WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:07.980 Father, a lot of times we don't think it, but we really, your word tells us we are completely 00:00:07.980 --> 00:00:12.839 dependent upon your Holy Spirit. We are completely dependent upon your grace. 00:00:14.339 --> 00:00:18.640 And Father, especially when it comes to your word, some of us are very, very smart, 00:00:18.900 --> 00:00:26.539 have high IQs, very good with words. And Father, we ask on one hand that your Holy Spirit help us 00:00:26.539 --> 00:00:33.740 to be the best we can be with our minds and our intellects. But at the same time, Father, we give 00:00:33.740 --> 00:00:40.640 you our mind and we acknowledge that by the mere working of our mind, we can never truly know you, 00:00:40.740 --> 00:00:48.879 that you need to do a work in us to bring us to you and to form us. And so, Father, we ask for that 00:00:48.879 --> 00:00:54.840 double work of your Holy Spirit, that triple work that you might help us to use our minds to the best, 00:00:54.840 --> 00:01:00.140 that you might at the same time humble our minds, that we might know our limits, and that in all 00:01:00.140 --> 00:01:06.840 things you might draw us to yourself and that you might work at a very deep level, the level of our 00:01:06.840 --> 00:01:13.300 heart. And we ask this in the name of Jesus, your Son and our Savior. Amen. Please be seated. 00:01:13.299 --> 00:01:27.299 I have always, my entire life, struggled with pessimism. I am a pessimist in recovery. And some days I'm 00:01:27.299 --> 00:01:38.739 not very, very, I fall off the wagon, actually. And I mention this because twice now, I've had this 00:01:38.739 --> 00:01:43.319 great privilege. Probably most of you don't know this, but twice now I've had this great privilege. 00:01:43.479 --> 00:01:51.000 I've been invited to travel to a place in the United States and spend three days with some of the most 00:01:51.000 --> 00:01:56.840 important and influential Christian leaders and writers in all of the English-speaking world, 00:01:56.939 --> 00:02:05.159 at least North America. I get to hear Tim Keller and John Piper and Kevin DeYoung and the head of 00:02:05.159 --> 00:02:11.780 Wheaton and the head of the biggest and most important seminaries and Russell Mills. Like, 00:02:12.199 --> 00:02:17.079 if you're not a Christian and you're just here as a seeker or a skeptic, you might not know who some of 00:02:17.079 --> 00:02:21.680 these people are. They're New York Times bestselling writers. And I've twice now had the honor of 00:02:21.680 --> 00:02:28.039 going there and being there for three days while they talk issues through. And I get to sit and listen 00:02:28.039 --> 00:02:32.340 to them talk and listen to them pray over each other and share their weaknesses. 00:02:32.340 --> 00:02:40.580 And most of you don't know that because I feel so unworthy about that. Like, I feel like, 00:02:40.800 --> 00:02:51.039 who am I to have had this privilege to go there? I have a great church. We're a tiny church. 00:02:52.080 --> 00:02:57.500 And some of these guys have churches that have four, five, six, eight, 10, 12, 15,000 people on a 00:02:57.500 --> 00:03:02.099 Sunday and they write New York Times bestsellers. And I just feel so unworthy when I'm there. I really do. 00:03:02.099 --> 00:03:10.199 I just feel, who am I to be here? And many of us, you know, some of you are optimists. And by the 00:03:10.199 --> 00:03:14.840 way, if you're an optimist, you need to be in recovery. But that's a separate sermon. 00:03:17.099 --> 00:03:21.039 But some of us, you know what it means to sort of always feel a little bit like you're just a 00:03:21.039 --> 00:03:25.699 little person. You're important. Your life doesn't matter. You're not very successful. You're not very 00:03:25.699 --> 00:03:30.259 important. And that's sort of just the way you understand yourself. And the Bible text we're going to 00:03:30.259 --> 00:03:35.039 look at today is a very, very, very powerful Bible text. It's actually a good text as well, 00:03:35.439 --> 00:03:40.879 optimists in recovery as well. And so it'd be a great help if you all turned in your Bibles to 00:03:40.879 --> 00:03:45.599 Ruth chapter four, because we're going to look at the end of a story that we've been looking at. 00:03:45.659 --> 00:03:49.340 If you don't have your Bibles with you, like I encourage you every week to bring your Bible so 00:03:49.340 --> 00:03:54.359 you can make notes in it or underline words that are very, very important and precious to you. 00:03:54.379 --> 00:03:57.299 But if you don't have it, we're going to be having the text on the screen this morning 00:03:57.300 --> 00:04:05.700 as we read through Ruth four. And just before I start reading, I've compared this book and the 00:04:05.700 --> 00:04:11.900 sermons on it to watching a BBC series or a Netflix series. And you know how something, 00:04:12.020 --> 00:04:17.980 if you watch the crown, for instance, I think it's 10 episodes in a season and each episode tells a 00:04:17.980 --> 00:04:21.759 story. You can watch the episode and you can enjoy it. But if you watch all 10 together, 00:04:21.759 --> 00:04:25.439 it tells a bigger story. And that's what we've been doing with Ruth. In a sense, 00:04:25.439 --> 00:04:31.759 it's a four episode Netflix special. And we're on the fourth episode. And by the time of the end of 00:04:31.759 --> 00:04:36.779 the fourth episode, it's not only a good episode in itself, but it helps us to understand now that 00:04:36.779 --> 00:04:41.939 when we finish it, sort of what's going on in the book as a whole. And in the first episode, 00:04:42.060 --> 00:04:48.959 which is Ruth chapter one, it's all about tragedy. It's all about death. And it's all about anger at God. 00:04:48.959 --> 00:04:56.279 It's all about a woman named Naomi who loses everything in another land. And a woman from 00:04:56.279 --> 00:05:02.060 another land who's her daughter-in-law, who's also widowed, and they have nothing. And they make their 00:05:02.060 --> 00:05:07.699 way back to Israel. And she just blasts God several times. In fact, when she gets back to Israel, to 00:05:07.699 --> 00:05:12.219 Bethlehem, she tells women, all the women in the village, they can no longer call her by her name 00:05:12.219 --> 00:05:18.240 Naomi, which means pleasant. They have to call her Mara, which means bitter, because the Lord has made me bitter. 00:05:18.959 --> 00:05:23.859 And then in the second episode, which is Ruth chapter two, we saw a beginning of a change in 00:05:23.859 --> 00:05:32.479 fortunes. We saw how Ruth, who's the Moabite daughter-in-law, who's pledged herself to Naomi 00:05:32.479 --> 00:05:39.099 to help her. She goes out and says, well, we can't starve to death. And Naomi's just sitting on her butt 00:05:39.099 --> 00:05:43.079 doing nothing. And I'm going to go out and I'm going to help with the harvest and try to get some grain. 00:05:43.079 --> 00:05:50.459 And in that, those of you, you can go back and listen to it online. We begin to see this theme 00:05:50.459 --> 00:05:56.539 of providence, how God's strong hand of love, hidden hand of love in the shadows, starts to interact 00:05:56.539 --> 00:06:01.919 with her life. And by what some would call a coincidence, but the author says is actually 00:06:01.919 --> 00:06:08.000 God's hand, Ruth ends up meeting a fellow by the name of Boaz, who's at least a generation older than 00:06:08.000 --> 00:06:14.139 her. And Boaz is very generous to her and helps her. And that's the end of the second episode. 00:06:14.240 --> 00:06:17.819 In the third episode, which we looked at last week, there's something which is very remarkable. 00:06:18.000 --> 00:06:24.779 This story is set in the year 1100 BC. And Naomi, the mother-in-law, who's by the name of Bitter, 00:06:24.779 --> 00:06:34.039 who wants to be called Mara, she says to Ruth, Ruth, I have a plan. You should go and ask Boaz 00:06:34.039 --> 00:06:45.219 to marry you. Like, that's a dumb plan, by the way. Okay. Like, this is a stupid plan. I mentioned 00:06:45.219 --> 00:06:52.479 how in Israelite society, it was very hierarchical and it was very structured. And one scholar guesses 00:06:52.480 --> 00:07:00.400 that there were 16 different levels in Israelite society. And Boaz, from the evidence, is either 00:07:00.400 --> 00:07:10.640 at level three or level four from the top. And Ruth is level 16. And Naomi's brilliant plan is that 00:07:10.640 --> 00:07:20.480 Ruth should go and ask Boaz in the middle of the night if he would marry her. And she's also to ask 00:07:20.480 --> 00:07:25.920 if Boaz would be the redeemer. And last week, we talked a little bit about what it means in the 00:07:25.920 --> 00:07:35.360 Bible to be a redeemer. And a redeemer is a person who takes your insoluble problem and owns it and 00:07:35.360 --> 00:07:40.520 says, I'm going to roll up my sleeves. You can't solve this problem, but I'm going to roll up my 00:07:40.520 --> 00:07:47.100 sleeves and I'm going to work on your problem until I've made it right. And he says he's going to do 00:07:47.100 --> 00:07:50.840 that. He says he's going to marry Ruth and he's going to be there. But there's a big problem. 00:07:50.939 --> 00:07:56.540 And the big problem is, is that legally, there's some obstacles morally. And in terms of justice, 00:07:56.540 --> 00:08:00.520 there's some obstacles to him doing it. And that's what's in a sense, the cliffhanger, 00:08:01.160 --> 00:08:07.879 the end of episode three. And now we come to the final episode, episode four. So hopefully I haven't 00:08:07.879 --> 00:08:15.560 lost yet. And here's how the episode four begins. Verse one. Now Boaz had gone up to the gate and sat 00:08:15.560 --> 00:08:23.899 down there and behold, the redeemer of whom Boaz had spoken came by. That's the fellow who had legally, 00:08:24.439 --> 00:08:28.839 morally, and in terms of justice is the one who should be taking these steps. So, and he says, 00:08:29.139 --> 00:08:34.980 I'll say it again. And behold, the redeemer of whom Boaz had spoken came by. So Boaz said, 00:08:34.980 --> 00:08:40.980 turn aside, friend, sit down here. And the man turned aside and sat down. Now just pause here for 00:08:40.980 --> 00:08:47.500 a second. I'm going to talk a little bit more about this at the end, but I want to, if you could put up 00:08:47.500 --> 00:08:53.000 the point, Andrew, this would be very helpful. The writer here, when he uses the word behold, 00:08:53.980 --> 00:09:01.500 it's like Boaz is going to go and try to fix a legal problem. He goes to where you fix legal problems. 00:09:01.500 --> 00:09:07.639 And who knows? He might have to have sat there every day for weeks, for months, who knows how long 00:09:07.639 --> 00:09:14.179 before the guy would be there when he's there. But behold, he's there right away. And this is an 00:09:14.179 --> 00:09:19.159 ongoing theme in the book of Ruth. And I, I, and I, I'm not going to argue for it. And we're going to 00:09:19.159 --> 00:09:23.779 talk about it a lot more in our next series, which begins next Sunday. And we're going to start the 00:09:23.779 --> 00:09:34.279 book of Esther. But this is an example of God's providence. We, Daniel explained very well about 00:09:34.279 --> 00:09:39.379 the, this prayer that we just prayed for St. Michael and all angels, how we easily believe 00:09:39.379 --> 00:09:44.720 that we're in an empty world and God is distant and absent. And the only time we know that God is 00:09:44.720 --> 00:09:49.959 at work if we experience a miracle. But the Bible says the main way we experience God is through 00:09:49.960 --> 00:10:00.200 providence that in fact, God, the Lord is present, powerful, active, and hidden. The Lord is present, 00:10:00.820 --> 00:10:08.259 powerful, active, and hidden. I'm not going to argue it, but the whole book of Ruth is illustrating 00:10:08.259 --> 00:10:12.500 it. And I just want to challenge you to consider it. I just want to challenge you to consider it. 00:10:12.540 --> 00:10:17.139 You don't live in an empty universe. You don't live in an empty world. You just, you don't. 00:10:17.139 --> 00:10:24.199 You know, kids watch Sesame Street. And one of the things that Sesame teaches you other than the 00:10:24.199 --> 00:10:29.220 alphabet is that you never have to pray and that God isn't in the world. 00:10:31.000 --> 00:10:37.059 It trains you in secularism, an empty world. One of the reasons we need to gather together on a 00:10:37.059 --> 00:10:41.319 weekly basis and to read the Bible throughout the week and to maybe meet in house groups and 00:10:41.320 --> 00:10:48.720 home groups is we really need a lot of help to counter that. And that's what this text is saying. 00:10:49.240 --> 00:10:55.980 The Lord is present. He's present in your life. He's present through providence. And his presence, 00:10:56.500 --> 00:11:02.420 he's powerful, he's active, and he's hidden. And that's the main way that he relates to us most of 00:11:02.419 --> 00:11:08.339 the time. Well, that's just, that's sort of part of the big picture of the whole book. And it's, 00:11:08.339 --> 00:11:11.879 it's that he, and the writer in the Hebrew, it's obvious in the Hebrew, which is behold, 00:11:12.360 --> 00:11:19.079 like, whoa, what a surprise. Here's the guy right now, right this second. So let's deal with this 00:11:19.079 --> 00:11:25.179 problem, this legal problem, this moral problem, this problem of justice. And Boaz is going to try 00:11:25.179 --> 00:11:28.559 to deal with it, see what's going to happen. And so here's how it goes. Verse two. 00:11:28.559 --> 00:11:35.979 So Boaz took 10 men of the elders of the city and said, sit down here. So they sat down. Then he said 00:11:35.979 --> 00:11:44.859 to the redeemer, Naomi, watch my place here, Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, 00:11:44.939 --> 00:11:51.259 is selling the parcel of land that belonged to our relative Elimelech. So I thought I would tell you 00:11:51.259 --> 00:11:56.599 of it and say, buy it in the presence of those sitting here and in the presence of the elders of my 00:11:56.600 --> 00:12:02.899 people. If you will redeem it, redeem it. But if you will not tell me that I may know, for there is 00:12:02.899 --> 00:12:11.840 no one beside you to redeem it. And, uh, sorry, there's no one besides you to redeem it. And I 00:12:11.840 --> 00:12:18.680 come after you. And the man said, I will redeem it. Then Boaz said, the day you buy the field from 00:12:18.679 --> 00:12:23.979 the hand of Naomi, you also, okay, this is pretty shocking. We're going to talk about in a moment. 00:12:24.819 --> 00:12:32.120 The day you buy the field from the land of hand of Naomi, you also acquire Ruth, the Moabite, 00:12:32.679 --> 00:12:38.279 the widow of the dead, in order to perpetuate the name of the dead and his inheritance. In other words, 00:12:38.319 --> 00:12:44.059 he's going to have to marry her. He buys the field and he acquires a woman he is to marry. 00:12:44.059 --> 00:12:50.339 Verse six. Then the redeemer said, I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I impair my own inheritance. 00:12:51.319 --> 00:12:54.179 Take my right of redemption yourself, for I cannot redeem it. 00:12:55.659 --> 00:13:02.779 So that's a, just a couple of things going on in this text. Um, the eight o'clock service, uh, 00:13:02.819 --> 00:13:07.000 have a really, really good guy who comes every week. His wife is definitely not a Christian. 00:13:07.000 --> 00:13:13.620 Uh, very, she's definitely not a Christian. Let's put it that way. And I, I said to him, 00:13:13.720 --> 00:13:20.639 could you imagine reading this text with your wife? Um, uh, she's very feminist, uh, you know, 00:13:20.679 --> 00:13:28.059 just, and, and, and I, he said, yeah, boy, that there would be fireworks. Uh, so here the Bible 00:13:28.059 --> 00:13:35.960 is telling you it's all right to buy a woman to be your wife. I mean, you know what? They probably 00:13:35.960 --> 00:13:40.060 would say, what can you say? Well, here's the thing, because there's two things about this, 00:13:40.120 --> 00:13:43.920 a couple of things about this before we go on any further. Those of you who've been here other 00:13:43.920 --> 00:13:49.460 weeks, you'll remember it's a very, very important thing is why do I, why would I even read a story 00:13:49.460 --> 00:13:54.480 like this? I read a story like this because Jesus tells me to read a story like this. For some of you 00:13:54.480 --> 00:13:58.660 say that's even worse. Jesus is telling you to read a story where it says it's all right for a man to 00:13:58.659 --> 00:14:07.000 buy a woman to have as his wife. And, um, and I said, no, no, the, what happens is that after Jesus 00:14:07.000 --> 00:14:12.600 rose from the dead, twice, he tells his disciples that you need to read the old, what we call the 00:14:12.600 --> 00:14:18.059 old Testament, the books in the Bible that were written before the time of Jesus, because everything 00:14:18.059 --> 00:14:24.720 in those books help you to understand who I am, what I've done for you on the cross, 00:14:24.720 --> 00:14:31.420 and what it means to follow me as savior and Lord. And if we understand that, that means it 00:14:31.420 --> 00:14:37.639 relativizes stuff like this. It means Jesus doesn't say, read this because it shows how a man should 00:14:37.639 --> 00:14:44.420 treat a woman. No, he doesn't say that at all. It helps us to know what parts of the story are parts 00:14:44.420 --> 00:14:48.460 that we should be following and what parts we should just say, well, that's just how it was back then. 00:14:48.460 --> 00:14:55.220 That's just how it was back then. Just for the record, nowhere in the old Testament does it ever 00:14:55.220 --> 00:15:00.700 say that that's what is right for a man to buy a woman as a wife or that men own women. It doesn't 00:15:00.700 --> 00:15:05.860 say that anywhere in the old Testament. The Bible comes into cultures where all sorts of terrible 00:15:05.860 --> 00:15:11.180 things go on and the Bible starts to change the culture as people understand their need to be 00:15:11.180 --> 00:15:17.000 delivered by the Lord and to live in a certain way. And this story is just telling us that's how things 00:15:17.000 --> 00:15:20.840 were done back then. It doesn't say we should go and do that as well. It just tells us that's how 00:15:20.840 --> 00:15:28.720 things were done. Well, and what about this? You know, there's some legal and grammatical complexities 00:15:28.720 --> 00:15:34.720 about this story and why the guy refuses to do it. And you can ask me about it over coffee afterwards. 00:15:35.500 --> 00:15:41.399 But the main part about it is that the man refuses to be generous. 00:15:41.399 --> 00:15:51.199 A couple of years ago, quite a few years ago, I did a funeral for a fellow and a single man, 00:15:51.279 --> 00:15:56.799 never married, never had any kids. And he was very generous. And after the funeral was over during 00:15:56.799 --> 00:16:04.439 the coffee time, a fellow came up and said, by the way, I was John's accountant. I managed, I just, 00:16:04.559 --> 00:16:08.720 you know, I helped him with his finances. He was pretty hopeless with money. I made sure he got his 00:16:08.720 --> 00:16:13.680 income tax files and all of that stuff. And every year I would tell John, you're giving way too much 00:16:13.680 --> 00:16:20.399 money away. And I said to the guy, so we just did John's funeral. Did he have any money left in the 00:16:20.399 --> 00:16:24.820 bank? And then I said, oh yeah, he had enough money for a couple of years. And I said, so I guess your 00:16:24.820 --> 00:16:30.960 advice to him was wrong, wasn't it? That he was way too generous because he died with money in the bank. 00:16:31.000 --> 00:16:35.240 And the guy said, I never thought about it. I guess I was wrong, wasn't I? So here's the thing. 00:16:35.240 --> 00:16:40.139 Okay. If you, as a result of hearing the gospel, you decide you're going to be start, 00:16:40.480 --> 00:16:44.360 and the gospel starts to shape you and you become more financially generous. And that's what the 00:16:44.360 --> 00:16:48.360 gospel will do to you. It'll start to make you more financially generous as the gospel is written 00:16:48.360 --> 00:16:55.539 on your heart. If today you give $100 to the church, you have $100 less to spend on yourself. That's how it 00:16:55.539 --> 00:17:01.960 works. Like don't believe those health and wealth gospel people who say you give $100, the Lord will give 00:17:01.960 --> 00:17:07.960 you a thousand. It's baloney. That's a Greek word for it doesn't make any sense. And they're just 00:17:07.960 --> 00:17:16.640 pulling it out of their butt. It's just nowhere in the Bible. It doesn't work that way. You give 00:17:16.640 --> 00:17:21.079 $100, you have $100 left to spend on yourself. I know you get a bit of an income tax return, 00:17:21.200 --> 00:17:26.240 you know, back later on, but you still have less money. For a Christian, we understand that it's just, 00:17:26.400 --> 00:17:30.220 I mean, for everybody, like just you think about it for a second. I think even most secular people, 00:17:30.220 --> 00:17:36.420 if you could be like in a Christmas carol and you could go and you could be present as a ghost in 00:17:36.420 --> 00:17:41.440 your funeral, and after the funeral, what would you hope people would say about you? Would you hope 00:17:41.440 --> 00:17:47.819 that they would say about you, boy, the problem with George is he was way too generous? Don't you 00:17:47.819 --> 00:17:51.579 think that was the problem with George? He was way too generous? Or would you rather they said, 00:17:51.640 --> 00:17:57.819 you know, the problem with George is he was so cheap. He was so, so, so, so cheap. What would you 00:17:57.819 --> 00:18:06.200 rather have them say at your funeral? Like I think most people in Canada would say, boy, 00:18:06.259 --> 00:18:12.639 I sure hope they'd say my problem was more in the first case, not the second. So here's the problem. 00:18:13.279 --> 00:18:19.679 The man who's going to redeem, whoever is going to redeem Naomi, at the end of the day, it's an act 00:18:19.680 --> 00:18:28.160 of justice, and it's also an act of generosity that will leave him poor. But it's an act of 00:18:28.160 --> 00:18:33.060 generosity, and it's what the Lord is commanding. The Lord is saying, we are to be a generous people. 00:18:33.160 --> 00:18:37.940 You are to redeem people out of generosity. And the man says, I don't want to do that. 00:18:39.720 --> 00:18:43.920 Because if I lose some money, it's going to hurt me. It's like that, the accountant recommending to my 00:18:43.920 --> 00:18:48.000 friend John, you're giving away too much money, you're going to die destitute. Didn't die destitute, 00:18:48.000 --> 00:18:53.940 died with money in the bank. And that's what's going on here in the story. He refuses to be 00:18:53.940 --> 00:19:01.779 generous, and he refuses to be just. It's going to be very important in a moment. So let's see what 00:19:01.779 --> 00:19:10.720 Boaz says. Where did I stop? Verse 6. Sorry, verse 7. So verse 6, we'll read verse 6 again. 00:19:11.440 --> 00:19:16.900 Poor Andrew. Anyway, then the Redeemer said, I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I impair my own 00:19:16.900 --> 00:19:22.160 inheritance. He doesn't want to say, listen, I'm cheap, and I don't like being generous, 00:19:22.160 --> 00:19:27.759 and who cares what the Bible says. I want to keep my money for myself. Take my right of redemption 00:19:27.759 --> 00:19:33.420 yourself, or I cannot redeem it. Now, this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning 00:19:33.420 --> 00:19:39.519 redeeming and exchanging to confirm a transaction. The one, pretty weird, the one drew off his sandal and 00:19:39.519 --> 00:19:43.600 gave it to the other. And this was the manner of attesting in Israel. It's how to make the act 00:19:43.599 --> 00:19:47.759 legal. And he's doing it in front of the ten elders. He's doing it at the city gate. This is a very 00:19:47.759 --> 00:19:53.959 legal act. It would be like going to a lawyer or somebody who can, you know, sign an affidavit or 00:19:53.959 --> 00:19:59.099 like whatever. It's just, it's very, very legal. So when the Redeemer, verse 8, said to Boaz, 00:19:59.259 --> 00:20:03.399 buy it for yourself, he drew off his sandal. Then Boaz said to the elders and all the people, 00:20:03.859 --> 00:20:08.399 you are witnesses this day that I have bought from the hand of Naomi all that belong to Elimelech, 00:20:08.400 --> 00:20:14.519 and all that belong to Killian and Malon. Also Ruth the Moabite, the widow of Malon, I have bought 00:20:14.519 --> 00:20:20.480 to be my wife, to perpetuate the name of the dead and his inheritance, that the name of the dead may 00:20:20.480 --> 00:20:26.740 not be cut off from among his brothers and from the gate of his native place. You are witnesses this day. 00:20:27.480 --> 00:20:33.519 Then all the people who were right at the gate and the elders said, we are witnesses. May the Lord make 00:20:33.519 --> 00:20:39.240 the woman who is coming into your house like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. 00:20:40.819 --> 00:20:46.019 May you act worthily in Ephrathah and be renowned in Bethlehem, and may your house be like the house 00:20:46.019 --> 00:20:52.099 of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah because of the offspring that the Lord will give you by this young 00:20:52.099 --> 00:21:00.039 woman. Okay, so what's going on? So there you go. So it's all legal, okay? Some of you know, 00:21:00.039 --> 00:21:05.399 most of you know maybe, that a year ago I had the great honor, although I didn't want to go to Angola, 00:21:05.639 --> 00:21:12.359 I asked the council to talk about, I was honest that if there was a list of 200 places in the world 00:21:12.359 --> 00:21:19.879 I wanted to go to, Angola wasn't on it. They speak Portuguese, they don't speak English, it's very poor, 00:21:20.079 --> 00:21:24.960 there's lots of unexploded land mines, and there's poisonous snakes, and I don't even like 00:21:24.960 --> 00:21:31.500 non-poisonous snakes, much, never mind boa constrictors and poisonous snakes. So I didn't 00:21:31.500 --> 00:21:35.160 want to go, but I felt it was the Lord's will. I went to Angola, and I was there on behalf of SIM. 00:21:35.860 --> 00:21:42.200 Anyway, one of the things in Lubangu, which is where I was in Angola, is there was a huge gas 00:21:42.200 --> 00:21:49.960 shortage. Last weekend, many of us were affected by the tornado, and in some parts of the city you 00:21:49.960 --> 00:21:54.920 couldn't get gas, and as it started to filter out where there were places you could get gas, 00:21:55.440 --> 00:22:00.200 there could be big lineups. In Bell's Corners, when the power came back on because we lost power, 00:22:00.759 --> 00:22:07.000 there were 10 or 12 cars lined up to get gas. In Lubangu, I discovered that part of my job when 00:22:07.000 --> 00:22:12.079 I was driving with Norm was to keep an eye out on gas stations to see if one of the gas stations had gas. 00:22:12.779 --> 00:22:18.519 It turned out it wasn't very difficult because there'd be a line of 40, 50, 60, 70 cars and trucks 00:22:18.519 --> 00:22:23.639 to get in to get gas because it was a big event. That doesn't even count all the scooters. 00:22:24.879 --> 00:22:29.160 So when we were coming back from something, we could see that there was gas because there was a 00:22:29.160 --> 00:22:33.279 long lineup, and Norm said, good, they must have just got the gas because there was only about 30 00:22:33.279 --> 00:22:38.460 cars ahead of us or 20 cars ahead of us. So we get in the line, all the three of us, there's a convoy of 00:22:38.460 --> 00:22:47.200 cars, and our car moved slowly closer, and I got out, wandered around. We had to wait quite a while 00:22:47.200 --> 00:22:54.120 as the cars slowly moved up. And one of the things I observed when I was at the tanks is that twice 00:22:54.120 --> 00:23:00.000 during that time period, somebody just came up, and as soon as the person had finished pumping their 00:23:00.000 --> 00:23:07.340 gas, they just stepped in front of the whole line, got their stuff filled, and walked away. 00:23:07.339 --> 00:23:16.359 And just went to the front of the line. Nobody said boo. I saw it happen twice. I said to Norm 00:23:16.359 --> 00:23:21.259 quietly, although probably nobody there spoke English. I could have probably spoken really loud. 00:23:21.720 --> 00:23:27.419 But I said, like, what's going on? That just seems so wrong. It just seems so unjust. 00:23:27.420 --> 00:23:34.900 And he said, well, it's Angola. Some people are more important than other people, and everybody 00:23:34.900 --> 00:23:39.160 recognized it, and they just go to the front of the line. They don't have to wait. And, you know, 00:23:39.160 --> 00:23:42.740 it's really funny. You know, for so many of us, what goes on in our mind is how terrible that is 00:23:42.740 --> 00:23:48.960 in Angola. But, you know, the Lord really convicted me of something later on. Later on, it dawned on me 00:23:48.960 --> 00:23:53.560 that, and I think this is still the case, if you go to Disney World in Orlando, if you pay enough money, 00:23:53.559 --> 00:23:59.179 you can get a special pass to go to the front of the line and not line up. Sort of shows how it's bad 00:23:59.179 --> 00:24:04.980 in Africa, but it's all right here in North America for rich people. Whoa, what's wrong with that picture? 00:24:05.559 --> 00:24:12.159 Just because you have more money. Anyway, so here's the thing. It's unjust. And now, and you might say, 00:24:12.279 --> 00:24:17.940 well, okay, let's, let's say there was, you know, George, this rich person or the powerful person, 00:24:17.940 --> 00:24:24.259 and they, they liked you. They saw you, or maybe because you were white, they said, hey, hey, 00:24:24.259 --> 00:24:29.340 George, you just come here, and I'm going to put you at the front of the line so that you can get 00:24:29.340 --> 00:24:34.660 what you need and, and go off. Now, let's be honest. On one level, we'd sort of like that, 00:24:34.740 --> 00:24:39.320 wouldn't we? Rather than waiting in the hot sun in Angola to bit, but the other hand, we'd know that 00:24:39.320 --> 00:24:45.539 it was, it was just not right. It doesn't solve my problem in a way that's right. Now, why am I saying 00:24:45.539 --> 00:24:50.740 this? Last week, we talked about how one of the things that characterizes a redeemer in the Old 00:24:50.740 --> 00:24:56.980 Testament is that the redeemer looks at, let's say, Laurier, and he sees Laurier has an insoluble 00:24:56.980 --> 00:25:03.700 problem. Laurier cannot solve his problem or problems, and the job of a redeemer is that the 00:25:03.700 --> 00:25:10.259 redeem, Laurier asks the redeemer if he, if the redeemer will redeem him, and if the redeemer redeems 00:25:10.259 --> 00:25:17.799 and what the redeemer does is he owns the other person, he owns Laurier's insoluble problem. 00:25:18.599 --> 00:25:24.740 He owns it. He doesn't say, no, I'll become your coach. He doesn't say, I'll become your guru. He 00:25:24.740 --> 00:25:30.440 doesn't say, I'll become your trainer, because the problem isn't something that just needs a bit of 00:25:30.440 --> 00:25:37.400 coaching. It's insoluble. And so the, the redeemer rolls up his sleeve, so to speak, and owns the 00:25:37.400 --> 00:25:42.120 insoluble problem for the other person and does everything that needs to be done that the other 00:25:42.120 --> 00:25:47.900 person can't do themselves until the insoluble problem is made right. And when we understand 00:25:47.900 --> 00:25:54.200 that aspect of a redeemer, it is a very powerful illustration of what Jesus does for it, isn't it? 00:25:54.840 --> 00:26:00.259 That what we do is I call out to Jesus and say, Jesus, I have these insoluble problems. I am 00:26:00.259 --> 00:26:07.640 separate from God. I am going to die. And when I die, my separation from God will continue for all 00:26:07.640 --> 00:26:16.539 eternity. I have an insoluble problem. Will you redeem me? And Jesus says, I will redeem you. And 00:26:16.539 --> 00:26:23.099 Jesus, in a sense, rolls up his sleeves and he owns my insoluble problem and he does everything that 00:26:23.099 --> 00:26:29.720 has to be done. So my insoluble problem will be made right. And you realize all of a sudden why 00:26:29.720 --> 00:26:36.200 reading a book like Ruth can help you to understand the gospel. And if you don't understand, just you 00:26:36.200 --> 00:26:40.839 read the book of Ruth, you go, wow, that gives me a bit of an image of what Jesus does for me. 00:26:41.740 --> 00:26:48.640 That's like, that's amazing. But you see here, this tells us something even more important. 00:26:49.640 --> 00:26:56.460 You see what Jesus does. If you could put up the next point, Andrew, this is what the redeemer, 00:26:56.460 --> 00:27:03.380 this is what's being shown here in the story, is the redeemer, where's my point here so I can read it? 00:27:04.620 --> 00:27:13.660 The Lord makes you right with himself in a way that is right. You see what Boaz does, maybe, 00:27:13.759 --> 00:27:17.220 I don't know this, you know, we don't know the story, but maybe Boaz was just bigger and stronger 00:27:17.220 --> 00:27:22.360 and more powerful than the other guy or richer. And maybe Boaz could have just said, well, you know, 00:27:22.359 --> 00:27:29.219 bleepity bleep you, I'm just going to do it. And if you don't like it, well, sucks to be you. 00:27:29.339 --> 00:27:32.639 Suck it up, buttercup. Like, I'm just going to do it. I'm just going to use my power, 00:27:33.019 --> 00:27:37.539 and I'm just going to do it in a way that's unjust, immoral, isn't legal, and I'm just going to do it. 00:27:38.419 --> 00:27:43.819 And you know, what we see here, though, is Boaz goes through the legalities of it. He goes through 00:27:43.819 --> 00:27:49.479 something which is just, which is moral. At no point in time can anybody say that Boaz has acted in a way 00:27:49.480 --> 00:27:54.279 that isn't right, that isn't just, and he does it in a right way, a just way, a moral way, 00:27:54.480 --> 00:28:01.620 and he does it all for Naomi, and he does it all for Ruth. And you see, that also helps us to 00:28:01.620 --> 00:28:06.360 understand something about what, you know, how salvation works. Because you see, at the end of 00:28:06.360 --> 00:28:11.740 the day, what often happens in spirituality, in fact, it's a big problem in Islam. See, in Islam, 00:28:11.740 --> 00:28:20.880 who makes it into paradise in Islam, the end of the day, Allah just chooses. I choose you, 00:28:21.200 --> 00:28:25.480 don't choose you, don't choose you, don't choose you, don't choose you, choose you, don't choose you, 00:28:25.559 --> 00:28:34.200 don't choose you. Sucks to be all you folks, choose you. Just chooses. Like, how's that right? 00:28:34.200 --> 00:28:42.860 How's that just? What we see in the gospel is that the gospel helps us to understand, this helps us 00:28:42.860 --> 00:28:47.900 to understand that when Jesus comes to make it right for us, he does it in a way that is right. 00:28:48.519 --> 00:28:57.200 He says, I know that George isn't able to live a life that fits with heaven. I've lived the life he 00:28:57.200 --> 00:29:02.980 could not live, and I'm willing to allow my life to stand for his. And I know that if every one of you 00:29:02.980 --> 00:29:07.400 here in the room knew all of George's thoughts and all of his past and all of his actions, you would 00:29:07.400 --> 00:29:12.920 say you are not worthy to be a pastor. You're not worthy to be a husband or a dad. You're not even 00:29:12.920 --> 00:29:17.680 like, I don't know why you're not dead, George, because what you've done, what you thought, you 00:29:17.680 --> 00:29:24.180 are so horrible. And I know that I cannot pay that demand of justice to the God who sees everything and 00:29:24.180 --> 00:29:28.640 knows everything and will make everything known. And Jesus says, I know that George can't do that, 00:29:28.640 --> 00:29:34.640 and I know that things still have to be just, and I will stand in George's place and all of the 00:29:34.640 --> 00:29:38.680 punishment, all of the penalties that properly should fall on George, they will fall on me. 00:29:41.280 --> 00:29:48.360 And so at the end of the day, after Jesus has died on the cross, God's justice and just the moral 00:29:48.360 --> 00:29:54.140 order has not been defiled. It's not a matter of favoritism. It's not a matter of power. It's not a 00:29:54.140 --> 00:30:02.140 matter of injustice. Justice has been met. Morality has been met. And some of you might say, well, George, 00:30:02.220 --> 00:30:13.840 that might be true, but I don't know. Like, is it really fair? I mean, like, it is fair, George, 00:30:13.900 --> 00:30:19.480 that somebody would be a judge. There's something that's a bit off about this picture. But you see, 00:30:19.480 --> 00:30:24.120 this is where the book of Ruth helps us as well, right? Because you see, at the end of the day, 00:30:24.220 --> 00:30:28.880 all of us, what we want is more than justice. We want justice, and we don't want less than justice, 00:30:28.880 --> 00:30:34.779 but we know that justice can be cruel. Justice can be very hard-hearted and cold. 00:30:36.440 --> 00:30:45.400 And what we want is generosity and justice. We want generosity and justice. And that's what Jesus 00:30:45.400 --> 00:30:50.380 does for us on the cross. See, that's what Boaz does. Boaz is generous. At the end of this process, 00:30:50.480 --> 00:30:57.259 he is poor. He does what is right. He does what is moral. He redeems Ruth and Naomi, and he is poor 00:30:57.259 --> 00:31:02.980 at the end of it because he's generous. And what we understand with Jesus is, you're right, for another 00:31:02.980 --> 00:31:08.480 person to die in my place, to pay the penalty that I cannot pay, for another person to have their right 00:31:08.480 --> 00:31:17.559 living account for me. So that I, in a sense, it's right for me to be in heaven. Though justice and 00:31:17.559 --> 00:31:23.539 morality have all been met, but why would anybody do that? 00:31:27.720 --> 00:31:33.640 And Boaz helps us to see that it's out of love. And that's how we start to understand that it's out 00:31:33.640 --> 00:31:40.020 of a generous love that Jesus would do that. And it's not a type of favoritism, which is plagues 00:31:40.020 --> 00:31:47.140 Islam, because you see, it's not just, well, if you're white or if you're old or if you're young 00:31:47.140 --> 00:31:51.380 or if you're good-looking or if you're successful or you're important that Jesus will do it for you. 00:31:51.440 --> 00:31:55.680 This offer of generosity and justice is available to every single person. 00:31:55.680 --> 00:31:58.620 It's just a matter of receiving it. 00:32:07.759 --> 00:32:12.680 And so we have a bit of a picture when we read the book of Ruth and we understand what Boaz has done 00:32:12.680 --> 00:32:18.440 and we see his generosity and his justice and his Redeemer and we have a bit of a sense about what 00:32:18.440 --> 00:32:27.160 it is that Jesus does for us and why we need the gospel and why the gospel is so great and such great news. 00:32:32.100 --> 00:32:38.519 Well, what happens? We have to finish the story. This next bit is a little bit painful for people. 00:32:39.279 --> 00:32:44.279 It's already a bit painful because it's going to be a, like there's, I know many of us here, 00:32:44.279 --> 00:32:51.299 we're single and we wish we were married. And maybe we have a child or maybe we're not able to 00:32:51.299 --> 00:32:56.740 have children and we wish that we could. And this story and God's providence and Ruth and Boaz is going 00:32:56.740 --> 00:33:01.000 to end with Ruth marrying and having a child. But let's look at the story. There's actually something 00:33:01.000 --> 00:33:05.420 here which is very profound and very hopeful for those of us. I began the sermon by talking about 00:33:05.420 --> 00:33:12.039 how unworthy I felt being able to spend three days with Tim Keller and John Piper and those guys. 00:33:12.039 --> 00:33:20.619 I just felt really unworthy. Still do. Well, this next bit's really important. Even if it, 00:33:21.579 --> 00:33:29.619 well, let's read it. Verse 13, so Boaz took Ruth. That's a way of, basically took Ruth means he marries 00:33:29.619 --> 00:33:36.879 her and she becomes his wife. And he went into her, which is a polite way of saying that he had sex, 00:33:36.880 --> 00:33:44.900 they had sexual knowledge of each other. And the Lord gave her conception and she bore a son. 00:33:45.940 --> 00:33:52.620 You know, this language of gave her conception is really problematic for those of us who struggle 00:33:52.620 --> 00:33:57.420 with infertility or just wish that we could be married and have a child or have more children. 00:33:57.420 --> 00:34:03.960 But that's what it says. 00:34:03.960 --> 00:34:12.099 And she bore a son. Then the woman said to Naomi, blessed be the Lord who has not left you this day 00:34:12.099 --> 00:34:19.000 without a redeemer. And may his name be renowned in Israel. He shall be to you a restorer of life and 00:34:19.000 --> 00:34:25.420 a nourisher of your old age for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons. 00:34:26.539 --> 00:34:32.260 Seven sons is like the perfect number of sons in a culture that values men over women. 00:34:32.260 --> 00:34:36.060 And Ruth is upheld as better than seven sons. 00:34:37.720 --> 00:34:42.320 Then Naomi, verse 16, took the child and laid him on her lap and became his nurse. 00:34:42.580 --> 00:34:47.980 It really means his nanny. And the women of the neighborhood gave him a name saying, 00:34:48.100 --> 00:34:53.080 a son has been born to Naomi. They named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David. 00:34:53.440 --> 00:34:59.000 And then there's this very boring bit to end the book, but it's actually in some ways 00:34:59.000 --> 00:35:04.199 how he helped to understand the entire book. Now, these are the generations of Perez. 00:35:05.139 --> 00:35:09.940 Perez fathered Hezron. Hezron fathered Ram. Ram fathered Aminadab. 00:35:10.760 --> 00:35:16.039 Aminadab fathered Nashon. Nashon fathered Salmon. Salmon fathered Boaz. 00:35:16.420 --> 00:35:20.920 Boaz fathered Obed. Obed fathered Jesse. Jesse fathered David. 00:35:20.920 --> 00:35:29.680 So, just as a bit of an aside, when we were talking about the book of Genesis a year or so ago, 00:35:29.760 --> 00:35:32.599 one of the things I said, I don't expect you to remember it. 00:35:32.680 --> 00:35:35.440 I don't remember most of the things I say, thanks be to God. 00:35:35.800 --> 00:35:38.260 Well, sometimes not. My wife says, don't you remember when I said that? 00:35:38.320 --> 00:35:40.059 And I don't. But that's... 00:35:40.059 --> 00:35:41.260 So, I'm not expecting you to remember it. 00:35:41.260 --> 00:35:46.500 But depending on how you do the chronology, there's 900 years between Perez and David. 00:35:48.060 --> 00:35:49.180 900 years. 00:35:50.740 --> 00:35:55.560 And it just... Old Testament genealogies aren't what we think of as genealogies. 00:35:55.660 --> 00:35:58.380 They're talking about significance and connection. 00:35:59.360 --> 00:36:05.960 It would be as if, in Old Testament times, if my great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandson 00:36:05.960 --> 00:36:09.720 became a pastor of a church, and I was an ancient Israelite, 00:36:09.719 --> 00:36:13.159 and they were talking about that great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandson. 00:36:13.159 --> 00:36:19.359 They would maybe say that that person, we'll call him Ezra, that I fathered him. 00:36:20.659 --> 00:36:22.819 Because it's making connections and significance. 00:36:23.079 --> 00:36:24.139 But here's the point. 00:36:26.339 --> 00:36:28.439 Ruth is not a great person. 00:36:29.719 --> 00:36:30.399 Think about it. 00:36:31.039 --> 00:36:32.059 What's great about Ruth? 00:36:33.159 --> 00:36:35.179 Lots of people suffered more than Ruth did. 00:36:35.859 --> 00:36:35.980 Right? 00:36:36.619 --> 00:36:37.519 I mean, she suffered. 00:36:37.839 --> 00:36:38.779 She lost her husband. 00:36:38.780 --> 00:36:42.700 After 10 years of marriage, they didn't have any kids. 00:36:43.780 --> 00:36:45.140 And she lost her husband. 00:36:46.200 --> 00:36:48.519 And she became very, very poor. 00:36:48.920 --> 00:36:50.900 And she became an economic migrant. 00:36:52.220 --> 00:36:59.360 And she pledges herself to help a bitter old woman who just wants to die. 00:37:00.920 --> 00:37:02.720 And she worked very hard. 00:37:02.719 --> 00:37:04.819 And she ends up marrying. 00:37:05.419 --> 00:37:06.480 And she has one kid. 00:37:07.759 --> 00:37:08.899 She's not very great. 00:37:09.279 --> 00:37:09.519 Right? 00:37:11.859 --> 00:37:12.500 She's not. 00:37:15.679 --> 00:37:16.819 She's a little people. 00:37:18.099 --> 00:37:20.639 It's like me when I went to that thing. 00:37:20.639 --> 00:37:23.539 I just felt like the littlest of the littlest of the littlest of the little people. 00:37:24.819 --> 00:37:34.819 I would think to myself, a lot of these guys, their churches have way more, have like five times more staff than I have on a Sunday morning coming to church. 00:37:34.820 --> 00:37:36.100 I'm a little people. 00:37:37.059 --> 00:37:39.160 But you see, here's the thing which is so remarkable. 00:37:39.280 --> 00:37:41.500 This is why this genealogy is here. 00:37:41.500 --> 00:37:47.460 Many people in our day and age get very worried about the idea that there's an overarching story. 00:37:48.219 --> 00:37:56.940 Because there's this idea that if there's a big story, a big narrative, an overarching story, that it's either used to prop up the powerful and oppress the weak. 00:37:57.460 --> 00:38:00.880 Or it's a big story that sort of crushes you. 00:38:01.659 --> 00:38:04.239 Like it crushes you. 00:38:04.280 --> 00:38:07.280 It'll mean the women end up having to wear burqas or something like that. 00:38:07.280 --> 00:38:11.500 The overarching narrative crushes people and it props up the powerful. 00:38:12.180 --> 00:38:25.120 But what the Bible says is that there is, in fact, the reason that we tend to make overarching stories of our own is because there actually is an overarching story that's being written by God. 00:38:26.500 --> 00:38:32.080 And in that overarching story, it begins with God having made everything that exists and he makes it perfect. 00:38:32.079 --> 00:38:39.599 And then we see in Genesis 3 how human beings desire to be like God and take God's place. 00:38:40.139 --> 00:38:42.460 And how that brings death into the world. 00:38:42.599 --> 00:38:44.400 It brings alienation into the world. 00:38:44.579 --> 00:38:46.480 It brings corruption into the world. 00:38:46.799 --> 00:38:52.420 And we become constantly addicted to being like God. 00:38:52.420 --> 00:39:05.340 And in this moment of death entering the world and alienation entering the world in this big story, the Bible there, right away, God says, listen, you will need a redeemer and I will redeem you. 00:39:05.340 --> 00:39:16.019 And then the rest of the Old Testament, the books that are written before the coming of Jesus, are all about how God describes how he will one day come and redeem his people. 00:39:16.019 --> 00:39:23.680 And then Jesus is God coming to redeem, to be the redeemer who solves our insoluble problem in a way that is right. 00:39:24.140 --> 00:39:29.220 And then what we call the New Testament, the books that describe Jesus and describe life after Jesus. 00:39:29.219 --> 00:39:38.459 As we live in this period of the already not yet knowing that at some point in time in the future, Jesus will return and there will be a new heaven and there will be a new earth. 00:39:39.199 --> 00:39:44.099 All political utopias, every single, I'm not picking on progressives. 00:39:44.659 --> 00:39:52.359 If I was saying this in the 30s, I'd say it to Mussolini and I'd say it to the hit and to the Nazis and to the many right wing ideologies. 00:39:53.039 --> 00:39:56.439 But every attempt at human utopia is wrong. 00:39:56.440 --> 00:40:01.760 All progressive thought of the right and the left is wrong. 00:40:04.079 --> 00:40:10.920 Because Jesus will come back and bring an end to all things and usher in the new heaven and the new earth. 00:40:11.599 --> 00:40:16.200 And so there's this overarching big story that's going on. 00:40:17.460 --> 00:40:21.539 But how does that, that doesn't crush us and it doesn't prop up the powerful. 00:40:21.679 --> 00:40:23.019 Well, how do we know that partially? 00:40:23.159 --> 00:40:25.139 Well, part of the way we know it is because of Ruth. 00:40:26.440 --> 00:40:32.880 You see, God, when Ruth in chapter one has this powerful time where she says, 00:40:33.820 --> 00:40:42.099 your people will be my people and your Lord, your God, your Lord, Yahweh will be my Lord, will be my God. 00:40:42.200 --> 00:40:44.380 And it's a story of conversion. 00:40:44.380 --> 00:40:48.140 She gives herself to the Lord. 00:40:48.760 --> 00:40:59.220 And what happens is that when she gives herself to the Lord, the story of Ruth, both that which goes on before with all of the tragedy, all of the tears, all of the barrenness, 00:40:59.219 --> 00:41:11.539 and the story of Ruth that's described here and to the end, Ruth's story becomes part of the big overarching story that the Lord is writing. 00:41:11.539 --> 00:41:23.559 And you see, the wonderful thing of the gospel is that this big overarching story that the Lord is writing doesn't crush us. 00:41:23.779 --> 00:41:25.440 And it doesn't prop up the powerful. 00:41:26.079 --> 00:41:27.619 But it does three other things. 00:41:27.820 --> 00:41:33.679 If you could put up the first point, that would be the, or the third point, but the first of my final three points, which I'll say very briefly. 00:41:33.679 --> 00:41:42.239 When you are redeemed, you and your story become part of the Lord's big story. 00:41:43.039 --> 00:41:43.399 Right? 00:41:43.480 --> 00:41:46.759 That's the importance of the genealogy. 00:41:47.379 --> 00:41:51.739 She goes back to one of the actual founders of the 12 tribes of Israel. 00:41:52.179 --> 00:41:56.159 And the writer points how there's this big thing, how God is at work. 00:41:56.519 --> 00:41:58.759 It might seem as if Israel is a failed state. 00:41:58.839 --> 00:42:01.819 It might seem as if warlords and chieftains are in power. 00:42:01.820 --> 00:42:04.039 It might seem as if everything is falling apart. 00:42:04.480 --> 00:42:05.840 But that's what it seems like. 00:42:05.920 --> 00:42:07.500 But in fact, the Lord is sovereign. 00:42:07.640 --> 00:42:08.720 The Lord is providential. 00:42:08.800 --> 00:42:10.019 The Lord is present and active. 00:42:10.700 --> 00:42:17.620 And he is moving history in a direction that will eventually culminate in Jesus and then will culminate in the second coming of the Lord. 00:42:17.860 --> 00:42:18.840 And he is in control. 00:42:19.080 --> 00:42:19.840 He is sovereign. 00:42:20.120 --> 00:42:21.240 He has not abandoned it. 00:42:21.500 --> 00:42:25.900 And so this guy, they put this little tiny nobody named Ruth. 00:42:25.900 --> 00:42:32.220 The writer shows how Ruth is part of this big story that will culminate in David. 00:42:32.340 --> 00:42:35.559 You know, in Israel today, they don't acknowledge, of course, Jesus as the Messiah. 00:42:35.900 --> 00:42:36.940 But what's on the flag? 00:42:37.720 --> 00:42:38.579 Star of David. 00:42:39.119 --> 00:42:41.039 Most important person in Israel's history. 00:42:42.039 --> 00:42:49.059 And we now know that this David is, well, we worship great David's greater son, the Messiah. 00:42:49.059 --> 00:42:56.779 And we see the story of Ruth is drawn into this big story that God is still writing today. 00:42:58.219 --> 00:42:59.279 We live in Ottawa. 00:43:00.900 --> 00:43:03.099 And the liberals might think it's their country. 00:43:04.019 --> 00:43:07.559 And maybe the conservatives hope they'll win the next election and it's their country. 00:43:08.179 --> 00:43:12.480 And Apple and Google and Amazon sort of think it's their country and their playing field. 00:43:12.480 --> 00:43:17.320 And maybe the forces of the left and the right think it's their country and their playing field. 00:43:17.420 --> 00:43:18.480 But it's the Lord's field. 00:43:19.460 --> 00:43:22.740 The Lord has never relinquished sovereignty over the earth and its people. 00:43:23.039 --> 00:43:24.199 Never has, never will. 00:43:26.159 --> 00:43:29.699 He is present and active and powerful and will bring all things to their end. 00:43:30.179 --> 00:43:32.380 And when we put our hands in the hands of Jesus, 00:43:33.639 --> 00:43:41.699 our story begins to be taken up and reinterpreted and rewoven into the story that the Lord is writing. 00:43:41.699 --> 00:43:43.299 Next point, please, Andrew. 00:43:44.579 --> 00:43:51.119 And in this story, in the Lord's redeemed people, there are no little people. 00:43:52.980 --> 00:43:57.319 For you are each his son or daughter. 00:43:58.539 --> 00:44:00.239 I have no authority to say that. 00:44:00.319 --> 00:44:06.219 Remember I told you I am a pessimist in recovery. 00:44:06.219 --> 00:44:14.759 And I can think to myself, because when I get my identity from things other than the gospel, 00:44:14.919 --> 00:44:16.419 I can think I'm not very important. 00:44:18.299 --> 00:44:21.919 But when we're redeemed by the Lord, there are no little people. 00:44:22.879 --> 00:44:23.939 There are no little people. 00:44:24.679 --> 00:44:26.259 If you could put up the final point, Andrew. 00:44:26.260 --> 00:44:32.420 And when you are redeemed into the Lord's big story, your life and actions matter. 00:44:35.780 --> 00:44:36.880 Serving at the door. 00:44:37.960 --> 00:44:39.420 Caring for the kids in the nursery. 00:44:40.700 --> 00:44:41.580 Serving coffee. 00:44:42.360 --> 00:44:43.260 Leaving a home group. 00:44:44.600 --> 00:44:46.280 Telling a neighbor about Jesus. 00:44:47.060 --> 00:44:48.480 Praying for somebody who's sick. 00:44:48.480 --> 00:44:54.699 Shuffling somebody's yard because they're hurt their back. 00:44:54.860 --> 00:44:57.320 I mean, their driveway because it's the winter. 00:44:57.500 --> 00:44:58.760 Or mowing their lawn in the summer. 00:44:59.639 --> 00:45:04.539 All done just out of an attempt of being open to the Holy Spirit and following his leading. 00:45:04.719 --> 00:45:07.639 And they might seem completely and utterly little and unimportant. 00:45:07.639 --> 00:45:12.420 But when you know that the Lord is in control and he's writing a big story. 00:45:12.420 --> 00:45:18.299 And when you give your life to Jesus, he weaves your life and your story into his big story. 00:45:18.440 --> 00:45:22.079 It means that life is not one dang thing after another. 00:45:22.400 --> 00:45:27.079 It means that it's not true that whoever dies with the most toys wins. 00:45:27.159 --> 00:45:28.319 Which is, of course, dumb. 00:45:28.379 --> 00:45:30.299 Because when you die, you're poorer than poor. 00:45:30.379 --> 00:45:30.920 You have nothing. 00:45:31.179 --> 00:45:33.159 It's the dumbest thing in the world to even believe. 00:45:33.759 --> 00:45:35.739 And, sorry, but it is, right? 00:45:35.739 --> 00:45:37.879 Like, it's really dumb. 00:45:38.839 --> 00:45:40.699 Like, I look at that on bumper stickers occasionally. 00:45:40.839 --> 00:45:41.179 I think, what? 00:45:41.219 --> 00:45:42.579 You're just telling everybody you're stupid. 00:45:43.099 --> 00:45:45.759 Like, really? 00:45:45.939 --> 00:45:46.939 You die, you have nothing. 00:45:47.039 --> 00:45:47.579 You're poorer. 00:45:47.819 --> 00:45:49.000 You're no richer than... 00:45:49.000 --> 00:45:49.639 Anyway, there you go. 00:45:49.719 --> 00:45:49.919 Sorry. 00:45:50.399 --> 00:45:52.859 But, you know, what it's saying is your life... 00:45:52.859 --> 00:45:55.319 Even the small acts of service and love. 00:45:55.439 --> 00:45:56.759 The small acts of forgiveness. 00:45:56.959 --> 00:45:57.759 It matters. 00:45:58.819 --> 00:46:01.819 The Lord won't always tell you why it matters right now. 00:46:01.819 --> 00:46:04.500 But there will come a time for those of us who are in Jesus. 00:46:04.500 --> 00:46:06.340 Where we will see the Lord face to face. 00:46:07.260 --> 00:46:09.639 And we will understand the meaning of our lives. 00:46:09.739 --> 00:46:13.039 And the way that our small acts of sacrifice and love and witness. 00:46:13.320 --> 00:46:15.800 Have, in fact, been of unbelievable importance. 00:46:16.480 --> 00:46:17.880 In the end of the story. 00:46:18.539 --> 00:46:20.199 That the Lord is weaving. 00:46:20.659 --> 00:46:21.639 With little people. 00:46:22.000 --> 00:46:22.739 Like you and me. 00:46:25.300 --> 00:46:26.079 Please stand. 00:46:27.280 --> 00:46:29.539 You know, if you have never given your life to Jesus. 00:46:29.539 --> 00:46:34.219 Jesus, it is by the Lord's providential hand that you are here this morning. 00:46:36.039 --> 00:46:38.179 It is by providence that you are here. 00:46:38.880 --> 00:46:42.219 And there is no time better than right now to say, 00:46:42.340 --> 00:46:44.380 Jesus, could you please be my redeemer? 00:46:44.940 --> 00:46:47.480 I have an insoluble problem. 00:46:47.480 --> 00:46:50.639 And now I have a sense of what it is that you do. 00:46:50.639 --> 00:46:55.119 And, Lord, I ask you to be my redeemer. 00:46:55.299 --> 00:46:57.019 And take my insoluble problem. 00:46:57.359 --> 00:46:58.420 And make me yours. 00:46:58.579 --> 00:47:00.440 And weave me into your story. 00:47:00.659 --> 00:47:03.339 Weave the pain and the glory of my past. 00:47:03.420 --> 00:47:05.000 And the pain and the glory of my present. 00:47:05.539 --> 00:47:07.579 And who knows the pain and the glory of the future. 00:47:07.719 --> 00:47:09.359 I give you my story. 00:47:09.480 --> 00:47:10.379 I give you my life. 00:47:10.460 --> 00:47:11.879 May you be my redeemer. 00:47:12.019 --> 00:47:16.460 And there is no better time than right now to call out to the Lord for that. 00:47:16.460 --> 00:47:19.740 That the providential hand of the Lord has brought you here this morning. 00:47:23.440 --> 00:47:27.920 And maybe in the big story of our lives, we already know that he is our redeemer. 00:47:28.059 --> 00:47:31.440 But we have other smaller problems which are insoluble. 00:47:31.500 --> 00:47:34.079 And there is no better time now than to pour out your heart to the Lord. 00:47:34.159 --> 00:47:35.720 And ask that he would guide and provide. 00:47:37.199 --> 00:47:40.760 Then right now, it is by providence that you are here. 00:47:41.280 --> 00:47:42.519 And he will hear your prayers. 00:47:43.220 --> 00:47:44.380 Let's bow our heads in prayer. 00:47:46.460 --> 00:47:50.599 Lord, we thank you that you are in control. 00:47:51.539 --> 00:47:53.119 We thank you that you love us. 00:47:53.900 --> 00:47:58.099 We thank you that Jesus on the cross and by his life and death and resurrection, 00:47:58.740 --> 00:48:00.099 he became our redeemer. 00:48:00.320 --> 00:48:03.300 He took on our insoluble problem. 00:48:03.420 --> 00:48:08.019 And he solved our insoluble problem in a way that was just and moral. 00:48:08.559 --> 00:48:10.880 And in a way that was generous and full of grace. 00:48:10.980 --> 00:48:12.980 And Father, we are so thankful for him. 00:48:12.980 --> 00:48:20.000 And we ask, Father, that you would just grip us with this story and that you would grip us with the truth that our lives, 00:48:20.119 --> 00:48:25.800 even with their apparent insignificance and maybe apparent dead-endedness, 00:48:26.579 --> 00:48:31.300 that in fact, you are weaving our story into yours. 00:48:31.300 --> 00:48:34.039 And we ask that you would help us to turn our hearts again to you, 00:48:34.680 --> 00:48:38.200 to be gripped by you and to grip you. 00:48:39.039 --> 00:48:42.460 And we ask all of this in the name of Jesus, your Son and our Savior, 00:48:42.940 --> 00:48:44.380 and all God's people said, 00:48:45.120 --> 00:48:45.440 Amen. 00:48:45.440 --> 00:48:45.600 Amen. 00:48:46.440 --> 00:48:46.500 Amen. 00:48:46.500 --> 00:48:46.560 Amen. 00:48:46.560 --> 00:48:47.500 Amen. 00:48:47.500 --> 00:48:47.560 Amen. 00:48:47.560 --> 00:48:48.500 Amen. 00:48:48.500 --> 00:48:48.560 Amen. 00:48:48.560 --> 00:48:49.500 Amen. 00:48:49.500 --> 00:48:49.560 Amen. 00:48:49.560 --> 00:48:49.620 Amen. 00:48:49.620 --> 00:48:49.640 Amen. 00:48:49.640 --> 00:48:49.660 Amen. 00:48:49.660 --> 00:48:49.720 Amen. 00:48:49.720 --> 00:48:49.740 Amen.