QUEEN ESTHER - God Cares For You!
4:14-15
Link - RUTH - David's Great Grandmother!
“and to Boaz was born Obed by Ruth”Ruth is a tender story of loyalty and trust; of purity and providence; with a prophetic purpose.
“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.’”
“Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God”Naomi, a widow of the tribe of Judah dutifully followed husband and sons to Moab to survive, leaving all behind.1:16
Chapter one has Naomi (Israel) and Ruth (Church) in the Land of Moab (world).Tragedy and hardship end in joy and restoration.
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.
I. It Leads Us to Trust the Power of God!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.
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 …
Ruth: the great-greatx10 grandmother of Jesus, along with Esther, she becomes one of Israel’s most blessed and beloved women.
- 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
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 passageII. It Leads Us To Trust The Providence of God!
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?"Though her faith waned, it was strong enough to recall that God is Almighty and a doer of great thingsRuth 1:20-21God has two wills – the one with which He permits us our will; the other is fixed in relation to decreed providence.III. It Leads Us To Trust The Protection of God!
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.”The bible tells us ...Psalms 113:9a“the LORD enabled her to conceive [lit. gave her con-ception] and she gave birth to a son.”Ruth 4:13She 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.IV. It Leads Us To Trust The Promises of God!
When all seemed lost and unfair, she turned to the teachings of her peopleThen 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 3:1-2When 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.”Thus says the Lord!Psalms 60:7“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.”So the blessing of Jacob on Judah, his son.Genesis 49:10“… 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.”Compare this with others –Ruth 1:1,2"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.“Speaking of the Day of the Lord and judgment …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"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.
“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?
“Hear, O My people, and I will speak … I am God, your God.”FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: What three attitudes (expectations) interfere with God’s amazing grace?
I. THE EXPECTATION OF COMPLETE SANCTIFICATIONCONTEXT: The author is Asaph, a Levite; the patriarch of a bloodline of poets and singers ... also Psalms 73-83.
II. THE EXPECTATION OF IMMEDIATE SATISFACTION
III. THE EXPECTATION OF ABSOLUTE CERTAINTY
[PAINTED STICKS] A preacher told how … he had watched a caterpillar climb a painted stick that decorated his garden. After reaching the top, the caterpillar reared itself, feeling this way and that for a juicy twig to feed on, or some way to move on. Finding nothing, it slowly returned to the ground, crawled along till it reached another stick, and did the same thing all over again.He is “your God” the psalmist writes; with a hint of dismay.
The preacher said: “There are many painted sticks in the world – pleasure, wealth, and fame. All these call to man, ‘Climb me to satisfy your desires, taste the fruit of success, and find fulfillment.’ But they are only painted sticks.”
Solomon tried to find the purpose of life by studying all the “painted sticks.” He gave his heart to wisdom, but learned that it was “vanity and vexation of spirit” [Ecclesiastes 1:15].
He then turned to pleasure for life’s meaning. He built great houses, and gardens, and pools; he had servants and maidens; in fact, he had all that a man could want. However, Solomon's comment on pleasure as a true source of happiness, was, “All was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun” [Ecclesiastes 2:11].
After trying all that the world could offer, Solomon's final decision was, “The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person” [Ecclesiastes 12:13].
I. THE EXPECTATION OF COMPLETE SANCTIFICATIONAPPLICATION/CHALLENGE: So you want to rob the bank and keep the money when you are caught? Your satisfaction in life is all that matters to you … and you want it now! Simple satisfaction is not enough; you had that long ago.A. Since the day of the Fall, man has felt a need to be fulfilled or satisfied; God asks, “Am I not enough?”II. THE EXPECTATION OF IMMEDIATE SATISFACTION
B. How much, then, would be enough?
C. Should we not say, with David, “Our cups overflow; we’ve more than our hearts can stand"?
D. "I am … your God", He says. Are you not in possession of all things?
E. Can you continue to say, “But I want …” or “But I need” and yet forget He is Jehovah Jireh?
F. Who is able to weigh our lusts?
G. Yet the immeasurable, incomparable inheritance that awaits the children of God makes them all irrelevant
H. Are you not complete in Christ? What remains lacking?“And He has said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.’ Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.”Or want!!!!2 CORINTHIANS 12:9A. But it is not just satisfaction we want; we desires exhilarating entertainment and euphoric enjoyment.III. THE EXPECTATION OF ABSOLUTE CERTAINTY
B. Think what you desire! God is the Maker of Heaven and earth.
C. There is no entertainment nor enjoyment open to man that provides such rapturous satisfaction as this, “I am God, your God!”
D. This is a body of bliss, an endless ocean of delight.[SPURGEON] Spurgeon said of this ocean, “Come, bathe thy spirit in it; swim an age, and thou shall find no shore; dive throughout eternity, and thou shall find no bottom.” [Morning & Evening; January 9 “Morning”]E. “I am … your God.” If this doesn’t ignite a sparkle in your eye, lighten your step, and make your heart increase its pace, nothing you find in this world will
F. And you are most certainly a wolf in sheep’s clothing
G. Don’t you know believers are set-apart (sanctified) to God?A. But man craves more than present delights.
B. He also desires things concerning his exercise of hope … forgiveness, redemption, eternal life.“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”Hebrews 11:1C. So what more is there to hope for than this, "I am is … your God"?“In hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.”Romans 8:24-25
D. This is the masterpiece of all the truth; its appropriation makes heaven on earth, and leads to heaven above
[KING] Noblemen were gathered together in London waiting for the King of Great Britain. They all knew him personally, yet they all honored him as their king. When he entered, they stood solemnly to their feet. "Take your seats, gentlemen," he said, "I count you as my personal friends." And then joking he added, "I am not the Lord, you know!" Immediately one of the noblemen, a Christian, said, "No, sir, if you were our Lord, we would not have stood to our feet; we would have fallen to our knees."God doesn't focus on the outer man; instead His eyes constantly search the inner man ... there is where our religion is … for “He is God, our God!”
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
- Let’s dwell in His Light
- Let’s be spellbound by His love
- Let’s get out the fatted calf
- Let’s give God the best of our worship
- Let’s live up to our privilege
- Let’s rejoice with unspeakable joy …
“Do not fear, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel; I will help you,” declares the LORD, “and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.”This morning, as we continue to look at the person and the works of Jesus, let’s hear the Lord Jesus speak to us, both individually and corporately. Jehovah has said to Jacob (aka: Israel), “I will help you.”
- “Do you not know, before the world began, I chose you and made My covenant with you?”
- “Do you not know, I set aside My divine glory and took on flesh for you?”
- “Do you not know, I freely gave My life for you. If I have done all this, will I not help you now?”
- “Do you not realize, if you were to need a thousand times as much help, that I would give it to you?”
- “Do you not comprehend, you require little compared with what I have already given and that I am ready to give even more?”
“Or what man is there among you, when his son shall ask him for a loaf, will give him a stone? Or if he shall ask for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!”APPLICATION/CHALLENGE: There is much for us to need, but it is nothing for God to give it all. He told Paul, "My grace is sufficient for you."Matthew 7:9-11
Jesus says, “Bring your empty vessel! Surely, My Living Water shall fill it; you shall never again thirst”
- Can you use more strength than the omnipotence of the Triune Godhead?
- Do you truly desire greater wisdom than already exists in you in the Father?
- Do you wish for more love than has been displayed by the Son?
- Do you desire more power than that manifested by the Holy Spirit?
- Is your thirst for more than that provided by the Water of Life?
- Is your hunger for truth not satisfied by the Bread of Life?
- Is not the Door that leads to eternal life greater than the door of opportu-nity?
- Is the Way of Christ not the only way?
[MOUSE] If a mouse sought nourishment at the door of an overflowing Nebraska silo, the company could not in a thousand years ruin its finances if it gave the mouse a handful of corn each day. You are nothing but a tiny worm at the door of God’s all-sufficient grace, mercy, and love. And out of this sufficiency, Jesus has said, “I will help you.”
50:7I AM YOUR GOD - God's all sufficient essence!100:4 (1-5)NEW EACH DAY - How to avoid making Jesus trivial!CrossLinked: Spurgeon's Morning & Evening Proclaimed Series (November 5 "Evening")104:16HEIRS OF HEAVEN - The Mysterious Hand of God!CrossLinked: Spurgeon's Morning & Evening Proclaimed Series (August 13 "Morning")
TOPIC: Christmas; Incarnation, Virgin Birth
TITLE: HOW TO HAVE A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD! [Filched from Henry Blackaby's "Experiencing God" LifeWay]
TEXT: Luke 1:26-38 [Matthew 1:18-25]... the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will conceive and bear a Son, and she will call His name Immanuel.TRUTH CLAIM: Let alone the prophetic and redemptive relevance of the immaculate conception, this work of God has very personal significance to you and me!Isaiah 7:14
Of course everything about our Lord and His life is relevant! But most of us just don't take the time to look closely at the pictures the Bible paints or consider how they apply to our lives, personally, today!
FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: In what way is the Immaculate Conception personally relavent to you and me today?
CONCISE OUTLINEI. IN THE WAY THAT GOD INVITED MARY AND JOSEPH TO JOIN HIM IN HIS WORK!APPLICATION: Mary and Joseph were each individually and jointly challenged to act as a result of this announcement from heaven. Because they acted in faith, and adjusted their lives, they came to know and experience God in a new and personal way as He accomplished His greatest work ever through them!
II. IN THE WAY THAT GOD REVEALED HIMSELF, HIS PURPOSE, AND HIS WAY!
III. IN THE WAY THAT GOD CHALLENGED THEIR FAITH AND THEIR LIVES!
CHALLENGE: You are challenged to ...If you do, I promise: YOU, like Mary and Joseph, WILL COME TO KNOW AND EXPERIENCE GOD in new and more wonderful ways AS YOU FOLLOW HIM AND HE ACCOMPLISHES HIS WORK THROUGH YOU!
- recognize that GOD IS ALWAYS AT WORK AROUND YOU!
- accept the fact that GOD DESIRES A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH YOU!
- become intensely aware of GOD'S PRESENCE and to wait as GOD INVITES YOU TO BECOME INVOLVED WITH HIM IN HIS WORK!
- accept God's invitation! You are challenged to MAKE MAJOR ADJUSTMENTS IN YOUR LIFE TO JOIN GOD IN WHAT HE IS DOING!
TOPIC: Christ [Christmas, Exaltation, Exhortation, Presence, Sanctification]
TITLE: Leaping for Joy -- What being in the presence of the Lord means to us!FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: What may we learn from Elizabeth about experiencing the presence of the Lord?I. The Requisite for His Presence!
II. The Response to His Presence!
III. The Result of His Presence!
"For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy."TOPIC: Christ [Christmas, Exaltation, Exhortation, Presence, Sanctification]Regardless, in the end, the one knew he served the Other and leaped for joy at the thought!
TITLE: LEAPING FOR JOY - Experiencing the Lord’s Presence with Joy!
FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: What are the differences and similarities of the two unborns?I. CONSIDER THEIR CONCEPTIONA. Each was miraculously conceived1. John to a mother beyond the age of conception [v. 36]B. Of their fathers we can say
2. Jesus without the agency of a human father1. One had a natural father
2. One had a supernatural FatherII. CONSIDER THEIR INTRODUCTIONA. They had never met (no human way to do so)III. CONSIDER THEIR ASSOCIATION
B. Since they were still in the womb (think about that)
C. Spiritual in the wholeA. Human relations (Elizabeth – Mary)IV. CONSIDER THEIR ORDINATION
B. Divine relations1. Jesus at conception
2. John by way of his mother (perhaps the reason for Mary’s long journey)A. One to a horizontal mission – voice of one crying in wilderness!
B. One to a Vertical Mission – to do the will of His Father!
And the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which shall be for all the people... "TOPIC: Christmas
TITLE: You'll Never Believe What I Have For You!
FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: How may we describe what the angel brought the world?I. It Was Good! ("good")
III. It Was Great! ("great")
IV. It Was New! ("news")
V. It Was Joyful! ("joy")
VI. It Was for All! ("for all people")
TOPIC: Focus [Heart, Materialism, Separation, Treasure, Worldliness]No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one, and love the other, or else he will hold to one, and despise the other.
TITLE: Where Are You?FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: Where are we when we look closely at ourselves? What three questions come to mind?I. Where are we focusing our time?A. Temporally?II. Where are we focusing our relationships?
B. Eternally?A. Worldliness?III. Where are we focusing our possessions?
B. Heavenliness?A. Investing for the here and now?
B. Investing for time without end?
And beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.TOPIC: Hope [Perseverance, Promises]
TITLE: He Is With Us!FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: Christ was with Moses throughout his life: based on his experience, how is Christ with us?I. He is with us in the midst of great abundance! [Hebrews 11:24-27]
II. He is with us in the midst of great need! [1 Corinthians 10:4]III. He is with us in the of great rebellion! [Jude 5]
FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: What kind of relationship do we have with God?“Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin.”
I. It's A Past Relationship - via our Old Nature!
II. It's A Present Relationship - via our New Nature!
III. It's A Prophetic Relationship - via our Promised Nature!
A. As a Debtor!We are related to God through Grace!B. As a Dead-man!
[BURDEN] Debt of any kind is a burden. God tells us to owe no man anything; He understands the nature of debt. All of us have been in debt
at sometime; some quite seriously. It’s a heavy weight to bear - when the debt is finally lifted, what a relief."For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God - ."What a gift!Ephesians 2:8"[For] God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him."What a God! What a relationship!Romans 5:8-9Remember, it was accounted to Abraham because he believed! That is, God credited his account to pay his debt!We are related to God through death!C. As a New Man![PLOTS] An acquaintance shared with me that he had a visit from an inexperienced and very nervous salesman the other day. The young man was selling cemetery plots. Being gracious, he allowed the sales pitch to be presented. But when finished he informed the youngster that he and his wife had previously purchased two burial plots at a competitor’s across town.
Awkwardly, the salesman excused himself and made his way to the door. As he hurried down the sidewalk, he turned and petulantly said, "Well, I hope you’ll both be very happy there!""Well, God has purchased us a burial plot only we won't have to stay there for long ... ."1 Thessalonians 4:16-18Read Romans 6:2-7, in its entirety.We’re dead to sin! We’re free from the bonds of sin and death! We’re alive to God in Christ!We are related to God through life; through our new nature![BUTTERFLY] Think about the freedom the butterfly must feel as it experiences its new nature. Oh, I recall my joy when I shed my old nature and flew with the eagles!"- if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come."2 Corinthians 5:17This segues us neatly into the present.
A. As a Citizen!B. As a Stewards and Ambassadors!We are related to God through citizenship! We are aliens, strangers, andforeigners in this land![CALVYN] For almost two years our church had a visitor from Indonesia, a student at one of the local universities. No amount of effort or prayer on our part could change the fact that he was from Indonesia. In our land he was and always would be an alien, a stranger, and a foreigner.So too are Christians on this The Third Rock from the Sun!"- conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay upon earth -"1 Peter 1:17b"- our citizenship is in heaven -"Philippians 3:20We are related to God through the Gospel of the King!C. As a Family Member!"Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy."1 Corinthians 4:1-2"I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes - For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith -"Romans 1:16-17a"- we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel -"1 Thessalonians 2:4"- we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were entreating through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God."2 Corinthians 5:20III. It's A Prophetic Relationship - via our Promised Nature!We are related to God through our blood-line - we’re brothers and sisters of the Father’s only begotten Son!"'And I will be a father to you, And you shall be sons and daughters to Me,' says the Lord Almighty."2 Corinthians 6:18We are related to God through our blood-line - we’re children of God![ADOPTIONS] This past Saturday, judges, social workers, and attorneys from all over California gathered in Los Angeles to do their annual "one-day" adoptions.Normally, it can take years to process an adoption in Los Angeles County due to the bureaucratic red-tape. But once a year these folks get together to speed it up. The Chief Justice of the State Supreme Court presided; over 200 foster kids were process through the system to new families.Praise God we have been adopted by the Father through the Son. The Chief Justice of Creation’s Supreme Court presided over our adoption. What the Law could not accomplish in a lifetime of lifetimes, God accomplished on the Cross in the twinkling of an eye."Beloved, now we are children of God -"1 John 3:2a"The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him."Romans 8:16-17As an Heir apparent!
We are related to God through hope!"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time."1 Peter 1:3-5
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