRUTH TO EVERYDAY LIFE. AND
IN THIS MESSAGE, HE’LL BE BRINGING THAT ABILITY TO ONE
OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL STORIES EVER WRITTEN, THE STORY OF
RUTH. AS WE CONTINUE OUR SERIES, “REDEEMING LOVE.” IT
STARTS WITH A FUNERAL AND ENDS WITH A WEDDING. IT STARTS
WITH A FAMINE AND ENDS WITH A FEAST. IT’S AN EPIC LOVE
STORY, BUT ADRIAN ROGERS SHOWS US THE STORY WITHIN THE STORY.
YOU’RE GOING TO SEE THREE PICTURES OF SALVATION HERE IN
THE FOURTH CHAPTER OF THE BOOK OF RUTH, AND WHAT YOU’RE GOING
TO SEE IS A PICTURE OF OUR REDEEMING LORD, THAT’S THE
LORD JESUS. AND THEN YOU’RE GOING TO SEE A PICTURE OF,
UH, OF OUR RENEWED LIFE, WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE COME TO JESUS.
AND THEN WE’RE GOING TO SEE A PICTURE OF OUR RESTORED
LEGACY, WHAT WE GET WHEN WE COME BACK INTO THE FAMILY OF
GOD. ARE YOU READY FOR THAT? LET’S LOOK AT A PICTURE NOW
OF OUR REDEEMING LORD THAT’S FOUND HERE IN THIS BOOK. TURN
TO RUTH CHAPTER FOUR AS WE CONTINUE OUR SERIES,
‘REDEEMING LOVE.” AND REMEMBER YOU CAN LISTEN TO THIS MESSAGE
AGAIN AND FIND OTHER MATERIALS RELATED TO THIS MESSAGE ALL AT
LWF.ORG. NOW LET’S JOIN ADRIAN ROGERS. WOULD YOU TURN, PLEASE,
TO RUTH, THE BOOK OF RUTH; JOSHUA, JUDGES, RUTH, AND,
UH, TURN TO RUTH CHAPTER FOUR. THIS IS THE FOURTH IN A
SERIES OF MESSAGES ENTITLED: “REDEEMING LOVE.” WE COME TO
THE END OF THIS FOUR-CHAPTER BOOK TODAY, AND IT’S BEEN A, A
BLESSING TO MY HEART TO REVIEW IT, AND I HAVE BEEN
STRENGTHENED BY IT. AH, LITTLE BOY WENT INTO A PET STORE, I’M
TOLD, TO BUY A PUPPY, WENT IN WITH HIS DAD, AND THERE WAS A
BOX FULL OF PUPPIES, AND YOU KNOW PUPPIES ARE WONDERFUL,
‘LEAST THEY ARE AS LONG AS THEY’RE PUPPIES. AND, UH, THEY
WERE ALL THERE, AH, IN THE BOX. BUT THERE’S ONE LITTLE
PUPPY THAT THE BOY WANTED MORE THAN ANY OTHER PUPPY; IT WAS A
PUPPY THAT WAS HAPPILY WAGGING ITS TAIL, AND THE LITTLE GUY
SAID, “I WANT THE ONE WITH THE HAPPY ENDING.” HAH, HAH.
[AUDIENCE LAUGHTER] WELL FRIEND, THE STORY THAT WE
HAVE TODAY HAS FOR US A HAPPY ENDING. IT DOESN’T START
HAPPILY, BUT IT ENDS HAPPILY. IT STARTS WITH A FUNERAL, BUT
IT ENDS WITH A WEDDING. IT, IT STARTS WITH A FAMINE BUT IT
ENDS WITH FULLNESS. AND YOU KNOW THE BIBLE SAYS IN PSALM,
AH, 30 AND VERSE FIVE, THAT, “WEEPING MAY ENDURE FOR A
NIGHT, BUT JOY COMETH IN THE MORNING.” AND, UH, THIS IS THE
HAPPY ENDING TO THIS STORY. IT IS A WONDERFUL STORY ABOUT TWO
PEOPLE WHO GET MARRIED, AND WE JUST FEEL LIKE WE WANT TO ADD
A LAST VERSE, UH, TO THIS BOOK AND, UH, HAVE IT SAY,
“AND THEY LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER.” IT IS THE STORY OF A
MARRIAGE BETWEEN A WOMAN WHOSE NAME IS RUTH AND A MAN
WHOSE NAME IS BOAZ. NOW IT’S A WONDERFUL LOVE STORY IN AND
OF ITSELF, BUT RUTH WAS A MOABITESS AND BOAZ WAS AN
ISRAELITE. AND RUTH WAS A STRANGER, AN ALIEN, SHE WAS
FROM MOAB, WHICH WAS A NATION, A HATED AND HATEFUL NATION
THAT HAD A CURSE UPON IT; AND SHE WAS ALIENATED FROM THE
COMMONWEALTH OF ISRAEL, AND YET BOAZ REDEEMED HER, BROUGHT
HER IN, MARRIED HER, AND RUTH HAS BECOME, THEREFORE, A
PICTURE OF ALL OF US. RUTH IS A PICTURE OF THE CHURCH, WHICH
IS THE BRIDE OF CHRIST. AND BOAZ, WHO REDEEMED HER, IS
A PICTURE OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, OUR KINSMAN REDEEMER.
NOW WE’VE BEEN TELLING YOU THAT BEFORE, AND WE DON’T WANT
TO BELABOR THAT POINT, BUT I DO WANT TO KEEP IT IN YOUR
HEART AND IN YOUR MIND. NOW IN THIS FOURTH CHAPTER, THE KEY
WORD IS REDEMPTION. HAVE YOU GOT THAT? THE KEY WORD
IS REDEMPTION. THE WORD REDEMPTION IS USED IN THIS
ONE CHAPTER AT LEAST FIFTEEN TIMES. LET’S JUST TAKE ONE
VERSE AND YOU’LL GET THE IDEA. LOOK IN VERSE FOUR, “AND I
SOUGHT TO ADVERTISE THEE, SAYING, ‘BUY IT BEFORE THE
INHABITANTS AND BEFORE THE ELDERS OF MY PEOPLE. IF THOU
WILT REDEEM IT, REDEEM IT, BUT IF THOU WILT NOT REDEEM IT,
THEN TELL ME THAT I MAY KNOW, FOR THERE IS NONE TO REDEEM
IT BESIDE THEE, AND I AM AFTER THEE.’ AND HE SAID, ‘I WILL
REDEEM IT.’” NOW I KNOW YOU MAY NOT KNOW THE MEANING OF
THAT VERSE. ALL I’M READING THAT VERSE FOR IS TO SHOW
YOU THE WORD REDEEM, REDEEM, REDEEM, REDEEM, REDEEM.
WE’RE TALKING, FOLKS, ABOUT REDEMPTION AND, UH, OUR
KINSMAN REDEEMER, THAT IS, THE ONE WHO IS VERY NEAR TO US,
THE LORD JESUS, HAS REDEEMED US. SO, AH, HERE’S THE STORY,
NOW, REMEMBER, IT BEGINS WITH A FUNERAL, BUT IT ENDS WITH
A WEDDING. IT BEGINS WITH A FAMINE, IT ENDS WITH FULLNESS.
IT BEGINS WITH WEEPING, BUT JOY HAS COME. NOW, THERE’RE
THREE THINGS I WANT YOU TO SEE IN THIS FOURTH CHAPTER, UH,
THREE PICTURES. REMEMBER THAT WE TOLD YOU THAT IN THE OLD
TESTAMENT WE HAVE PICTURES OF SALVATION AND PICTURES OF OUR
LORD JESUS CHRIST? SOMETIMES WE HAVE TO LOOK FOR A LONG
TIME TO SEE THEM. AND THEN THEY JUST BURST OUT IN FF,
FRONT OF US. WHY DOES GOD HIDE THESE THINGS? WELL I THINK FOR
ONE REASON, SO WE CAN HAVE THE JOY OF DISCOVERING THEM. I
THINK FOR ANOTHER REASON, IT’S ONE OF THE GREAT AFFIRMATIONS
AND CONFIRMATIONS OF THE, SS, THE INSPIRATION OF THE
SCRIPTURE. NONE OF THIS COULD’VE HAPPENED JUST BY
CHANCE. BUT YOU’RE GOING TO SEE THREE PICTURES OF
SALVATION HERE IN THE FOURTH CHAPTER OF THE BOOK OF RUTH,
AND WHAT YOU’RE GOING TO SEE IS A PICTURE OF OUR REDEEMING
LORD, THAT’S THE LORD JESUS; AND THEN YOU’RE GOING TO SEE A
PICTURE OF, AH, OF OUR RENEWED LIFE, WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE
COME TO JESUS; AND THEN WE’RE GOING TO SEE A PICTURE OF OUR
RESTORED LEGACY, WHAT WE GET WHEN WE COME BACK INTO THE
FAMILY OF GOD. ARE YOU READY FOR THAT? LET’S LOOK AT A
PICTURE NOW OF OUR REDEEMING LORD THAT’S FOUND HERE IN THIS
BOOK. AH, LOOK IF YOU WILL NOW, I’M GOING TO READ VERSES
UH, AH, ONE THROUGH SIX, “THEN WENT BOAZ UP TO THE GATE,
AND SAT HIM DOWN THERE: AND, BEHOLD, THE KINSMAN OF WHOM
BOAZ SPAKE CAME BY; UNTO WHOM HE SAID, ‘HO, SUCH A ONE! TURN
ASIDE AND SIT DOWN HERE.’ AND HE TURNED ASIDE, AND SAT DOWN.
AND HE,” THAT IS BOAZ, “TOOK TEN MEN OF THE ELDERS OF THE
CITY, AND SAID, ‘SIT YE DOWN HERE.’ AND THEY SAT DOWN.
THEN HE SAID UNTO THE KINSMAN, ‘NAOMI, THAT IS COME OUT OF
THE COUNTRY OF MOAB, SELLETH A PARCEL OF LAND, WHICH WAS
OUR BROTHER ELIMELECH’S. AND I SOUGHT TO ADVERTISE THEE,
SAYING, ‘BUY IT BEFORE THE INHABITANTS AND BEFORE THE
ELDERS OF MY PEOPLE.’ IF THOU WILT REDEEM IT, REDEEM IT, BUT
IF THOU WILT NOT REDEEM IT, THEN TELL ME THAT I MAY KNOW:
FOR THERE IS NONE TO REDEEM IT BESIDE THEE; AND I AM AFTER
THEE.’ AND HE SAID, ‘I WILL REDEEM IT.’ THEN SAID BOAZ,
‘WHAT DAY THOU BUYEST THE FIELD OF THE HAND OF NAOMI,
THOU MUST BUY IT ALSO OF RUTH THE MOABITESS, THE WIFE OF THE
DEAD, TO RAISE UP,’” UH, “‘THE NAME OF THE DEAD UPON HIS
INHERITANCE.’ AND THE KINSMAN SAID, ‘I CANNOT REDEEM IT
FOR MYSELF, LEST I MAR MY OWN INHERITANCE. REDEEM THOU MY
RIGHT TO THYSELF, FOR I CANNOT REDEEM IT.’” NOW RIGHT AWAY,
IF YOU’RE NOT FAMILIAR WITH THIS, IF YOU’RE A NEW
CHRISTIAN OR NEW IN THE BIBLE, THIS IS ALL VERY CONFUSING
TO YOU AND MAKES PERHAPS VERY LITTLE IF NO SENSE AT ALL.
BUT LET ME GIVE YOU SOME BACKGROUND THAT WILL HELP
CLEAR IT UP. THIS TOOK PLACE IN ANCIENT ISRAEL, AND THERE
WERE SOME LAWS IN ANCIENT ISRAEL THAT YOU NEED TO
UNDERSTAND. NUMBER ONE WAS THE LAW OF, “THE KINSMAN
REDEEMER.” AND NUMBER TWO WAS THE LAW OF THE LEVIRITE
MARRIAGE. THE KINSMAN REDEEMER AND THE LEVIRITE MARRIAGE.
NOW, GOD WOULD GIVE TO A TRIBE AND A FAMILY LAND, AND HE
WANTED THAT LAND TO STAY IN THE FAMILY. BUT SOMETIMES AN
OWNER OF THE LAND WOULD, UH, MORTGAGE HIS LAND. HE’D GET
BANKRUPT, AND HE’D SELL HIS LAND TO SOMEBODY ELSE. BUT GOD
HAD A PLAN THAT IF A MAN DID THIS, THAT SOMEBODY ELSE WHO
WAS A NEAR RELATIVE COULD COME AND REDEEM THAT LAND AND
BUY IT BACK. SO, OBVIOUS, THE NAME: KINSMAN REDEEMER. THERE
WAS ALSO A LAW IN THE LAND CALLED THE LAW OF THE LEVIRITE
MARRIAGE. IF A MAN MARRIED A WOMAN AND THEY DIDN’T HAVE
ANY CHILDREN AND THE MAN DIED, THEN IN ORDER TO KEEP HIS NAME
ALIVE, A BROTHER OF THIS MAN WAS TO COME AND TAKE THIS
MAN’S WIFE, WHO’S NOW A WIDOW, MARRY HER, AND ENDEAVOR TO
HAVE CHILDREN, THAT HE WOULD HAVE HIS NAME PERPETUATED. SO
THE LAND AND THE NAME ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO THE JEWS. SO
THERE WAS THE KINSMAN REDEEMER WHO COULD COME AND BUY BACK
THE LAND, AND THEN THERE WAS THE KINSMAN WHO WOULD COME AND
MARRY THE WIDOW TO RAISE UP CHILDREN. NOW BOAZ IS A
KINSMAN REDEEMER, AND ALSO HE’S ONE WHO’S GOING TO MARRY
RUTH. RUTH IS A WIDOW. HER HUSBAND HAS DIED AND HER
ESTATE HAS BEEN SOLD, AND SO THAT’S THE BACKGROUND OF THIS
PASSAGE OF SCRIPTURE. IF YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND THAT,
IT’S GOING TO BE HARD TO UNDERSTAND. NOW, AH, THERE
WERE THREE, AH, THINGS THAT WERE NECESSARY IN ORDER FOR A
MAN TO BE ABLE TO BUY BACK THE LAND, TO BUY BACK THE ESTATE
AND TO TAKE THE WIDOW THAT CAME WITH THE ESTATE. UH,
NUMBER ONE, HE HAD TO, HE HAD TO HAVE THE LEGAL
QUALIFICATIONS. THAT IS, HE HAD TO BE A NEAR KINSMAN. UH,
NUMBER TWO, HE HAD TO HAVE THE MONEY TO DO IT. HE HAD TO
BE WEALTHY ENOUGH TO BUY IT. NUMBER THREE, HE HAD TO BE
WILLING TO DO IT, BECAUSE IT WASN’T FORCED UPON HIM. SO HE,
HE HAD TO BE A NEAR KINSMAN, HE HAD TO BE WEALTHY ENOUGH
TO DO IT, AND HE HAD TO BE WILLING ENOUGH TO DO IT. NOW,
FRIEND, THAT IS A PICTURE OF OUR REDEEMING LORD, AND I WANT
YOU TO SEE THAT VERY CLEARLY. NOW LET ME JUST GO BACK BEFORE
WE GET INTO THIS A LITTLE DEEPER AND SHOW YOU HOW JESUS
IS A PICTURE OF THAT. UH, PUT IN YOUR MARGIN, IF YOU WANT
TO FIND THESE LAWS, UH, WRITE DOWN, I’M NOT GONNA READ THEM
TO YOU, BUT IF YOU WANT TO FIND THESE LAWS, YOU CAN FIND
THEM IN, AH, LEVITICUS CHAPTER 25 AND DEUTERONOMY CHAPTER
25. NOW I WANT YOU TO SEE HOW BOAZ, NUMBER ONE, WAS LEGALLY
WORTHY. LOOK IF YOU WILL IN, UH, VERSE SIX, “AND THE
KINSMAN SAID, ‘I CANNOT REDEEM IT FOR MYSELF, LEST I MAR MINE
OWN INHERITANCE. REDEEM THOU MY RIGHT TO THYSELF, FOR I
CANNOT REDEEM IT.’” NOW WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? WELL, BOAZ
SAYS TO RUTH, “RUTH, I’D BE HAPPY TO BUY THIS LAND BACK,
AND I’D BE HAPPY TO MARRY YOU, BUT I’M NOT THE FIRST IN LINE.
THERE’S SOMEBODY ELSE WHO’S FIRST IN LINE. I AM A NEAR
KINSMAN, BUT THERE IS SOMEBODY WHO IS NEARER TO YOU THAN
I, AND HE HAS TO HAVE FIRST CHANCE. AND IF HE DOESN’T DO
IT, THEN I WILL DO IT.” SO THEY WENT OUT TO THE GATE
OF THE CITY, AND BOAZ WAITED UNTIL HE SAW THIS MAN WHO WAS
THE NEARER KINSMAN THAN EVEN BOAZ. HE SAYS, “HEY YOU!” KING
JAMES, “HO, SUCH A ONE!” “HEY YOU, COME OVER HERE. I, I
WANT TO TALK TO YOU.” AND HE EXPLAINED ABOUT, UH, RUTH AND
NAOMI AND THE LAND AND ALL OF THAT. AND HE SAYS, “DO YOU
WANT TO BUY THIS PROPERTY, DO YOU WANT TO REDEEM THIS
PROPERTY? YOU CAN DO IT, YOU HAVE THE RIGHT, YOU’RE
STANDING IN LINE, YOU’RE A NEAR KINSMAN; YOU’RE A KINSMAN
REDEEMER.” HE SAYS, “ALL RIGHT, I’LL BUY IT.” BUT HE
SAID, BOAZ SAID, “NOW WAIT A MINUTE. ALONG WITH THE LAND
COMES A WOMAN, RUTH. YOU’RE GOING TO MARRY RUTH IF YOU BUY
THIS LAND. YOU’RE GOING TO GET RUTH ALONG WITH THE LAND.” AND
THIS MAN SAID, “OH, NO. I’M SORRY, ‘I CANNOT REDEEM
IT LEST I MAR MINE OWN INHERITANCE.’” UH, NOW WHO IS
THIS MAN, WHO IS THIS NEARER KINSMAN? IF, IF, IF, UH,
BOAZ PICTURES THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, WHO IS THE NEARER
KINSMAN WHO CANNOT REDEEM? HE’S ADAM, ADAM. YOU SEE,
EVERYBODY’S EITHER IN ADAM OR IN CHRIST. UH, YOU SEE, WHO IS
MY REAL, REAL CLOSE RELATIVE? ADAM. YOU, WE’RE ALL RELATED
TO ADAM, ARE WE NOT? AND IN ADAM, ALL DIE. HE IS THE NEAR
RELATIVE THAT WE ALL HAVE. I WAS PREACHING IN A REVIVAL ONE
TIME, AND A WOMAN SAID TO ME, SHE CAME UP AFTERWARD, SHE
SAID, “YOU’RE A ROGERS, AREN’T YOU?” I SAID, “YES MA’AM.”
SHE SAID, “WELL,” SHE SAID, “I HAVE BEEN DOING SOME WORK ON
OUR GENEALOGY.” SHE STOOD UP REAL TALL. SHE SAID, “BECAUSE
I’M A ROGERS.” AND, AH, SHE SAID, UH, “YOU WILL BE HAPPY
TO KNOW THAT THE ROGERS CAME OVER ON THE MAYFLOWER.” I
SAID, “WELL THAT’S WONDERFUL.” I SAID, “I TRACED IT BACK
FURTHER THAN THAT.” BOY, DID SHE GET EXCITED, [AUDIENCE
LAUGHTER] AND I SAID, “I TRACED IT ALL THE WAY BACK,
AND YOU NEED TO KNOW THAT WE CAME FROM A CROOKED FARMER AND
A DRUNKEN SAILOR. THE FARMER WAS ADAM AND THE SAILOR WAS
NOAH. THAT’S HOW FAR BACK, HA, [AUDIENCE LAUGHTER] WE GO.”
[AUDIENCE LAUGHTER] AND THAT LET SOME OF THE AIR OUT OF
HER, JUST A LITTLE BIT THERE. [AUDIENCE LAUGHTER] BUT FOLKS,
I WANT TO TELL YOU THAT OUR NEAR KINSMAN IS ADAM! AND IN
ADAM ALL DIE. REMEMBER WHAT BOAZ SAID? HE SAT THERE IN THE
GATE AND HE SAYS, “LET’S GET TEN WITNESSES, ONE, TWO,
THREE, FOUR, FIVE, SIX, SEVEN, EIGHT, NINE, TEN.” WHO ARE THE
TEN WITNESSES THAT SAY THAT OUR ADAMIC NATURE CANNOT SAVE
US? THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. GOT TEN WITNESSES, AND THERE THEY
ARE, ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR, FIVE, SIX, SEVEN, EIGHT, NINE,
TEN, COUNT THEM UP. AND, AND BY THE WAY, ALL OF US ARE
GUILTY OF BREAKING ALL OF THEM. YOU SAY, “WELL I’VE
NEVER COMMITTED ADULTERY,” OR “I’VE NEVER KILLED ANYBODY.”
NO, LISTEN, FRIEND, THE LAW HANGS TOGETHER. THE BIBLE
SAYS, “IF WE BREAK THE LAW IN ONE POINT WE’RE GUILTY OF
ALL, WE’RE GUILTY OF ALL.” GOD DEMANDS PERFECTION. HUH, YOU
SAY, “WELL, UH, O, I, I’VE ONLY BROKEN, UH, TWO OR THREE
OF ‘EM.” LET’S JUST SAY YOU’VE BROKEN ONE OF THEM. LET’S
SUPPOSE THAT YOU’RE HANGING OVER A FIRE BY A CHAIN OF TEN
LINKS. NINE OF THOSE LINKS ARE FORGED STEEL AND ONE OF THEM
IS CREPE PAPER. HOW SAFE WILL YOU FEEL? YOU SEE, FRIEND,
UH, YOU, YOU, GOD DEMANDS PERFECTION. THERE’RE TEN
WITNESSES THAT SAY THAT WE CANNOT REDEEM OURSELVES AND
THIS, THIS, UH, THIS, UH, NEARER KINSMAN, NOTICE HOW
FULL OF SELF HE IS. IN VERSE SIX, “I, I, I, ME, MY
INHERITANCE.” NO, HE CAN’T DO IT, SO FULL OF SELF AND
SELFISHNESS. BUT THERE IS ONE, THEREFORE, WHO IS NEXT IN
LINE, THE LORD JESUS, AND, AND SO, FRIEND, JESUS BECAME A
HUMAN BEING THAT HE MIGHT BECOME OUR NEAR KINSMAN. YOU
SEE, THAT’S THE REASON FOR THE INCARNATION. WHY DID JESUS
STEP OUT OF THE GLORY? WHY DID HE COME DOWN THROUGH THAT
JARK, DARK JUDEAN NIGHT TO BE BORN THROUGH THE PORTALS OF
A VIRGIN’S WOMB? WHY DID THE GREAT ETERNAL GOD BECOME A
MAN? WHY THE INCARNATION? WHY THE VIRGIN BIRTH? SO THAT HE
COULD BE OUR NEARER KINSMAN. LET ME GIVE YOU A VERSE THERE.
PUT IT IN YOUR MARGIN. UH, HEBREWS CHAPTER TWO VERSE
14, “FORASMUCH, THEN, AS THE CHILDREN,” THAT’S TALKING
ABOUT US, “ARE PARTAKERS OF FLESH AND BLOOD, HE ALSO
HIMSELF LIKEWISE TOOK PART OF THE SAME,” JESUS, BECAUSE
YOU AND I ARE FLESH AND BLOOD, BECAME FLESH AND BLOOD, “THAT
THROUGH DEATH HE MIGHT DESTROY HIM THAT HAD THE POWER OF
DEATH, THAT IS THE DEVIL.” AND THE BIBLE NOW CALLS THE LORD
JESUS CHRIST OUR BROTHER. OUR BROTHER. YOU SEE, THAT’S WHY
HE BECAME MAN, THAT HE MIGHT BE OUR NEAR KINSMAN. AND,
AND SO I WANT TO SAY, PUT THIS DOWN IF YOU MAKE NOTES AND
LIKE AN OUTLINE: JESUS IS LEGALLY WORTHY. JESUS IS
LEGALLY WORTHY. HE COULD NOT REDEEM US AS GOD, THOUGH HE
IS GOD. HE HAD TO REDEEM US AS MAN. HE HAD TO BE OUR NEAR
KINSMAN. OUR ESTATE WAS LOST BY A MAN, THE NEARER KINSMAN.
IT IS REDEEMED BY A MAN, THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. NOW LET
ME JUST SHARE WITH YOU JUST A LITTLE BIT FROM THE BOOK OF
REVELATION. NOW LET’S JUST PRAISE THE LORD A LITTLE BIT.
AH, AH, YOU DON’T EVEN NEED TO TURN TO IT. JUST LET ME
READ IT TO YOU FROM REVELATION CHAPTER FIVE. I WANT YOU TO
LISTEN. WE’RE TALKING ABOUT OUR LORD, WHO IS LEGALLY
WORTHY. THE APOSTLE JOHN IS ON THE ISLAND OF PATMOS. AND
HE HAS A VISION OF THINGS TO COME. AND, UH, HE, HERE’S
THE VISION, LISTEN TO IT. JOHN SAYS, “AND I SAW IN THE RIGHT
HAND OF HIM THAT SAT UPON THE THRONE A BOOK WRITTEN WITHIN
AND ON THE BACK SIDE.” NOW THE ONE SITTING ON THE THRONE, OF
COURSE, IS, IS ALMIGHTY GOD. AND JOHN SEES THE FATHER HAS A
BOOK, A SCROLL. IT’S WRITTEN ON THE FRONT AND ON THE BACK,
“SEALED WITH SEVEN SEALS. AND I SAW A STRONG ANGEL
PROCLAIMING WITH A LOUD VOICE, ‘WHO IS WORTHY TO OPEN THE
BOOK AND TO LOOSE THE SEALS THEREOF?’” NOW THIS BOOK,
FRIEND, IS THE TITLE DEED OF THE WHOLE EARTH. THIS DEED IS
THE OFFICI, THIS BOOK IS THE OFFICIAL DOCUMENT THAT
DETERMINES THE OUTCOME OF ALL HISTORY. AND JOHN SEES THIS
BOOK, AND IT’S SEALED, AND JOHN SAYS, “WHO’S ABLE TO OPEN
THIS BOOK?” “AND NO MAN IN HEAVEN, NOR IN EARTH, NEITHER
UNDER THE EARTH, WAS ABLE TO OPEN THE BOOK, NEITHER TO
LOOK THEREON. AND I WEPT MUCH, BECAUSE NO MAN WAS FOUND
WORTHY TO OPEN AND TO READ THE BOOK, NEITHER TO LOOK THEREON.
AND ONE OF THE ELDERS SAITH UNTO ME, ‘WEEP NOT: BEHOLD,
THE LION OF THE TRIBE OF JUDAH,’” THAT’S JESUS, “‘THE
ROOT OF DAVID,” THAT’S JESUS, “‘HATH PREVAILED TO OPEN THE
BOOK, AND TO LOOSE THE SEVEN SEALS THEREOF.’ AND I BEHELD,
AND LO, IN THE MIDST OF THE THRONE AND OF THE FOUR
BEASTS AND IN THE MIDST OF THE ELDERS, STOOD A LAMB AS IT HAD
BEEN SLAIN.” AND THE WORD FOR “LAMB” HERE IS A WORD MEANS
“LITTLE LAMB.” I, I MEAN, MEAN “BABY LAMB,” “AS IT HAD BEEN
SLAIN.” NOW HERE’S A LITTLE LAMB THAT HAS BEEN KILLED, BUT
THIS LAMB HAS, “SEVEN HORNS AND SEVEN EYES, WHICH ARE
THE SEVEN SPIRITS OF GOD SENT FORTH INTO ALL THE EARTH. AND
HE CAME AND TOOK THE BOOK,” THE LITTLE LAMB TAKES THE
BOOK, “OUT OF THE RIGHT HAND OF HIM THAT SAT ON THE THRONE.
AND WHEN HE HAD TAKEN THE BOOK, THE FOUR BEASTS AND THE
FOUR AND TWENTY ELDERS FELL DOWN BEFORE THE LAMB,” EH,
HA, “HAVING EVERYONE OF THEM HARPS, AND GOLDEN VIALS
FULL OF ODORS,” THAT, THAT’S INCENSE, “WHICH ARE THE
PRAYERS OF THE SAINTS. AND THEY SUNG A NEW SONG SAYING,
‘THOU ART WORTHY TO TAKE THE BOOK, AND TO OPEN THE SEALS
THEREOF, FOR THOU WAST SLAIN AND HAST REDEEMED US TO GOD BY
THY BLOOD,’” [AUDIENCE: AMEN] “‘OUT OF EVERY KINDRED AND
TONGUE AND PEOPLE.’” NOW, JOHN SEES THIS BOOK, AND THERE’S
NOBODY THAT IS, IS ABLE TO OPEN THE BOOK. NO ONE IN
POLITICS, UH, NO ONE IN GOVERNMENT, NO ONE IN
RELIGION, NO ONE IN SCIENCE, NO ONE IN PHILOSOPHY, NO ONE
IN ECONOMICS, NO ONE CAN OPEN THE BOOK. AND, AND, YOU KNOW,
IT, THE QUESTION IS NOT WHO IS WILLING BUT WHO IS WORTHY?
JOHN SEES NO ONE IS WORTHY UNTIL, AN, UNTIL HE SEES
THE LAMB, AND THE ANGEL SAYS, “DON’T YOU CRY, JOHN, THE LAMB
IS ABLE TO OPEN THE BOOK.” NOW, I WANT YOU, FOLKS, LISTEN
TO ME VERY, VERY CAREFULLY. OUR WORLD’S IN A MESS, YOU
KNOW THAT, DON’T YOU? OUR WORLD’S IN A MESS. AND YOU
KNOW HOW SATAN IS DESCRIBED? NUMBER ONE, AS A DRAGON. YOU
KNOW HOW THE COMING ANTICHRIST IS DESCRIBED? AS A BEAST. NOW
HERE IS THE GREAT FEROCIOUS DRAGON, AND HERE IS THE BEAST
WITH HIS MILITANT MILLIONS, AND DO YOU KNOW WHO THE LORD
SETS AGAINST THE DRAGON AND THE BEAST? A LITTLE LAMB,
LITTLE LAMB. AND FRIEND, I WANT TO TELL YOU THAT THAT
LAMB HAS REDEEMED US WITH HIS BLOOD. HE ALONE IS WORTHY.
NOW PUT IT DOWN, WORTHY IS THE LAMB. JESUS IS LEGALLY WORTHY.
BUT NOT ONLY IS JESUS LEGALLY WORTHY, JESUS IS LAVISHLY
WEALTHY. NOW, IN ORDER TO BUY BACK RUTH, BOAZ HAD TO HAVE
MONEY. IN CHAPTER TWO VERSE ONE, BOAZ IS NOT JUST CALLED
A WEALTHY MAN; HE IS CALLED A MIGHTY MAN OF WEALTH. REMEMBER
THAT THE KINSMAN REDEEMER, REMEMBER HE HAD TO BE A NEAR
KINSMAN? NUMBER TWO, HE HAD TO HAVE SUFFICIENCY TO BUY THE
ESTATE BACK. NOW JESUS IS LAVISHLY WEALTHY. YOU SEE,
JESUS PAID A GREATER PRICE FOR US THAN BOAZ PAID FOR RUTH.
PUT THIS IN YOUR MARGIN, FIRST PETER CHAPTER ONE VERSES 18
AND 19, “FORASMUCH AS YE KNOW THAT YE WERE NOT REDEEMED WITH
CORRUPTIBLE THINGS SUCH AS SILVER AND GOLD,” UNDERSCORE
THE WORD REDEEMED, BUT, UH, WITH, “BUT WITH THE PRECIOUS
BLOOD OF CHRIST, AS A LAMB WITHOUT BLEMISH AND WITHOUT
SPOT.” THEN PUT DOWN EPHESIANS ONE VERSE SEVEN, “WE’RE
REDEEMED THROUGH HIS BLOOD.” AND THEN REMEMBER REVELATION
5:9 THAT WE ALREADY READ, “THOU HAST REDEEMED US TO
GOD BY THY BLOOD.” THERE IS NO REDEMPTION WITHOUT A PRICE.
JESUS PAID THAT PRICE. PUT DOWN FIRST PETER THREE VERSE
18, “FOR CHRIST ALSO HATH ONCE SUFFERED FOR SINS, THE JUST
FOR THE UNJUST, THAT HE MIGHT BRING US TO GOD.” YOU KNOW,
SOMETIMES I WILL PREACH ON CALVARY, AND I WILL STUDY
AND TRY TO IMAGINE AND TO TAKE FROM SCRIPTURE ALL THE
STORIES, AT LEAST ALL OF THE THINGS, THE EVENTS THAT
SURROUND DARK GETHSEMANE, AND, AND BLOODY CALVARY. AND
SOMETIMES I WILL BE SO MOVED WHEN I STUDY THAT I WILL WEEP.
AND I WANT TO MAKE IT SO REAL TO THE CONGREGATION. AND SO I,
I SAY, “GOD HELP ME. HELP ME TO TELL PEOPLE THE PRICE THAT
WAS PAID. LORD, ILLUMINE MY MIND. FATHER, ANOINT MY
TONGUE, ENERGIZE MY BODY. HELP ME, LORD, TO TELL A JADED
CONGREGATION THE PRICE THAT WAS PAID.” AND I’M GONNA TELL
YOU SOMETHING, FOLKS, I’VE BEEN PREACHING LONG ENOUGH TO
KNOW THAT PEOPLE’S EYES GLAZE OVER, THEY BECOME NUMB,
THEY DON’T SEEM TO PAY MUCH ATTENTION TO IT. YOU SEE,
WHAT’S WRONG WITH US? WHAT IS WRONG WITH US IS THAT WE HAVE
HEARD THE STORY OF CALVARY SO MUCH THAT WE FAIL TO
UNDERSTAND THE PRICE THAT WAS PAID FOR US. JESUS, WITH THE
SILVER OF HIS TEARS AND THE GOLD OF HIS BLOOD, REDEEMED
US. HE REDEEMED YOU. SAY TO YOURSELF, “HE REDEEMED ME,
HE DIED FOR ME.” JESUS WAS LEGALLY WORTHY. JESUS,
LAVISHLY WEALTHY, BECAUSE HE REDEEMED US WITH HIS BLOOD.
AND THEN, LAST OF ALL, HE WAS LOVINGLY WILLING. LISTEN.
LEGALLY WORTHY, LAVISHLY WEALTHY, AND LOVINGLY WILLING.
YOU SEE, BOAZ DID NOT HAVE TO BUY RUTH, NOR DID THE LORD
JESUS HAVE TO BUY US. THERE, THERE’S NOTHING THAT, THAT
SAYS THAT HE HAD TO REDEEM US. UH, I HAVE TOLD YOU MANY
TIMES, HE DOES NOT LOVE US BECAUSE WE’RE VALUABLE; WE’RE
VALUABLE BECAUSE HE LOVES US. [AUDIENCE: AMEN] HAH, AH,
FRIEND, HE JUST LOVES US BY HIS SHEER GRACE, JUST AS BOAZ
LOVED RUTH BEFORE RUTH EVER KNEW HIS NAME. AND WE LOVE
HIM BECAUSE HE FIRST LOVED US. THAT’S THE GREAT LOVE THAT HE
HAS FOR US. AND SO, AH, I WANT YOU TO SEE, FIRST OF ALL THAT
BOAZ IS A PICTURE, A PICTURE OF OUR REDEEMING LORD, HAVE
YOU GOT IT? LEGALLY WORTHY, LAVISHLY WEALTHY, AND LOVINGLY
WILLING. ALL RIGHT, NOW, HERE’S THE SECOND THING I WANT
YOU TO SEE. NOT ONLY DO WE HAVE A PICTURE OF OUR
REDEEMING LORD, BUT WE ALSO HAVE A PICTURE OF OUR RENEWED
LIFE. NOW I WANT YOU TO THINK ABOUT WHO, WHO RUTH WAS AND
WHAT RUTH WAS LIKE. HA, HUH, RUTH HAD THREE MAJOR PROBLEMS.
I’D LIKE VERY MUCH THIS TIME IF YOU’LL TURN IN THE BIBLE,
PUT YOUR BOOKMARK THERE IN RUTH CHAPTER FOUR, AND TURN
IN THE BIBLE TO EPHESIANS TWO. JUST TURN TO EPHESIANS TWO.
AND, UH, I WANT, THERE’S, THERE’S, THERE’RE TWO VERSES
HERE THAT SO CLEARLY DELINEATE WHAT I’M TRYING TO SAY. YOU’RE
GOING TO SEE RUTH’S THREE PROBLEMS, AND IF YOU’RE AN
UNSAVED PERSON THESE ARE YOUR THREE PROBLEMS. HERE THEY ARE.
SHE HAD THREE MAJOR PROBLEMS. THEY’RE FOUND IN EPHESIANS TWO
VERSES 12 THROUGH 13. NOW PAUL IS DESCRIBING WHAT WE WERE
BEFORE WE MET THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. AND HE SAYS, “AT THAT
TIME YE WERE WITHOUT CHRIST.” NOW EVERYBODY HERE IN THIS
ROOM IS WITH CHRIST OR WITHOUT CHRIST. NOW HERE’S, HERE’S THE
DESCRIPTION OF THOSE WITHOUT CHRIST, “BEING ALIENS FROM THE
COMMONWEALTH OF ISRAEL, AND STRANGERS FROM THE COVENANTS
OF PROMISE, HAVING NO HOPE, AND WITHOUT GOD IN THE WORLD.
BUT NOW IN CHRIST JESUS YE WHO SOMETIMES WERE FAR OFF ARE
MADE NIGH BY THE BLOOD OF CHRIST.” NOW, FRIEND, THAT’S
THE STORY OF RUTH. NOW RUTH HAD THREE PROBLEMS: HER PAST,
HER PRESENT, AND HER FUTURE. AND, HA, EVERY UNSAVED [TAP]
MAN, [TAP] WOMAN, [TAP] BOY, OR [TAP] GIRL IS LIKE RUTH.
AND YOU’VE GOT THREE PROBLEMS: YOUR PAST. WHAT WAS HER PAST?
WELL SHE WAS BORN A MOABITE. SHE WAS AN ALIEN. LOOK IF YOU
WILL AGAIN IN THIS PASSAGE OF SCRIPTURE, EPHESIANS
2:12, “BEING ALIENS FROM THE COMMONWEALTH OF ISRAEL.” SHE
WAS A MOABITE. SHE WAS UNDER A CURSE, SHE LIVED UNDER A
CURSE. DEUTERONOMY 23 VERSE THREE SAYS, “AN AMMONITE OR A
MOABITE SHALL NOT ENTER THE CONGREGATION OF THE LORD.” THE
MOABITES WERE DESCENDANTS OF LOT, WHO HAD A CHILD THROUGH
AN INCESTUOUS RELATIONSHIP WITH HIS DAUGHTER. THEY, THEY
WERE A THORN IN THE SIDE OF ISRAEL. AND, UH, THE CURSE WAS
UPON THEM. AND ACCORDING TO THE LAW, THE LAW COULD NOT
ADMIT RUTH. BY THE LAW, SHE WAS SHUT OUT! SPIRITUALLY, SHE
WAS BORN ON THE WRONG SIDE OF THE TRACKS! AND SO WERE EVERY
ONE OF US. [AUDIENCE: AMEN] “IN ADAM ALL DIE.” NOW SHE WAS
AN ALIEN, AND SO THAT’S HER PAST. NOW HER PRESENT, LOOK AT
HER PRESENT THERE IN VERSE 12, “STRANGERS FROM THE COVENANTS
OF PROMISE.” UH, SHE, SHE DID NOT ENJOY THE THINGS OF GOD.
SHE WAS WITHOUT THE THINGS OF GOD. SHE WAS A STRANGER TO
THESE THINGS. THE JOYS OF A LIFE WITH CHRIST WERE NOT
HERS. HERS WAS A LIFE MARKED BY TRAGEDY AND SORROW AND HER
DREAMS HAD TURNED TO DUST AND HER HOPES HAD MELTED AWAY.
THAT’S HER PRESENT. AND IF YOU’RE WITHOUT CHRIST, THAT’S
YOUR PRESENT, THAT’S WHERE YOU ARE TODAY. AND THEN EPHESIANS
CHAPTER TWO VERSE 12 GOES ON TO SAY, “HAVING NO HOPE.” THAT
WAS HER FUTURE, HOPELESS! HER PAST, CURSED! HER
PRESENT, CRUSHED! HER FUTURE, CONDEMNED! GOD HELP PEOPLE
UNDERSTAND WHERE THEY ARE! THAT’S WHERE YOU ARE! SITTING
IN CHURCH WON’T CHANGE THAT. YOU NEED JESUS. [AUDIENCE:
AMEN] RUTH IS A PICTURE OF ALL OF US. SHE HAD THREE MAJOR
PROBLEMS. YOU COULD SUM THEM UP IN THESE THREE WORDS: SIN,
SORROW, AND DEATH. THAT’S THE ENEMY OF ALL OF US. BUT NOW
WAIT A MINUTE. I WANT YOU TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS NOW.
REMEMBER, UH, PUT THIS VERSE DOWN, EPHESIANS TWO VERSE 19,
“NOW THEREFORE YE ARE NO MORE STRANGERS AND FOREIGNERS,
BUT FELLOW CITIZENS WITH THE SAINTS, AND OF THE HOUSEHOLD
OF GOD.” WHY? BECAUSE BOAZ HAD REDEEMED HER. DO YOU KNOW
WHAT THE WORD REDEEM MEANS? IT MEANS TO PURCHASE, TO BUY
BACK. HE HAD REDEEMED HER. I DID A WORD STUDY OF THE WORD
REDEEM. IT ALSO MEANS THERE’S, THERE, THERE’S ANOTHER WORD
THAT, THAT HAS A LITTLE PREFIX THAT’S USED WITH REDEEM, AND
IT, IT HAS THE WORD “EX” IN FRONT OF IT. IT MEANS TO BUY,
AND THEN AGAIN IT MEANS TO BUY OUT OR TO BUY, TAKE OUT OF THE
MARKET PLACE, THAT IS, TO TAKE OFF, AH, THE SLAVE BLOCK.
WHEN, WHEN OUR LORD REDEEMED US, NOT ONLY DID HE BUY US,
BUT HE TOOK US OUT OF THE MARKETPLACE. THAT IS, WE’RE NO
LONGER FOR SALE. THAT SPEAKS OF OUR ETERNAL SECURITY. AND
THEN TO REDEEM MEANS TO SET FREE, AND THAT’S WHAT HAPPENED
TO RUTH, THAT’S WHAT HAPPENED TO ADRIAN. I HAVE BEEN BOUGHT,
I’VE BEEN TAKEN OFF THE MARKETPLACE, AND I, DEAR
FRIEND, HAVE BEEN SET FREE IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST.
[AUDIENCE: AMEN] THAT’S REDEMPTION. THAT’S THE
WONDERFUL DOCTRINE OF REDEMPTION THAT WE READ OVER
AND OVER AGAIN. NOW LET ME SHOW YOU SOMETHING VERY
INTERESTING. THIS’LL HELP MAKE IT CLEAR. LOOK IF YOU WILL,
BEGINNING IN VERSE SEVEN AND LET’S READ THROUGH VERSE 10.
NOW, UH, REMEMBER THAT THEY ARE THERE AT THE GATE OF THE
CITY, AND THIS NEARER KINSMAN SAYS, “I, I CAN’T BUY HER
BACK. UH, NO, I DON’T WANT TO RUE, I DON’T WANNA MAR MY OWN
INHERITANCE.” NOW NOTICE IN VERSE SEVEN, “NOW THIS WAS
THE MANNER IN FORMER TIME IN ISRAEL CONCERNING REDEEMING
AND CONCERNING CHANGING, FOR TO CONFIRM ALL THINGS; A MAN
PLUCKED OFF HIS SHOE, AND GAVE IT TO HIS NEIGHBOR: AND THIS
WAS A TESTIMONY IN ISRAEL.” AH, HUH, “THEREFORE THE
KINSMAN SAID UNTO BOAZ, ‘BUY IT FOR THEE.’ SO HE DREW OFF
HIS SHOE.” NOW HERE’S THE WAY IT WORKS. THEY WOULD SAY,
“LOOK, YOU WANT TO BUY, AH, RUTH?” AND HE SAYS, “NO, I
CAN’T BUY RUTH. YOU BUY RUTH FOR ME.” AND HE TOOK OFF
HIS SHOE. SAYS, “SHE’S YOURS, SHE’S YOURS.” THAT’S THE WAY
HE CONFIRMED IT; HE JUST, HA, TOOK OFF HIS SHOE, AND HANDED
IT TO THE OTHER GUY. THAT’S A STRANGE CUSTOM. BUT YOU KNOW
WHAT? BOY, I HOPE I CAN GET THIS BACK ON. DO YOU KNOW
WHAT? [AUDIENCE LAUGHTER] DID. GOOD. DID. DO YOU KNOW WHAT?
THERE’S SO MUCH RICHNESS IN THAT. THE BIBLE’S A WONDERFUL
BOOK. I THINK THIS, BROTHER BOB, IS WHERE WE GET THE
STATEMENT, “BOY, I’D HATE TO BE IN HIS SHOES,” OR “I’D LOVE
TO BE IN HIS SHOES,” OR “IF I WERE IN YOUR SHOES, HERE’S
WHAT I WOULD DO.” IT TALKS OF ONE PERSON TAKING THE PLACE OF
ANOTHER PERSON. LISTEN, THAT’S WHAT JESUS DID WHEN HE SAVED
[STOMP] US. HE STANDS IN OUR SHOES. [AUDIENCE: AMEN] HE
STANDS IN OUR SHOES. HE TAKES THE SIN, THE HELL, THE
DEGRADATION, ALL THAT WE HAVE COMING. HE TAKES THE PRICE
THAT WE CANNOT PAY, AND JESUS SAYS, “I WILL STAND IN YOUR
SHOES,” AS BOAZ STOOD IN THE SHOES OF THAT NEARER KINSMAN,
[AUDIENCE: AMEN] THE OLD FLESH, THE ADAMIC NATURE, AND
HE SAID, “I’LL DO FOR YOU WHAT YOU CAN’T DO FOR YOURSELF.
I’LL STAND IN YOUR SHOES.” THEY ASKED AN OLD MAN ONE TIME
WHO WAS A, HE’D BEEN SAVED; HE, HE WASN’T BIBLICALLY
LITERATE. BUT HE’S SAVED AND GOOD AND SAVED. HE DIDN’T KNOW
ANYTHING ABOUT THE BOOK OF RUTH. BUT SOMEBODY SAID TO
HIM, “OKAY, WHAT’S IT LIKE TO BE SAVED?” HE SAID, “WELL, I
DON’T KNOW WHETHER I COULD EXPLAIN IT TO YOU WHERE YOU
COULD UNDERSTAND IT, BUT TO ME IT’S LIKE I’M STANDING IN
JESUS’ SHOES AND HE’S STANDIN’ IN MINE.” FRIEND, A THEOLOGIAN
COULDN’T HAVE SAID IT BETTER THAN THAT. [AUDIENCE: AMEN]
THAT’S WHAT IT IS! THAT’S WHAT IT IS! “HIM WHO KNEW NO SIN,
GOD HATH MADE TO BE SIN FOR US THAT WE MIGHT BECOME THE
RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD IN HIM.” HERE WAS THIS WOMAN, HAH,
HER PAST, SHE’S AN ALIEN. HER PRESENT, SHE’S OUTSIDE
THE COMMONWEALTH OF ISRAEL, OUTSIDE THE PROMISES OF
GOD. HER FUTURE, NO HOPE! BOAZ SAYS, “I’LL TAKE HER PLACE. I
WILL REDEEM HER.” [SLAP] NOW HERE’S A THIRD THING THAT
YOU’LL, I WANT YOU TO SEE. NOW WE HAVE SEEN TWO THINGS
NOW. WE HAVE SEEN OUR, OUR REDEEMING LORD. WE’VE SEEN OUR
RENEWED LIFE. NOW I WANT YOU TO SEE OUR RESTORED LEGACY.
AH, AND VERY QUICKLY, SOME THINGS THAT, THAT RUTH GOT
BACK, AND I JUST HAVE TIME JUST TO RUN THROUGH THESE REAL
FAST. BUT RUTH GOT FIVE GIFTS BEGINNING IN VERSE, UH, 10.
LOOK IN VERSE 10. FIRST OF ALL, AH, LOOK AT THE FAMILY
THAT SHE RECEIVED. “MOREOVER RUTH THE MOABITESS, THE WIFE
OF MAHLON, HAVE I PURCHASED TO BE MY WIFE, TO RAISE UP THE
NAME OF THE DEAD UPON HIS INHERITANCE, THAT THE NAME OF
THE DEAD BE NOT CUT OFF FROM AMONG HIS BRETHREN.” NOW
RUTH COMES INTO A FAMILY, AND FRIEND, WHEN YOU GET SAVED,
YOU COME INTO THE FAMILY OF GOD. I’M SO GLAD I’M A PART
OF THE FAMILY OF GOD. SHE RECEIVED AS A LEGACY A FAMILY.
SHE ALSO RECEIVED A FORTUNE, BECAUSE, VERSE 10, AH, AH,
BOAZ, WHO REMEMBER IS A MIGHTY MAN OF WEALTH, MARRIES RUTH.
NO LONGER IS RUTH NOW JUST GLANEING, GLEANING IN THE
FIELDS, PICKING UP HANDFULS OF GRAIN. FOLKS, LISTEN, WHEN
SHE MARRIED BOAZ, SHE OWNS THE WHOLE SHEBANG. I MEAN,
SHE OWNS IT ALL! UH, SHE IS MARRIED TO HIM. SHE SHARES HIS
WEALTH. DID YOU KNOW THAT THE BIBLE SAYS, “WE’RE HEIRS OF
GOD AND JOINT-HEIRS WITH THE LORD JESUS CHRIST?” YOU KNOW
WHAT JOINT-HEIR IT, MEANS? IT MEANS, “SHARE AND SHARE
ALIKE.” I MEAN, EVERYTHING BELONGS TO JESUS BELONGS TO
US. HA, HA. HAVE YOU EVER, HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT ABOUT
THAT? THE BIBLE SAYS, “THE MEEK SHALL INHERIT THE EARTH.”
SHE, AH, SHE RECEIVED A FAMILY, SHE RECEIVED A
FORTUNE. NOW NOTICE, AND BY THE WAY, DON’T YOU EVER BE
ENVIOUS AT THE PROSPERITY OF THE WICKED. [AUDIENCE:
AMEN] NEVER! FRIEND, YOU’RE A PLUTOCRAT. YOU’RE MARRIED TO
THE LORD JESUS. AND THEN SHE RECEIVED A FAMILY, SHE
RECEIVED A FORTUNE, SHE RECEIVED FAME. LOOK IN VERSE
11 OF THIS SAME CHAPTER. AND THE BIBLE SAYS, AN, AND, “BE
FAMOUS IN BETHLEHEM.” THE NAME RUTH TODAY IS SPOKEN OF WITH
REVERENCE, ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL NAMES IN THE WORLD.
AND WE’RE TALKING ABOUT HER NOW, UH, UH, THOUSANDS OF
YEARS AFTER HER LIFE. SHE IS FAMOUS! WITHOUT JESUS YOU’RE
GOING TO DIE, YOUR BODY’S GONNA ROT IN THE GRAVE, YOUR
SOUL WILL BURN IN HELL! BUT IF YOU KNOW JESUS, YOU SHINE AS
THE BRIGHTNESS OF THE STARS FOREVER AND EVER AND EVER. IF
YOU KNOW JESUS, FOLKS, YOU’VE GOT FAME, YOU’RE A ROYAL
BLUEBLOOD, YOU’RE A PRINCE, YOU’RE, YOU’RE A PRINCESS,
YOU’RE MARRIED INTO THE FAMILY OF GOD. AND THEN SHE RECEIVED
FRUITFULNESS. LISTEN, A FAMILY, A FORTUNE, A FAME, A,
A FRUITFULNESS. LOOK IF YOU WILL IN VERSES 11 AND 12 OF
THIS SAME CHAPTER HERE, “AND ALL THE PEOPLE THAT WERE AT
THE GATE AND THE ELDERS SAID, ‘WE ARE WITNESSES, THE LORD
MAKE THE WOMAN THAT IS COME UNTO THINE HOUSE LIKE RACHEL
AND LIKE LEAH, WHICH TWO DID BUILD THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL:
AND DO THOU WORTHILY IN EPH-RAH-THAH,’” WHICH
MEANS, THE WOR, THE WORD “EPH-RAH-THAH” MEANS
“FRUITFUL.” UH, SHE, SHE BECAME FRUITFUL. SHE BECAME
FRUITFUL. YOU, WHEN YOU GO, WHAT DIFFERENCE WILL IT MAKE?
JESUS SAID, I, “YOU’VE NOT CHOSEN ME, I’VE CHOSEN YOU AND
ORDAINED YOU THAT YOU SHOULD GO AND BRING FORTH FRUIT.” SHE
BECAME FRUITFUL, AND I WISH I HAD MORE TIME TO SAY THAT.
BUT LAST OF ALL, FOLKS, SHE RECEIVED A FUTURE, SHE
RECEIVED A FUTURE. LOOK IF YOU WILL IN VERSE 16, AH, SHE HAD
A LITTLE BABY, “AND NAOMI TOOK THE CHILD, AND LAID IT IN HER
BOSOM, AND BECAME A NURSE UNTO IT. AND THE WOMEN HER
NEIGHBORS GAVE IT A NAME, SAYING, ‘THERE’S A SON BORN
TO NAOMI.’ AND THEY CALLED HIS NAME OBED: AND HE IS THE
FATHER OF JESSE, THE FATHER OF DAVID.” HA, HA, HUH, AH,
AN, AND DAVID, OF COURSE, YOU KNOW, IS THE ANCESTRY OF
THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. WHAT A FUTURE THIS WOMAN HAS. UH,
SHE’S, SHE’S UP IN HEAVEN RIGHT NOW SERVING THE LORD,
GLORYING IN, IN THE LORD. I WISH I HAD MORE TIME, BUT TIME
IS GONE. THINK. LISTEN. IF PEOPLE KNEW WHAT THEY HAD IN
THE LORD JESUS CHRIST AND HAD ANY SENSE, FOLKS, YOU COULDN’T
KEEP THEM AWAY WITH A MACHINE GUN. YOU COULD NOT DO IT.
[AUDIENCE: AMEN] YOU SEE, LISTEN, HERE YOU ARE, HERE
YOU ARE. YOUR PAST, YOU’RE AN ALIEN. YOUR PRESENT, YOU’RE A
STRANGER TO THE COVENANTS OF PROMISE. YOUR FUTURE, YOU’RE
WITHOUT HOPE. BUT THERE IS A BOAZ, A KINSMAN REDEEMER. HE,
FRIEND, IS LEGALLY WORTHY. HE IS LAVISHLY WEALTHY. HE IS
LOVINGLY WILLING. AND HE SAYS, “HEY, I WANNA MARRY YOU. I
WANT TO GIVE YOU A FAMILY. I WANT TO GIVE YOU A FORTUNE. I
WANT TO GIVE YOU FRUITFULNESS. I WANT TO GIVE YOU FAME. I
WANT TO GIVE YOU A FUTURE. I WANNA MARRY YOU.” AND THAT’S
WHAT JESUS IS SAYING TO YOU TODAY. “I GAVE MY LIFE TO
REDEEM YOU. I WANT YOU TO BE MY BRIDE.” THAT’S WHAT THE
CHURCH IS, THE BRIDE OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. HUH, NOW
BACK IN VERSE 11, UH, HUH, HA, WHEN THEY GOT MARRIED,
THE BIBLE SAYS ALL OF THOSE WITNESSES WERE STANDING
AROUND. CAN YOU IMAGINE RUTH SAYING, “WELL, YOU KNOW, BOAZ,
AH, HUH, I REALLY WOULD LIKE TO BE MARRIED TO YOU, BOAZ,
BUT I DON’T WANT ANYBODY TO KNOW IT. COULD WE JUST DO THIS
IN SECRET?” NO, SHE DIDN’T FEEL THAT WAY. SHE WAS HAPPY
THAT EVERYBODY KNEW THAT SHE LOVED BOAZ. THAT’S WHY WE HAVE
A PUBLIC INVITATION. DID YOU KNOW THAT? THAT’S WHY WE
ASK PEOPLE TO COME FORWARD. I STAND HERE AN, AND, UH, AND I
HAVE IT, WE HAVE WEDDINGS. AND COMING DOWN THIS AISLE, COMING
DOWN THIS AISLE, DRESSED IN WHITE IS THE BRIDE, AND
THERE’S THE BRIDEGROOM! SHE’S NOT HOPING THAT NO ONE SEES
HER. SHE’S HOPING EVERYBODY SEES HER. [AUDIENCE LAUGHTER]
HERE SHE COMES! HERE SHE COMES TO HIM! NOT ASHAMED OF HIM.
JESUS CHRIST SAID, “IF YOU’RE ASHAMED OF ME AND OF MY
WORD BEFORE THIS SINFUL AND ADULTEROUS GENERATION, I’LL BE
ASHAMED OF YOU WHEN I COME IN THE GLORY OF THE FATHER WITH
THE HOLY ANGELS.” [AUDIENCE: AMEN] HOW CAN YOU BE ASHAMED
OF THE ONE WHO DIED IN AGONY AND BLOOD ON THAT CROSS FOR
YOU? [AUDIENCE: AMEN] YOU CAN’T DO IT. [CLICK] HE IS
YOUR KINSMAN REDEEMER: LEGALLY WORTHY, LAVISHLY WEALTHY, AND
LOVINGLY WILLING. AND HE SAID “I DO” TO YOU. IT’S TIME
[CLICK] YOU SAID “I DO” TO HIM, AMEN? [AUDIENCE: AMEN]
FATHER GOD, SEAL THE MESSAGE TO OUR HEARTS, AND I PRAY THAT
MANY WILL COME TO JESUS TODAY. IN HIS DEAR NAME, AMEN. FRIEND LET ME TALK TO YOU OUT
OF MY HEART. LET ME GIVE YOU FOUR WONDERFUL FACTORS. BILL
BRIGHT CALLS THESE, THE FOUR SPIRITUAL LAWS. NUMBER
ONE: GOD LOVES YOU AND HAS A WONDERFUL PLAN FOR YOUR LIFE.
GOD IS A GOD OF LOVE. HE WANTS YOU TO KNOW HIM, LOVE HIM,
SERVE HIM AND LIVE WITH HIM FOREVER IN HEAVEN. SECOND LAW
IS: SIN HAS SEPERATED US FROM GOD. SIN HAS COME BETWEEN US
AND A HOLY GOD AND THAT SIN MUST BE DEALT WITH. I’M A
SINNER, YOU’RE A SINNER; ALL HAVE SINNED AND COME SHORT OF
THE GLORY OF GOD. THE THIRD LAW IS THIS: THAT JESUS CHRIST
IS GOD’S ONLY ANSWER FOR MAN’S SIN. JESUS TOOK OUR SIN TO THE
CROSS AND PAID OUR SIN DEBT WITH HIS RICH, RED, ROYAL
BLOOD AND SATISFYIED THE JUSTICE OF GOD AND THE WRATH
OF GOD AGAINST SIN BECAUSE HE BORE THAT IN HIS OWN BODY.
THE LAST LAW IS THIS: THAT YOU MUST RECEIVE JESUS CHRIST BY
FAITH AS YOUR PERSONAL LORD AND SAVIOR. THE BIBLE SAYS,
“THEREFORE BEING JUSTIFIED BY FAITH WE HAVE PEACE WITH
GOD THROUGH OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST.” AND AGAIN THE BIBLE
SAYS, “BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST AND YOU WILL BE
SAVED.” NO IF’S, AND’S, BUT’S OR DOUBT’S ABOUT IT, HE WILL
SAVE YOU. AND HE WILL MAKE YOU WHAT YOU OUGHT TO BE AND THANK
GOD, ONE DAY, JUST LIKE THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. PRAY, “LORD
JESUS, COME INTO MY HEART, FORGIVE MY SIN, CLEANSE ME,
SAVE ME.” PRAY IT FROM YOUR HEART AND MEAN IT. AND IF YOU
DO, WOULD YOU WRITE TO US AND LET US KNOW? AND WE’LL SEND
YOU SOME LITERATURE TO HELP YOU GET STARTED IN YOUR
CHRISTIAN LIFE. GOD BLESS YOU, MY DEAR FRIEND. [MUSIC]
WE HOPE THAT THIS SERIES, “REDEEMING LOVE” HAS BEEN AN
ENCOURAGEMENT TO YOU. YOU CAN LISTEN TO THIS MESSAGE AGAIN,
LISTEN TO OTHER MESSAGES IN THIS SERIES OR DOWNLOAD PASTOR
ROGERS OUTLINE, NOTES AND OTHER MATERIALS RELATED TO
THIS MESSAGE ALL AT LWF.ORG. AND WHILE YOU’RE THERE,
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR DAILY DEVOTIONALS FROM ADRIAN
ROGERS, DELIVERED EACH MORNING DIRECTLY TO YOUR COMPUTER OR
OTHER MOBILE DEVICES. THANKS FOR WATCHING TODAY’S PROGRAM
WITH US. WE’LL SEE YOU NEXT TIME. [MUSIC] [MUSIC] FORGIVE
MY SIN, CLEANSE ME, SAVE ME. AS LOVE WORTH FINDING ENTERS
OUR FISCAL YEAR END WE WANT TO THANK OUR MONTHLY PARTNERS FOR
YOUR FAITHFUL SUPPORT. YOUR GIFT OF ANY AMOUNT IS
ESSENTIAL AS WE STRIVE TO SHARE THE GOSPEL WITH MORE
PEOPLE ACROSS THE GLOBE AND ON THIS STATION. IF YOU’VE
NEVER FINANCIALLY GIVEN TO THE MINISTRY WOULD YOU PRAYERFULLY
CONSIDERING DOING SO RIGHT NOW? VISIT OUR WEBSITE TO FIND
OUT HOW YOU CAN PARTNER WITH US AS WE TELL OTHERS
ABOUT THE LOVE OF JESUS.
