RUTH: Full Sermons

The following are links to full sermons, preached at FBC La Verne in Southern California or at San Carlos Community Church (SCCC) in San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico ...

4:14-15

Link - RUTH - David's Great Grandmother!

Christianity, Easter, Expository,
Homiletics, Judges, Outlines, Preaching, Sermons

RUTH 4:14-15: David's Great Grandmother!

TOPIC: Kinsman Redeemer; Commitment, Loyalty, Promises (of God), Providence, Redemption, Trust

TITLE: RUTH - David's Great Grandmother!
TEXT: Matthew 1:5b & Ruth 4:14-15

“and to Boaz was born Obed by Ruth”

“Then the women said to Naomi, ‘Blessed is the LORD who has not left you without a redeemer today, and may His name become famous in Israel. May He also be to you a restorer of life and a sustainer of your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you and is better to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.’”

Ruth is a tender story of loyalty and trust; of purity and providence; with a prophetic purpose.

The importance of Ruth is found in the whole of the book … not the verses - very few verses are memory verses.

Possibly during a time of idolatry and immorality; during the period of the Judges … probably just before Gideon was a judge; during a time of intense famine.

Ruth demonstrates selfless character in her loyalty to Naomi and Naomi’s God ...

“Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God”

1:16

Naomi, a widow of the tribe of Judah dutifully followed husband and sons to Moab to survive, leaving all behind.

In Moab, each of her men dies in turn, leaving her a widow and caretaker of two Moabite daughters-in-law … without a redeemer. And Naomi is selfless in her concern for her daughter-in-law.

It’s About God’s Redemptive Plan!

A picture of the grafting in [Romans 11] of the Church ...

Chapter one has Naomi (Israel) and Ruth (Church) in the Land of Moab (world).
Chapter two has Ruth, without a people, gleaning in Boaz’ field (pasture or harvest field of God).
Chapter three has Ruth counseled by Naomi (Law); then on Boaz’ threshing floor (place of offering/sacrifice; winnowing and grace); by law Boaz becomes Ruth’s kinsman redeemer.
And Chapter four has Ruth and Naomi in the home of Boaz (redeemer of both); thus continues the royal line of David.

Tragedy and hardship end in joy and restoration.

Ruth provides no obvious commandments or manifested miracles, no wars or rebellions, no achievements or victories … only Naomi’s redemption from affliction ... an unusual book in the canon (i.e., without a kinsman redeemer). Highlights the providential and permissive aspects of God’s will.

Reveals mortar binding “living” stones to Chief Corner Stone; Ruth is a story central to the Good News.

FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: Where Does the Book of Ruth Lead a Faithful Believer?
CONCISE OUTLINE

I. It Leads Us to Trust the Power of God!
II. It Leads Us to Trust the Providence of God!
III. It Leads Us to Trust the Protection of God!
IV. It Leads Us to Trust the Promises of God!
V. It leads us to …

Who is this woman Ruth? A Moabitess, foreigner, stranger; daughter-in-law of Naomi; a childless widow. Moabites were out of Lot’s oldest daughter, through incest with her father; thus, Ruth is not only a woman and a foreigner but the off-spring of immorality and incest.

Soon to be wife of Boaz, her kinsman redeemer; a son of Rahab and David’s grandfather; one of five ladies in the genealogy of Jesus [Matthew 1:1-14]:

• Tamar, the Canaanite mother of Perez and Zerah, through her unlawful relationship with her father-in-law Judah
• Rahab, the harlot, non-Israelite, protector of Joshua’s spies; mother of Boaz, the father of Obed, the son of Ruth
• Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, taken in adultery by David, wife rooted in murder, the great-grandson of Ruth
• and Mary the wife of Joseph and the virgin-mother of Jesus, conceived and born out of wedlock

Ruth: the great-greatx10 grandmother of Jesus, along with Esther, she becomes one of Israel’s most blessed and beloved women.

Ruth is the female counterpart of Job; feeling hopeless, Naomi returned to Israel … not knowing what the future held. Then one of her two daughters-in-law professed allegiance to Naomi and her God, the Living God, the God of the living!

In spite of circumstances, Ruth was faithful to Naomi’s God; so God was faithful to redeem the family.

INQUIRY: Where Does the Book of Ruth Lead a Faithful Believer?
EXPANDED OUTLINE:

I. It Leads Us To Trust The Power of God!

God is mentioned 20 times; 3 names – Jehovah (LORD) 15x, Elohim (God) 2x, the other is Shaddai (Almighty) 2x … both times in this passage

She said to them,

"Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, but the LORD has brought me back empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the LORD has witnessed against me and the Almighty has afflicted (Heb = mara) me?"

Ruth 1:20-21

Though her faith waned, it was strong enough to recall that God is Almighty and a doer of great things

II. It Leads Us To Trust The Providence of God!

God has two wills – the one with which He permits us our will; the other is fixed in relation to decreed providence.

This wonderful but brief volume reveals an unforgettable example of God’s providential concern for those who put their trust in Him.

It teaches us not to lose faith, no matter the circumstance or hardship … for His providential will includes those who love Him and are called according to Hid purpose [Romans 8:28].

Twenty times the verb “redeem” is used; and this in a book with only four chapters.

This book makes a special contribution to the truth that God alone chooses whom He will redeem; He is under no obligation to redeem any He chooses not to! (E.g., Orhah)

“He makes the barren woman abide in the house as a joyful mother of children.”

Psalms 113:9a

The bible tells us ...

“the LORD enabled her to conceive [lit. gave her con-ception] and she gave birth to a son.”

Ruth 4:13

III. It Leads Us To Trust The Protection of God!

She believed deeply God’s eye was on the sparrow and she knew His eye was on them … she knew nothing surprises God … He is not only powerful but omniscient as well.

When all seemed lost and unfair, she turned to the teachings of her people

Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, ‘My daughter, shall I not seek security for you, that it may be well with you? Now is not Boaz our kinsman, with whose maids you were? Behold, he winnows barley at the threshing floor tonight.’

Ruth 3:1-2

IV. It Leads Us To Trust The Promises of God!

When the OT asserts God is Israel’s redeemer, it points to His providential and covenant promises … and who is “the promised of God”?

“Gilead is Mine, and Manasseh is Mine; Ephraim also is the helmet of My head; Judah is My scepter.”

Psalms 60:7

Thus says the Lord!

“The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes, and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.”

Genesis 49:10

So the blessing of Jacob on Judah, his son.

“… it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah … .”

Hebrews 7:14

“Now it came about in the days when the judges governed, there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the land of Moab with his wife and his two sons. And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife, Naomi; and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem in Judah.”

Ruth 1:1,2

Compare this with others –

"But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity.“

Micah 5:2

“And I began to weep greatly, because no one was found worthy to open the book, or to look into it; and one of the elders said to me, ‘Stop weeping; behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals.’”

Revelation 5:4,5

Speaking of the Day of the Lord and judgment …

"Know therefore that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments …”

Deuteronomy 7:9

APPLICATION: Naomi is a picture of Israel while Ruth is the gentile; separated from God and her destiny, without a son to carry on the family’s name.

Naomi has this on her mind:

“Why has this happened to me? What have I done to be without an heir to my husband’s name? Why have I been cut off?”

Was it not the God of Israel, the God of promise that she trusted? Had not blessings been promised and now withheld from this child of YHWH?

For her day, Ruth was an exception to the rule: not a member of “the chosen people of God,” faithful and loyal, and unselfish; she was moral, self-controlled, and spiritual; as well as civil and mature.

CHALLENGE: Are you an exception to the rule for your day? Have you considered what you will be remembered for? Has your faith carved a testimony out of your life? Have you turned from trusting your faith in God to trusting your works?

The Bible says some things about you and me providentially … and has some promises for those who love the Lord and called according to His purpose [Romans 8:28]!

Those who have been redeemed by Almighty God, who were “not a people but are now the people of God” [1 Peter 2:10] should be transformed by their experience, and show this quality of God’s love to others!

1. It was God’s faithfulness to Israel that attracted Naomi to Him; and
2. it was her faithfulness to Him that attracted Ruth to her
3. It was Ruth’s faithfulness to her mother-in-law and her God that attracted Boaz to her; and
   
4. It should be that our faithful and public testimony would attract others as well!

The lost should be attracted to us as the moth is to the light bulb, not to death but to life, life everlasting!

Christianity, Expository, Homiletics,
Outlines, Preaching, Ruth, Sermons

JUDGES: Full Sermons

The following are links to full sermons, preached at FBC La Verne in Southern California or at San Carlos Community Church (SCCC) in San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico ...

2:3

THE THORNS & SNARES - The Proof Is Indeed In the Pudding!

quick link: ESTHER Seed Archive (INACTIVE AT THIS TIME)

Christianity, Easter, Expository,
Homiletics, Judges, Outlines, Preaching

Judges 2:3: Thorns & Snares

TOPIC: Obedience; Disobedience, Justice, Wrath
TITLE: THORNS & SNARES – The Proof Is Indeed In the Pudding!

TEXT: Judges 2:3

“Therefore I also said, 'I will not drive them out before you; but they will become as thorns in your sides and their gods will be a snare to you.”

FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: What are we to learn from the lesson of Israel?
CONCISE OUTLINE:

I. OUR ENEMIES WILL BE DUE TO OUR DISOBEDIENCE!
II. OUR ENEMIES WILL (probably) BE GOD’S TESTING OF US!

A. Our Enemies Will Be Pains In Our Daily Lives!
B. Our Enemies Will Trap Us In Things We Can't Control!

TRUTH/CONTEXT: Israel is not far from the shores of the Wilderness and yet here they are in this predicament. (READ ALOUD: Judges 2:10-11)

And when God rebuked them they named the place Bochim (Baw-gghh-heem; the weepers or the place of weeping).

Here is the basic outline of the entire Book of Judges:

Israel –

1. Is instructed to obey
2. Agrees to obey
3. Disobeys
4. Suffers
5. Cries out (repentance)
6. Is judged
7. Is restored
8. Is instructed to obey

That’s it; over and over Israel goes through this cycle. Even individuals are shown to exhibit the same characteristics (e.g., Samson, priests, Jephthah, the greedy Levite, etc.).

Paul says this about the Old Testament ...

“Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.”

1 Corinthians 10:11

Would you say we’ve been in that cycle here in the United States? In the world?

Now look at what our history with God shows: Crusades, Dark Ages, Popish religion, paganism, materialism, Holocaust, Inquisition, witch trials, slavery, 500 years of conflict in Ireland, Bosnia/Rwanda/Darfur, terrorism, Islamic radicalism, wars, abortion, pedophilia, pornography, secular humanism, public homosexuality, judicial activism & tyranny, greed, selfishness, drugs, promiscuity, educational decay, taxation without representation, social & racial discrimination … and I could go on!

Worse haven’t we become a world which blames others for these thorns and snares?

You see our enemies don’t have to be nations, but they may be; one thing is for sure … if they are allowed to have at us, “they will become as thorns in [our] sides and [they] will be a snare to [us]”!

FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: What are we to learn from the lesson of Israel?
EXPANDED OUTLINE:

I. OUR ENEMIES WILL BE DUE TO OUR DISOBEDIENCE!

Consider how the contemporary church has disobeyed God ...

A. The Great Commandments [Matthew 22:37-38]
B. First Things First

"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

Matthew 6:33

D. Sacrifice

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

Romans 12:1

E. Others

Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.

Philippians 2:4

[CHEAP WORDS] A non-believing lawyer went to a friend’s church, listened watching speechlessly to the behavior of many who he knew … especially a number whom he’d seen in court or whom he represented.

“How did you like the service?” His friend asked at the close of the service. He answered, “As a lawyer let me respond in this way: there is a world of difference between testimony and evidence.

"Words are cheap; it’s easy to give testimony for Christ, but quite another matter to offer evidence of God's purifying power in one’s life in Christ. Didn’t your Jesus say ... 'This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.'” [Mark 7:6]

II. OUR ENEMIES WILL (probably) BE GOD’S TESTING OF US!

“Now these are the nations which the LORD left, to test Israel …”

Judges 3:1

A. OUR ENEMIES WILL BE PAINS IN OUR DAILY LIVES!

1. Entertainment industry is surely testing us

a) Audio & video
b) Prurient & voyeuristic desires
c) Gambling and pampering

2. Political system is surely testing us

a) Lacks a clear Christian national-view
b) Lacks a Christian worldview

3. Educational system is surely testing us

a) Corrupting the minds of our young people
b) Anti-Americanism
c) Lying & cheating
d) Communistic & socialistic

B. OUR ENEMIES WILL TRAP US IN THINGS WE CAN’T CONTROL!

1. Our own churches

a) Mega-church growth
b) Theological conflict
c) Church splits & pastoral hostility
d) Tares & wolves

2. Judicial system:

a) 9th Circuit decision this week
b) Kelo
c) Gay marriage
d) Destruction of the family

3. Secularism-humanism

a) Paganism
b) Drug trade
c) Pornographers
d) Materialism
e) Victim class
f) Laziness

APPLICATION/CHALLENGE: So where have we disobeyed the LORD? Remind them of the above AND it was up to God’s people to drive the enemies of Israel out but it was in fact the Lord who drove them out.

And don’t you see: God’s people are failing to be obedient by faith so that He will drive them out for us!

Except with obedience and repentance, we will see no change in our nations! [2 Chronicles 7:14]

[REAL WITNESS] Let's not be like those who are seen and heard being un-Christian. People who know we are Christians will wonder greatly at our conduct.

We might say, “I do this or that not as a Christian, but as a sinner saved by grace." Or we might even try, “I do this or that not as a Christian, I am at work where I may not act like a Christian.”

“But,” the observer will ask, “when the sinner or worker goes to Hell, what will become of the Christian?”

How will God judge us when we appear before His throne? Will it be for what we sang or prayed in church, or will it be for our witness before a lost and dying world?

It will be whether His Son ever knew us!

[NAME CHANGE] Once a soldier was reported to Alexander the Great for showing cowardice on a particular occasion; when the soldier appeared before Alexander the Great, he asked him his name. He said, “Alexander, sir!” Alexander rebuked him for the dishonor he’d brought upon the name and ordered him to change his name or behave in a way that honored the name.

It would not be a better thing to have fewer Christians laboring in the Lord’s vineyard but it would be to have better ones.

It would seem to me that most of what passes as Christianity today could certainly use a name change.

Didn’t the LORD say we were not to take His name in vain? Isn’t calling oneself a Christian but not behaving as one taking the name of Jesus in vain?

Christianity, Expository, Homiletics,
Outlines, Preaching, Sermons