Redeemer Church Of Waterford

Having defined Positional Sanctification and Progressive Sanctification in the previous message, we now go on to a consideration of the practical aspects of our sanctification.

Due to a technical issue, the first several minutes of this sermon were not recorded. The first name we see in the Book of Ruth is Elimelech, which means, "My God is King." The baby born to Ruth and Boaz is named Obed (the grandfather of King David) which means, "One who serves." The last word in the Book of Ruth is David, the one whom God chooses to be His Servant King.

The story of Ruth is a technicolor portrait of the Bible's unfolding drama of God seeking a bride for Himself. If you want to know what God's love for his people looks like, you need look no further than the story of Ruth and Boaz. What are the implications for our own marriages?

The house that Ruth built is the answer to three prayers: the prayer of Naomi in Ruth 1, the prayer of Boaz in Ruth 2, and the prayer of the elders of Bethlehem in Ruth 4. The answer to these prayers connects Ruth the Moabitess with Eve the Mother of All Living in Genesis 3, and with Mary, the Mother of Our Lord in Luke 2.

If you want to stop struggling with sin, stop struggling with sin. Stop focusing your efforts on overcoming sin. Rather, redirect your efforts to memorizing and meditating on the word of God, which will sanctify you by moving you away from the presence of sin and toward the presence of Christ.

From the beginning of chapter one, Naomi has been working on a rewrite. She wants to eliminate the pages of her story that are filled with loss, and sorrow, grief, and bitterness. She wants the exciting life, filled with car chases and rooftop leaps, leading to a happy ending where the father saves the children and he holds them in his arms. But what Naomi cannot see in the dark shadows of her grief is that the very ending she is hoping for is precisely the ending God is writing with the pen of suffering in her life.

The rampant sexual abuse in the entertainment industry, the abuse of young women by a doctor they ought to have been able to trust, 60 million babies aborted in the United States since 1973, all affirm God's word when He characterizes our world as one of ungodliness and unrighteousness. Why is the world as it is? For the Christian there can be only one answer: sin.

The kinsman Boaz takes this virtuous woman Ruth and covers her and redeems her in the same way our kinsman Jesus has covered us and redeemed us. When Solomon described the virtuous woman of Proverbs 31 it is quite possible he had the reputation and character of his great-great grandmother Ruth in mind.

We act. But a Sovereign God is always acting in our acting.

What kind of church does Redeemer Church aspire to be? An ordinary church as defined by the early church in Acts 2: God calling (Acts 2:39) and adding (Acts 2:47). The church receiving (Acts 2:41) and continuing (Acts 2:42). What characterized the early church was the ordinariness of their practices: hearing the word, fellowshipping in the word, worshipping in the word. The result: “the Lord added.” It is the Lord who calls in Acts 2:39. It is the Lord who adds in Acts 2:47. The in between (our “receiving” the word and “continuing” in the word) is the ordinary means God uses to call and to add.

We work our way line-by-line through one of George Herbert's (1593-1633) theologically rich poems to discover God's Sovereign grace at work in our salvation to not only save us - but to hold us fast.

When our hearts are out of tune because of sadness, we must tune them to the keynote of our Sovereign Lord, whose care for us is constant, even in the worst of circumstances. Tuning our hearts to the Lord requires a controlling spirit of thankfulness for His love and faithfulness through private meditation and public praise.

The presence of the Babe in the manger shouts that God has taken notice of us in our sin and misery, and through the Babe, He will exalt us if we remain mindful of our low estate.

Boaz is a worthy man, a near relative of Ruth's father-in-law, and therefore qualified under the Old Testament law to rescue this stranger from the covenant through covenant love - and in doing so, Boaz points to a greater Redeemer to come, who will rescue us.

The bitterness and emptiness which closed chapter one has now given way to sweetness and fullness through the continual kindness of Boaz - a close kinsman of Elimelech - expressed in his superabundant provision and care for Ruth. "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end."

The Book of Ruth opens with three funerals, leaving three widows bereft of their husbands. In this story, God speaks to the wounded hearts of those who have been separated by death from the love of their life.

In response to the provision and protection of Boaz, Ruth questions why she - a stranger to the covenants of Israel - should find grace in the eyes of Boaz. This is the question every redeemed sinner must ask of our covenant keeping God.

The vulnerability of Ruth displays itself in her bold yet humble persistence when she happens upon the field of Boaz, her near kinsman, who lavishes her with unexpected and undeserved provision and protection.

There has been nothing but silence between Naomi and Ruth on the 80 mile journey from Moab to Bethlehem. Arriving in the city, returning to familiar surroundings, to old friends, seeing the places where no doubt she had previously been accompanied by Elimelech, Mahlon and Chilion, Naomi bursts into lament. This is no joyous homecoming for her. It is a stark reminder of all that she has lost and of her new status. No longer the wife of Elimelech, she is now Naomi the Widow.

Ruth's decision to follow Naomi away from Moab into Judah was not an emotional one, but rather made with a "steadfast mind" - courageous intentions with a full understanding of the implications.