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Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] All right, Tag, you're it. Right.
[00:00:03] Well, we pray Pastor Paul is enjoying some time away and some rest, and he's had some time off, but still gets roped into many services here on a Sunday. Right.
[00:00:12] Anyways, it's just a wonderful blessing to be in the house of the Lord this morning. Can anyone agree with me, it's good to be in God's house today.
[00:00:19] Every time we meet, it's a good thing. And I shared in the early, earlier service, I've been very much overwhelmed with a sense of gratitude in coming here this week and making the move, being invited to come back on staff at Living Stones by Pastor Paul and the leadership. And so thank you, Pastor Paul. Thank you to all the elders and deacons for the invitation, for reaching out and for entrusting us into this role. And it's such a tremendous honor and blessing for us to be here. We love Red Deer, too. Like, driving around like, oh, this is so nice when we come back.
[00:00:55] And I told our staff this week as I was in the office a bit, and they asked me, did it feel kind of weird? And I said, no, not at all.
[00:01:05] It's weird that I feel so comfortable and so at home. That's what's. I'm like, why do I feel like, wow, it's almost. I kind of liken it to, like, my favorite pair of jeans that you get so comfortable wearing. You just put it on and it just feels right, you know? So that's kind of how I felt this week. So I'm very grateful to be here. Also, a huge. I did this the first service. I'm going to do it quickly the second one, huge thank you to Patty, Andrea, and Curtis for showing up and welcoming us when we moved in on Monday. And I was actually thinking as I was driving down from up north, that, boy, it'd be really nice if someone could welcome us. I was literally thinking this, and they were literally waiting for us at our house. And so it actually really touched me. It really did, actually, that you guys were there and they helped us move a few things in. And then a huge thank you as well to all the men and Janet Boersma, who showed up on Tuesday on Canada Day to help us move all our stuff from storage into our house. So that was a tremendous thing. And for a number of people who are helping us up in Fort McMurray to make the move smoother for us, to help us, we've actually had people, a family drove down in the last couple days to help us unpack our stuff from Fort McMurray. So that was a huge blessing. So we're just so blessed by the generosity and the kindness of God's people everywhere we go. So praise God for that. Amen. It's just so good. Last thank you, too, as well. Derek McKenzie, who's not here, he's vacationing with his family, going above and beyond to help us find a home. So that's very much appreciative. So, Derek, if you're watching, thank you. It's been great. So I've experienced a great deal of kindness, I would suggest, in this past season, these past weeks, this past month, and even coming here, moving here, being invited to come on staff again, the whole process of moving, if you've ever moved, sold a home, moved a family, any great deal of length of distance, you know, it's a lot of work, right? It's a lot of work. So we're glad to be on this side of it now, you know, and so we're excited to be here.
[00:03:01] So, yes, I've experienced a great deal of kindness. Now, I mentioned in the first service, I don't know if you're like me, but sometimes in my stubbornness or in my pride, I have a hard time sometimes receiving kindness. You know what I'm talking about, right? Like, you just want to. Sometimes I just want to do things myself. You know, it's like a little kid. I did it all by myself. Right? I mean, I want to figure it out.
[00:03:23] You guys want to talk about. All right, I want to deal with it. I don't want to ask for help. I just want to go and deal with it. I don't know if you know what I'm talking about, especially you men sometimes. Where does that come from? Pride, right? Really?
[00:03:35] But the problem is, if we keep that attitude, the reality is that we could end up missing out on some blessings that God actually wants to bless us with because he actually wants to pour out his blessings, oftentimes through other people. Right?
[00:03:48] So we could be so stubborn in receiving help or receiving kindness or blessings, but God wants to use others to bless us, and he wants to use you to bless others. That's how it works.
[00:04:00] So I don't know if you can think of a significant moment in your life, and I can think of a number just in the last couple weeks where someone stepped up to help you in your time of need.
[00:04:10] Think about just for one second. Can you think anybody, can you think of something real quick? Just raise your hand up. I can think of a moment right now where God sends Someone to help me in my time of need. Yeah.
[00:04:20] A lot of people here, right? Maybe. Can you think of a time when you were the one who stepped up to help someone in their time of need? You showed kindness? Yeah, I can think of a moment or two, yeah.
[00:04:34] I would suggest that the simple action, showing kindness, lending a hand where and when you can, whether it's simply being there as a listening ear, right. Or going the distance and helping someone move their household into a new place or anything in between, is really an act of showing the heart of God towards others. Amen.
[00:04:57] When you extend kindness towards others, it's really the heart of God. Why? Because God has been so kind to you and I.
[00:05:05] He really, really has.
[00:05:07] The Apostle Paul writes in Romans, chapter two that it's actually God's kindness that leads us to repentance. Did you know that?
[00:05:16] Right.
[00:05:17] Paul writes that when the kindness and love of God, our Savior, appeared, he saved us not because of righteous things we have done, but because of his mercy. Right? His mercy. He's been so kind and generous to us. Kindness is listed as one of the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians, chapter 5. Meaning that as we live this life in Christ filled with the Holy Spirit, that we should be producing these fruits. And one of the things that should be an outflow of our life is that of kindness, right?
[00:05:48] Amongst other things. And that gift, the fruit of the Spirit. Sometimes I read this and it can be challenging because I'm going, boy, I'm not always as kind as I should be, right? Not that I'm, you know, a big jerk. I don't think or angry or mad at people. But sometimes, if I'm being honest, I can miss opportunities to be kind, right? I can miss it. Sometimes I'm blind to opportunities where I should be showing kindness. I don't always see the need, right? And so I pray today that as we talk about this idea of kindness in a broken world, that we won't miss opportunities to show the love of Christ, to extend kindness towards others. We're going to talk about that a little more. Colossians 3:12. Paul writes, Again, therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Clothe yourself with it, meaning, make it evident to people your kindness, right?
[00:06:50] You can see how I clothe myself today, even though it came out of a box and it's not too wrinkly here today. But when you clothe yourself, people can see what you're wearing, says, clothe yourselves with kindness, let it be evident to all that really, it's God on the inside producing that kindness. Amen. You guys hear me? You with me?
[00:07:09] All right. So today, again, I want to speak a simple message on the importance of kindness in a broken world.
[00:07:16] I think it's imperative today, as I see our world becoming more and more broken. Everywhere you look, it is more messed up to show the love of God, the kindness of God. People are broken, people are hurting. Outside the church, inside the church.
[00:07:30] Showing kindness goes a long way.
[00:07:33] Goes a long way.
[00:07:36] John 13:35 says, People will know who we are by the love we share for one another. So if we're big, I know we're not bickering inside the walls of this church. I know this is a good, kind church, but. But let me encourage you. Be kind inside the church, because no one's going to want to be a part of this church if we're all bickering and not being kind to one another. You know what I'm saying?
[00:07:53] We're talking about Evangelism Week coming up and a new evangelism trust. Well, if God's people are all in turmoil and not getting along and bickering and fighting, no one ain't going to want to come. No one's going to want to. But if they see people loving one another and helping one another and praying for one another, and even the people that maybe rubbed you the wrong way, we're still going to love one another. You know, we're still gonna bless one another. Even though you're driving me nuts, you know, that is appealing because that is so unlike anything in the world.
[00:08:21] Right?
[00:08:22] Jesus tells us to love our enemies, so we need to love people inside the church. We also need to show kindness to those outside of the faith who are not in Christ, which I would suggest could very well be the impetus for someone coming to faith in Christ just by simply the kindness you extend to them.
[00:08:41] We've seen this in our lives. Pastor Paul said my wife has a gift of evangelism. Yeah, I think she does. We've seen numerous people that she's befriended come to Christ just from her being kind.
[00:08:52] Her being kind, her being loving, just winning them, bringing them the church, eventually giving their lives to Christ.
[00:08:58] It's not rocket science. Right? It's just loving people.
[00:09:03] As we consider the theme of kindness, I'd like us to turn to the Book of Ruth. If you got your Bibles here today, and we're going to spend a little bit of time there, we're going to bounce Around a little bit. We'll have some of it on the screen.
[00:09:15] And before we progress any further, I just need to apologize to the guys or Victoria in the back and all of y', all, because I ended up doing the PowerPoint to this. Normally, I know you all have a system here, but I kind of bucked the system a little bit. Pastor Paul gave me like a month heads up to say you're going to preach on this Sunday. And I was so busy with everything that I only got too early to work on the sermon in the last few days. So I rushed out a PowerPoint sermon. And it's not actually spelling mistakes. It's actually the Logos Bible software. And they have little reference letters that you're supposed to click on to bring you to another reference, but it shows up there as like a. Like, it looks really weird. There's my apology. I'm gonna get it out of the way now. So if you see some really weird things on there, There you go. There's your disclaimer. Okay, everyone. Good.
[00:09:56] Okay, good. Okay, good.
[00:09:59] So before we get into the Book of Ruth, a little background.
[00:10:04] What was happening in the Book of Ruth? It was happening in the time of the Judges, and there was a severe famine in the land of Israel. And so a man named Eli Malek fled with his wife and two sons into the land of Moab, which was a foreign nation who did not worship Yahweh, the true God.
[00:10:23] These were heathen people, not God fearing people.
[00:10:27] And so they moved there because of the famine to try to look for a better life for their family, so to speak.
[00:10:33] Now that may sound logical and practical to many of us.
[00:10:37] However, it wasn't God's best for the people of Israel to flee to foreign lands who worshiped foreign gods. That was not God's intention for them. And so we want to pick up this quote from commentator K. Lawson Younger. And he says this, that during the period of the Judges, the Israelites lacked faith in Yahweh and broke his covenant. We see that over and over as seen in Judges. God chastened his people in accordance with his promised curses. He expected his people to live according to his word in the land that he had given them and not to go and live in another land when difficult times arose. And of course, that's what they did. This was clearly revealed in His Word. Eli Malek, like many Israelites of his day, lacked the faith to trust God in the midst of this famine. Pause there for a moment. Men in the house. You know what? When you and Your family, you can understand the pressure, right? You're the man at the home, provide for your wife and kids. This famine is happening. They seem to have greener pastures over there. You can see the temptation to want to move your family. But what if God is saying, no, don't do it, I want you to stay here. Boy, is it hard to trust God then in that moment, perhaps the move to Moab was highly unusual and was outside of God's revealed will.
[00:11:52] Furthermore, the marriages of his sons were outside of God's revealed will for his people. So his sons end up marrying these Moabite women.
[00:12:00] Goes on to say, the outcomes of these tragedies were truly disastrous for Naomi. This is Eli, Eli Malek's wife, Naomi. Why?
[00:12:07] Because you know what happened. Some of you guys know what happened, right? Eli Malek and his two sons ended up dying, right? They ended up dying. And now Naomi is left with no husband, no sons, just the two daughter in laws that all of a sudden they're not, you know, they're not related by blood. One decides to go home. And as some of you Bible scholars know, that Ruth decided to stick with Naomi. We're going to read about that in a moment. But Naomi is left in this terrible state, you know, terrible situation.
[00:12:37] Why?
[00:12:38] Well, everyone's dead, right?
[00:12:41] But let me just pause and back up for a moment. I have this in my notes and I think this is worth stating here. As I said, Eli Malekan has, you know, brought his family to this foreign land where there's foreign gods doing things. Maybe not in God's way, but I would suggest that trying to do something practical or even logical. But when God is specifically saying, no, don't do it, do something else.
[00:13:02] He's telling us to live another way. Even if this practical or logical thing exists over here, you have to know you may be inviting some problems into your life. Even if it seems like the practical or logical, sometimes God's will may not seem that practical or logical.
[00:13:17] You ever think about that?
[00:13:19] Oftentimes it is. Don't get me wrong, like most of the time, I think it is right.
[00:13:23] The Bible is full of practical, logical wisdom. Amen. But sometimes the spirit of God asks you to do something and it's like that don't seem that logical.
[00:13:33] Better follow God.
[00:13:35] You might be inviting some problems into your life. And we see now Naomi has all these problems in her life after her husband and, and two sons die. Of course the pressure is on now. What is she going to do? She's in this desperate state, in a Foreign land, you know, in a time and place, of course, there's no social programs. She has no family there. She can't. I mean, women, as you know, in these Bible times, they were lower standing in society. Like, what is she going to do? Right.
[00:14:06] What's she going to do?
[00:14:10] But of course, in comes the kindness and the loyalty of her daughter in law, Ruth. And this is the first kind of kindness I want to talk about in the book of Ruth today is simply kindness and loyalty.
[00:14:22] Showing loyalty is an act of kindness.
[00:14:26] And why I'm saying that is because you know what? Loyalty is a choice.
[00:14:29] You and I choose to be kind. Right?
[00:14:33] Kindness doesn't. I mean, maybe for some it happens more naturally. Right. But it's always a choice, whether it comes naturally to you or not. And I think the more you do it, the more it does become more natural to you. Amen. The more you do it, the more it becomes second nature to do it.
[00:14:49] Kindness and loyalty. Now, I said this in the first service, I'll repeat it as well, that if you get to know me a little bit, you know that I'm a bit of a sports person and I've watched way too much sports.
[00:15:00] It's a problem sometimes. But one of the things with athletes who, you know, in team sports, the best players are often celebrated and revered for their accomplishments, their scoring titles, their batting titles, the championships that they win, you know, so on, you know, the award, the trophy cases that they have, whatever it may be. But what I've noticed that the athletes that are celebrated the most aren't just the ones that win, are, aren't just the ones that have the best scoring titles, batting titles, championships. The ones who are celebrated the most are the ones who do it all consistently with the same team who've remained loyal to that team.
[00:15:38] See what I'm saying? They're the ones that get the most accolades. Why? Because they remained loyal. There's a greater deal of respect for the person who remains loyal, especially when they've had to go through tough times before they reach the mountaintop. They've had to endure a few things, finally getting to that peak of their sport. Right. And they remain loyal. And so a lot more respect and celebration for those type of athletes. Does anybody know what I'm saying? Anybody agree with me?
[00:16:04] Two people. Pastor Paul, you're a sports guy. Do you agree with me? He's nodding his head. Okay, good. I'm not out on a limb deeper sense of loyalty, respect towards people because of their loyalty, their longevity.
[00:16:18] Okay, why am I Saying all this loyalty is a choice. Not everybody makes that choice. And in fact, I would suggest that in modern times, loyalty is becoming less and less of a commodity, less and less of an appealing thing. Yet it is a biblical principle. Amen.
[00:16:34] God blesses loyalty. You guys know this.
[00:16:39] God blesses loyalty.
[00:16:42] We see this in our society today.
[00:16:45] Again, I'm just throwing it out there. People don't stay in marriages as long as they used to. Perhaps we don't stay in our jobs or careers as long as we used to.
[00:16:54] We don't stay committed to our church families as long as we. I'm just going on, this is just true anecdotal evidence that you see in culture today.
[00:17:05] But as I've often said, be as loyal as you can for as long as you can. Amen.
[00:17:11] Be as loyal as you can as long as you can. And God will bless you. He will honor you for that, whether it's in your relationships, in your job, whatever it may be.
[00:17:22] All right, so we see that Ruth comes along the scene and she chooses loyalty. She was not obligated to remain loyal to her mother in law, Naomi. She didn't have to do it. No one was forcing her or asking her to do it. In fact, Naomi was saying, what are you doing? Go home. Right? You don't have to look.
[00:17:45] God must be angry with me or something. What does she say? She ends up saying in chapter 120, don't even call me Naomi. Call me Mara, because the Lord has made my life very bitter.
[00:17:54] Basically saying, you don't want nothing to do with me, sister. Go on. Right?
[00:17:59] Go.
[00:18:03] But Ruth responds back in verse 16 to 18, right? Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go, I will go. Right? Some of you heard this before. Where you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God will. Will be my God. She's making a declaration of faith. I'm going to actually serve God, right?
[00:18:25] Your God will be my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely. If even death separates you and me. When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her to leave. She realizing how determined she was.
[00:18:44] And that's probably a good thing.
[00:18:46] I mean, Naomi was in again, a desperate, desperate state, right? She really was.
[00:18:54] You know, and the reality is today, maybe you're not in a desperate state like that of Naomi, but we all go through stuff, right?
[00:19:03] Come on. We all have trials, hardships, Tribulations, things we deal with. Maybe. Maybe you're not dealing with something today, but maybe your neighbor is right beside you. But if you're not dealing with something today, buckle up. It's gonna come. Right? And so I don't know about you, but when I'm going through some things, I am so grateful for. The times again that God sends someone along in an act of kindness, even just a kind word, a prayer or someone bringing me a coffee or a lunch just to say, I care, I'm for you, I love you. Right?
[00:19:35] Goes a long way.
[00:19:37] And this is what Ruth decided to do for Naomi. In fact, she went so far to say, not just I'm with you, but I am with you till death do us part, essentially, right?
[00:19:48] I'm with you. I'm gonna go where you go, Right.
[00:19:52] Gave her whole life towards being there for Naomi. What kindness, what loyalty. And really, it would not only change Ruth's life and Naomi's life, but really the course of history, as we will see.
[00:20:07] So we need to be there for people, show kindness in people's time of need. Amen. Come on now, man. If you got friends, loved ones, people you work with, and they're going through some hard things, be loyal, be a good friend, show some kindness. Right? Be there for them in their time of need.
[00:20:27] Absolutely.
[00:20:30] And you know what? I would suggest that we are not to also just reserve our kindness for those who are obviously in a desperate state. We also need to extend kindness wherever and whenever we can because we don't know what people are dealing with. Isn't that true?
[00:20:45] We really don't. You may think the person next to you has got it all together. Nothing's going on in their life, but you don't know the pressures, the stresses, their fears, the things they're dealing with. Right.
[00:20:55] That true?
[00:20:57] Yeah. Yeah. So again, be kind.
[00:21:01] Show kindness every chance we can as believers. In fact, I said in the first service that as believers in Christ, as Christians, we should be the most kind people on the planet.
[00:21:12] We really should.
[00:21:14] Lord help us to be that.
[00:21:17] And again, as we enter into this new season of. Of evangelistic thrust, kindness might very well be the key to unlocking faith in someone else's life.
[00:21:29] Biblical commentator Kayla Younger says this. He says in these situations, talking about the situation Naomi was going through which God and his administration of his kingdom may permit. Again, he allows these situations are often the very circumstances through which God acts in compassion and has said, translated meaning loving kindness or mercy, compassion for his people. And it's through these Conditions that the hesed. Again, loving kindness, mercy. Through these conditions, that the hesed of God's people themselves is evidenced.
[00:22:00] What is he saying that again? That God shows his kindness and compassion through whom?
[00:22:07] Through us, through you and I. That's how God often does. Isn't that true?
[00:22:12] Oh, man.
[00:22:15] Absolute truth, he goes on to say. Kayla and Younger tells us that it's easy to live out the belief in God's sovereignty when things are going well. Isn't that true? When one thing good after another comes along, we can easily, easily acknowledge and praise God's sovereignty over our lives. But when disasters strike, when one bad thing after another piles up, the doctrine of God's sovereignty is harder to accept than to live out.
[00:22:40] We can understand that, right?
[00:22:42] I don't know about you, but sometimes it seems like when a challenge happens, okay, you might deal with one challenge, you get it dealt with, and another one shows up. Pastor Paul mentioned that this morning.
[00:22:53] Okay, that's frustrating enough, but sometimes it seems like they all pile up at once. Anybody else know what I'm talking about? Like, it's like, okay, it's not just one, but it's two. It's just like, oh, my goodness, can we just have one? Right? But they all kind of come at once. But what happens when they all come at once? Boy, is there ever not a better time to begin looking up to Christ and saying, jesus, I need you. I cannot do all this. Amen. Where does it. What is it? I lift my eyes up to the mountain. Where does my help come from, right? Boy, do we ever need to look to God when things are piling up because we cannot do it? I've had moments in my life where they were piling up. And, man, I had to cry out to God, God, I cannot do this.
[00:23:33] I put my trust in you because I know your ways are higher.
[00:23:38] I know you don't just allow these things for no good reason. God, you're going to do something in this or through this or because of this.
[00:23:46] Praise the Lord.
[00:23:49] So as the story goes, Naomi, she decided to return to Israel as things were looking better there in regards to the famine. Okay, so they're in Moab again. The famine is there. Her husband dies, her children dies. Ruth's gonna stick with her. She says, well, let's go back to Israel. The famine's letting up. We're gonna go back to Bethlehem. So that's where they do and when they see, when they arrive in Bethlehem. In chapter two of Ruth, it was actually Ruth who initiated the whole process of Trying to lift both her and Naomi out of the state they were in. If you read the text, it seems like in chapter two that Naomi was still a little bit shell shocked, if you would, over her situation, her life situation, of her husband dying, her sons dying.
[00:24:33] Ruth didn't wait until her elder Naomi told her what to do. She saw an opportunity to work the grain fields, to glean the grain fields for leftovers and scraps. And she ran with this opportunity to provide for herself and for Naomi. And I'll just say this, that sometimes is in our kindness towards others.
[00:24:53] Let's not wait for an invitation or an ask. Let's just take the initiative to see a need and say, I'm gonna fill that need. You see what I'm saying?
[00:25:03] Ruth didn't just ask or pray. She just seen a need. I can do this thing. She stepped up in an act of kindness to provide friends. If we see a need that we can fill as an act of kindness for someone else who's in need, I think we should just go for it. How about that?
[00:25:19] Probably a good idea most of the time, right? I'm guilty sometimes I'm waiting for the ask, but I probably should just go and do it if I can do it right?
[00:25:30] And by God's providence, Ruth, of course, ended up in the field of Boaz. And as we shall see in a moment, then God's provision begins to take on a whole new level for them.
[00:25:42] And another lesson here for all of us, by the way, is that sometimes God's provision is right on the other side of taking some kind of initiative or action because you never know how things will unfold. You don't know the connections that you will make or the resources that you may discover or unearth because you didn't have access to it before. But by taking initiative can unlock all kinds of things for provision in your life.
[00:26:07] And we see how God did that here for them. So the next act of kindness we want to talk about in the book of Ruth and we're going to start reading a bit little, little more through this is kindness and generosity. And we're going to see that with Boaz towards Ruth.
[00:26:20] And while it was mandated by law that landowners allow the poor widow's orphan and alien to glean their field for scraps, Boaz, who was impressed with Ruth's work ethic and attitude, decided to show some incredible generosity. So we're going to pick it up, chapter two, verse eight to 16.
[00:26:40] If it's not on the screen, I apologize, as we have some issues with the PowerPoint. But chapter two, if you got your Bibles, we're going to start in verse eight.
[00:26:46] So Boaz said to Ruth, my daughter, listen to me.
[00:26:51] Don't go and glean in another field and don't go away from here. Stay here with the women who work for me. Watch the field where the men are harvesting and follow along after the other women. I've told the men not to lay a hand on you. And whenever you are thirsty, go and and get a drink from the water jars the men have filled. And at this she bowed down with her face to the ground and asked him, why have I found such favor in your eyes that you notice me, a foreigner?
[00:27:19] And Boaz replied, I've been told all about what you've done for your mother in law since the death of your husband and how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with the people you did not know before. May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you richly be rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge. May I continue to find favor in your eyes, my lord, she said, you have put me at ease by speaking kindly to your servant, though I do not have standing of one of your servants. And at mealtime Boaz said to her, come over here, have some bread and dip it in the wine vinegar. And when she sat down with the harvesters, he offered her some roasted grain. She ate all she wanted and had left over. And as she got up to gleam, Boaz gave orders to his men, let her gather among the sheaves. Don't reprimand her, even pull out some stocks from for her from the bundles and leave them for her to pick up. And don't rebuke her, okay? I don't know if you're seeing all of this, but Boaz is going above and beyond, right?
[00:28:21] What the law required for people to glean in their fields.
[00:28:25] Man, again, I've been so blessed by people going above and beyond in my life, even in the last month, helping us with this move, helping us to get things cleaned up around our old place, helping us buy a new place, helping us literally, people, I think have gone above and beyond. And man, was I ever just overwhelmed with gratitude with it. Amazing, right?
[00:28:46] This is what Boaz is doing for Ruth, by extension Naomi, going above and beyond. And while we didn't read it in chapter one, it tells us that Naomi and Ruth showed up at the field of Boaz during the beginning of the harvest.
[00:29:03] And then we see It a little bit later on in verse 2, chapter 2, verse 23, it says that they stayed until the harvest was finished, so some seven weeks or so.
[00:29:14] So they gleaned all this, all these weeks, basically two months worth of gleaning. And some commentators figured that if the, if she took as much grain as she did initially, if she was able to do that every day, that she would have enough for over a half a year's worth of grain for her and her mother in law. That's a lot of wheat. That's a lot of grain, right? That's a lot of bread right there. So Boaz didn't have to do any of this.
[00:29:39] That being said, those of us who've been blessed by the Lord, right, If we have money, if we have time, if we have skills, we have possession, but we have all of that or whatever, or one or two of those, or one of. If we have those things and we just hoard it to ourselves and never use it to bless someone else.
[00:29:57] Boy, are we ever missing something, right?
[00:30:00] God bless. Boaz was a blessed man, he didn't have to do any of that. But guess what? He decided to do it, right?
[00:30:08] We're encouraged over and over again in scripture to be kind and generous. I don't know if you know that all over the place. I could probably bring up 15, 20 verses here this morning. Here's three. Alright. Jesus says in Luke 6:35, Love your enemies and do good to them and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. How many of us do that, right?
[00:30:32] If I lend to someone, I'm usually wanting it back.
[00:30:35] Usually.
[00:30:38] Jesus says, then your reward will be great and you will be children of the most high.
[00:30:44] Proverbs 11:17 says, those who are kind actually benefit themselves, right? But the cruel bring ruin on themselves. Boy, if you're being kind, you're actually going to help yourself in the long run. You know, I feel like it in the moment, necessarily, but you will. That's what the word says.
[00:31:02] Proverbs 19:17 says, Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will be, and he will reward them for what they have done. Wow.
[00:31:12] Lending to the Lord. God says, you lend to me, I'm going to pay you back.
[00:31:16] That's a good promise to hang on to. Amen.
[00:31:19] You know, if you're doing something for God, right? He says, I'm going to bless you if you're lending to the poor, if you're helping the poor, God says, I'm going to reward you. Wow.
[00:31:29] It's powerful.
[00:31:32] So Boaz showed incredible kindness in generosity towards Ruth and Naomi.
[00:31:39] He didn't just do it out of obligation.
[00:31:41] He went above and beyond, I would suggest, with no expectation of reciprocity. Now, some may argue, yeah, well, he had a thing for Ruth, so maybe there was some reciprocity he was hoping for.
[00:31:53] But Boaz was much older than Ruth. In fact, when we're going to see in a moment when Ruth kind of made a. We'll talk about kind of a weird marriage proposal. Ish.
[00:32:07] Boaz was surprised he was taken. Whoa. You know, he was surprised. By now, I'm sure he was happy about it, but he probably didn't think this was going to be the outcome here. Right. So he was just doing it because he's seen a need.
[00:32:22] And so some of you guys know the whole idea of a kinsman redeemer, we're going to explain that for those who don't know it. But up until this point, that hasn't been revealed to Ruth. Boaz kept his mouth shut. He was doing all of this again, not because he's trying to do anything here, but we see it in chapter three and we're going to pick it up in verse one, how the plot thickens. Okay, if you got your Bible open, chapter three and Ruth, how Naomi and Ruth essentially hatch a plan to show Ruth's interest in potentially marrying Boaz.
[00:32:52] I didn't have a plan like this to marry my wife.
[00:32:57] Would have been weird if it was, but.
[00:33:00] So we go. Verse 1. One day, Ruth's mother in law, Naomi, said to her, my daughter, I must find a home for you where you will be well provided for. Now, Boaz, with whose women you have worked, is a relative of ours. Tonight he will be winnowing barley on the threshing floor. Wash, put on perfume, get dressed in your best clothes, then go down to the threshing floor. But don't let him know that you were there until he he has finished eating and drinking. When he lies down, note the place where he's lying. Go and uncover his feet and lie down and he will tell you what to do. I will do whatever you say. Ruth answered. Verse 6. So she went down to the threshing floor and did everything her mother in law told her to do. When Boaz had finished eating and drinking and was in good spirits, he went to lie down at the far end of the grain pile. Ruth approached quietly, uncovered his feet and lay down. In the middle of the night, something startled the man and he turned and there was a woman lying at his feet. And who are you? He asks. I'm your servant, Ruth. Here's where it gets weird. Spread the corner of your garment over me, since you are a guardian Redeemer of our family.
[00:34:00] Now again, reading the commentary on this. This is essentially her saying, will you marry me? Okay, this is what's up. You're the guardian Redeemer.
[00:34:11] I'm right here. Put your blanket over me and the two shall become one, I guess, right?
[00:34:18] Verse 10.
[00:34:19] This is how Boaz responds. The Lord bless you, my daughter.
[00:34:23] He's much older than her. Right.
[00:34:25] This kindness is great or greater than that which you showed earlier. You have not run after the younger men, whether rich or poor. And now, my daughter, don't be afraid. I will do for you all you ask. All the people of my town know that you are a woman of noble character. Although it is true, I am a guardian Redeemer. Again, we will explain that there is another who's more closely related than I am. So stay here for the night. And in the morning, if he wants to do his duty as your guardian Redeemer, good, let him redeem you. But if he is not willing, surely, as the Lord lives, I will do it.
[00:34:56] And so the idea of a guardian Redeemer or a kinsman Redeemer was there in ancient Israel. So basically, if someone was a widow, their husband died, that someone in the family would be able to take. I'll just. You know, I'm just gonna read it. Here we go. Okay. I do have it right here.
[00:35:11] This is from FD Huey. He explains this as a kinsman Redeemer, the word goel in the Hebrew, this is the first occurrence of this word in Ruth. Under the Liverite law, Boaz could fulfill the duty of preserving the name of the dead by marrying Ruth. The root goel means to redeem, buy back. The responsibilities of goel included avenging the death of a murdered relative, marrying a childless widow of a deceased brother, buying back family land that had been sold, buying a family member who had been sold as a slave, and looking after needy and helpless members of the family.
[00:35:47] So Boaz wasn't just committing to having this young wife.
[00:35:51] That may seem like a blessing, but now he's taking on all of this responsibility and expectation.
[00:35:58] You see what's going on here? So he's not just showing generosity to Ruth by giving her grain in the field or by marrying. He's showing this generosity, right, by taking on all this responsibility. You guys know that by taking on responsibility and saying, I will do it. I will show up. I'm going to be a person of my word. That is actually showing kindness, too.
[00:36:19] You know that I'm coming on staff here and I got responsibilities. But guess what? It wouldn't be very kind of me if I just didn't take my responsibility seriously and just said, oh, someone else will do it, or whatever. I'm just late. And no, I needed. Whatever I'm responsible for, I need to do it. And that's not only showing kindness, but I think God will bless those things. And by the way, young people, a key to your growth in your life is not shying away from responsibility. By signing up for responsibility and being committed to it and doing what you say you'll do. Amen.
[00:36:52] That'll get you places in life. Hello. Right. That'll cause you some growth in your life as a person and. And in the Lord, responsibility is a key factor to your growth. So Boaz takes on all this responsibility, an act of generosity and kindness.
[00:37:13] And because of all of that, the lives of not only Ruth and Naomi were changed.
[00:37:21] And we can have our piano player.
[00:37:25] I can't remember her name now. Jody. I thought it was Jody. I should have said it. Jody, are you there? Are you hiding?
[00:37:32] Are you here?
[00:37:33] Jody? Okay, it was more awkward in the first service. I'll tell you now. Anyways, we're going to land this plane here. Now, not only were Ruth's life and Naomi's life impacted, but some of you guys who know the scripture know that. That Boaz and Ruth.
[00:37:58] Hi, Jody.
[00:38:06] I got to be careful, right? With the worship team.
[00:38:13] Ruth and Boaz had a son named Obed.
[00:38:19] Do you guys remember who Obed was the grandfather of?
[00:38:23] Anybody know?
[00:38:24] David. King David.
[00:38:26] Obed was the grandfather of King David, who came from the lineage of King David, Jesus.
[00:38:33] You read down through the genealogies of Jesus in the New Testament, you're going to see Obed.
[00:38:39] Right again. Who was the son of Boaz and Ruth?
[00:38:48] You know, sometimes when we extend kindness to others, I don't know if this has ever happened to you, where your kind words or your kind deeds or your actions get thrown back in your face.
[00:38:59] It's not received well, or there's no gratitude on the other end, or even worse. You know, that can happen sometimes.
[00:39:07] But even if that happens, you know, my charge is to every one of us, myself, be kind. Anyways, Jesus says to love your enemies, right?
[00:39:16] So we're all called to be loving, to show that chesed of God, that loving kindness, that mercy, that compassion, even with people that may rub Me the wrong way or throw it back on my face. It doesn't matter.
[00:39:29] And as the generations went on, Boaz and Ruth, they have Obed King David down the line. Jesus.
[00:39:41] You know, I think of my own family and I think sometimes our legacy.
[00:39:47] And I don't know, we don't always think like this, right, because we're living in the moment.
[00:39:51] But one of the coolest things that I seen when I was In Bible School 20, whatever years ago, one of the weirdest assignments at the time, I was a young guy, like 20 years old or something, and we had to write our own.
[00:40:08] What do you call it? Not an obituary. Yeah, an obituary. The thing they put in the newspaper back in the day. Obituary. That's the name.
[00:40:16] Write your own obituary, basically. How do you want to be remembered when you die? I'm like 20 years old, right? I'm like.
[00:40:22] But it causes you to think, what kind of legacy do I want to live or leave? What kind of legacy do I want to leave when I leave this planet? When I go to be with the Lord, what do I want people to remember? What do I want my legacy to be? Like, I think of my own family and I think about these stories, and I'm going, boy, if we're showing the love of Jesus, the kindness of God to everybody whom we come in contact with in the church, outside the church, whatever it is, do you don't think that that's going to leave an impact on my children's lives and on their children's lives and down the line, however you go, if you live a life of loyalty and generosity and kindness and it's a said love, you got to know that it's going to impact people, not just for now, but for generations to come. Because this is different when it comes to the world standards, let me tell you right now, again, the people of God should be the most kindest people on the planet. Really.
[00:41:17] Okay.
[00:41:18] Now, I'm not there yet, as far as I should be. I'm preaching this to myself, especially as we begin to take on a new ministry of evangelism and outreach. Guess what? I'm gonna have to be. Not that again. Not that I'm a big jerk, but I need to be more kind.
[00:41:32] I need to show kindness.
[00:41:35] You need to show kindness.
[00:41:38] You with me?
[00:41:39] You're gonna do that along with me.
[00:41:41] Amen. Could you stand? We're gonna pray.
[00:41:49] And as we pray, we're going to pray into all these things we talked about. We're also going to pray for the situation in Texas for all these loved ones right now that are scrambling, I think it's appropriate that we do that.
[00:42:02] So today could we just close our eyes and just for a moment and if this is your heart and you want to pray along with me, that God would help me, God would help us to be kind, that we would reach other people for Christ because of the kindness. If God's been kind to you and you want to extend that towards others, will you just raise your hands right now and I'm going to pray so, Father God, I thank you here today for your people, Lord, who are expressing right now they've received great kindness from you. The chesed kindness, loving, mercy, Lord, thank you Jesus for each one, Lord, who can testify today to the goodness and kindness and mercy of God now, Lord, I pray that for each one of us, Lord, who have hands raised up right now, God, that you would encourage us by your spirit, God, you would infuse your spirit, Lord, in us so that we may extend that kindness to others. Lord, that you would give us eyes to see, Lord, where the needs are, that we would not be blind to the needs of others, Lord, we would not be indifferent to the needs of others. But God, we would be moved by compassion just as you were moved by compassion when you walked the earth, Lord, on everybody's needs. God, we we're not going to meet everyone's needs. But Lord, help us to have eyes to see those opportunities, those moments in which where we can be a blessing, where we can show kindness, where we can have a listening ear, God, where we can pray a blessing or say a kind word. Lord, help us today to be your hands extended, Lord, in this community, in our jobs, in our workplaces, in our families, wherever we may be. Lord, give us strength today to do this. We cannot do it on our own.
[00:43:33] And Lord, today we also pray for the situation in Texas. Lord, what an awful thing to read about in the last few days. God, we pray that your mercy, Lord, would cover all this situation, Lord God, that those who are missing they would be found in Jesus name and quickly. God. We ask for that, Lord, for those who are already grieving. They know their loved ones have died and passed away. God, we pray for a supernatural grace and mercy and comfort to come come in that area. God, that you would send people, Lord, to minister to these families in their time of need.
[00:44:06] God, we lift it up to you, Lord, knowing that in your sovereignty, God, we don't always understand.
[00:44:11] But Lord, we look to you for the need, Lord, for provision for this time for those people so God bless us now as we head on out today. God help us to have a good day. Help us to extend your kindness, Lord, that we may be salt and light wherever we go. We pray it now in Jesus mighty name today. And all God's people said, Amen. Amen. God bless you as you leave. We'll see you later.
