Ruth – A Portrait of God’s Grace
– Part 1
Accessing Grace!
Ruth 1
Ruth – A Portrait of God’s Grace
– Part 1
Accessing Grace!
Ruth 1 |
|
May 3, 2015 AM
Pastor Craig Ledbetter
Bible Baptist Church, Ballincollig, Cork, Ireland
I.
Introduction
(James 4:6)
A.
What is it like
1.
Being forgiven
and loved, instead of condemned and cursed? Loads of people do not know!
2.
What is it like
living free, instead of in bondage?
3.
What is it like
experiencing compassion, gentleness and mercy, instead of ruin?
B.
All of that, God
wraps in one package – one word… GRACE! Kindness, favour, compassion,
forgiveness, gentleness, mercy and love, all wrapped up in one word… GRACE
C.
And it is a GIFT
1.
Mercy is NOT getting what you deserve – which is wrath
2.
Grace is getting what you DON’T deserve – which is compassion!
D.
It is absolutely Free! (Eph 2:8,9; Romans 3:24)
1.
That’s what Grace means! A GIFT!
2.
Real
kindness, favour,
compassion, forgiveness, gentleness, mercy and love cannot be earned, merited, lived up to, or bought!
3.
That doesn’t mean Grace is free of cost – just free to YOU!
4.
Grace always costs! And it cost the God EVERYTHING!
E.
But how could
anyone access such a gift? Where do you find it? How does someone PLUG INTO IT?
F.
A young woman
named Ruth, is our next portrait of Grace we are going to study
1.
We have seen
God’s great grace in Moses’ life
2.
In the life of
the Woman caught in Adultery
3.
In Cornelius’
life
G.
I hope one day
you will see GOD’S work of grace in YOUR life! Because IT IS there, if only you
and I would access it!
H.
You see, Grace is
available to anyone
I.
It just needs to
be “accessed” – reached, like a door handle. NOT by wisdom, by wealth, power,
pedigree, intelligence, breeding, religion, good works
J.
But by humility!
II.
Background – Ruth
Chapter 1
A.
Things were not
so good in Israel
– IT WAS A ROUGH TIME. People basically were doing whatever they wanted (Judges
21:25), and it had taken its toll on the nation.
B.
It is the time of
the Judges
(like Gideon, Samson), before the Kings of Israel (Saul, David, Solomon) (Ruth
1:1). So things were pretty up and down spiritually and morally.
C.
There was a
Family (Ruth 1:2)
1.
Elimelech
2.
Wife, Naomi
3.
Two sons: Mahlon
and Chilion
4.
They lived in
Bethlehem – small farming village of just a few dozen families
D.
There was a
famine (1:1)
1.
Desperate times
2.
People were in
serious danger of starving
3.
No government
programs like Joseph had initiated in Egypt – everyone was on their own
4.
Elimelech’s debts
started to grow – he had lands that he had used as leverage against loans on
grain and cattle – and there was no crops and no cattle year after year
E.
Elimelech moves
his family (Ruth 1:2)
1.
Elimelech hears
that the famine is not so bad across the boarder in
Moab
2.
Decides to move
house to Moab
3.
Now, Moab was not
a great place to go
a.
They were sworn
enemies of Israel – always hated the Jews for being their neighbours
b.
They were a
pagan, God-hating people
c.
The culture was
filled with the worship of evil gods – Chemosh and Ashteroth, and Ashtart, and
other demonic gods
d.
Incestuous gods,
that demanded child-sacrifices, and were only always angry with the world, and
destroyed the world, and could never be pleased!
e.
The only way a
person was ever forgiven by these gods was at great personal price and with
great effort – no rest
4.
But as you see,
Elimelech and Naomi are desperate
F.
And then tragedy
struck (1:3)
1.
Elimelech died –
unknown reason – maybe an accident on the farm
2.
The one person
who held everything together was now gone
3.
Naomi is a single
parent, with two grown up sons in a strange, foreign land
G.
Life went on
(1:4)
1.
Naomi has two
strong young sons, ready to marry
2.
The sons married
Moabite girls – the only girls around
a.
One was named
Orpah
b.
And the other
Ruth
3.
It looked like
everything would work out now
4.
Ten years away
from home and family back in Bethlehem didn’t seem so bad – they could make it
now
5.
Or so they
thought
H.
But tragedy
struck again (1:5) – it usually does
1.
BOTH sons died
2.
Again, maybe it
was just an accident. God doesn’t say so don’t read into it
3.
Just know that
Naomi is totally alone now, in debt, in a foreign land
4.
Away from God,
out of God’s will, away from God’s people
5.
Scared, defeated,
a failure
6.
She can only come
to one conclusion – GOD is against her and is crushing her! Catching up with her
and her past and her failures!
I.
THAT is when
God’s Grace Steps In – or haven’t you noticed yet?
1.
Naomi is about to
discover just how amazing God’s grace is
2.
And that all she
needs to do is begin to allow it to be at work in her life!
III.
Message – Ruth
Chapter 1
A.
Naomi Decides to
Go Home to Bethlehem
(1:6)
1.
She hears some
good news – that God was blessing Israel with food – famine was over!
2.
She makes a very
smart decision
3.
To start over,
not in just another city, but back where she was right with God, and walking
with God and with God’s people!
4.
Naomi decided to
go home.
B.
Orpah and Ruth
Want to Go With Her
(1:7)
1.
Remember… They
had experienced every tragedy that Naomi has experienced
a.
Their
father-in-law’s death
b.
The death of
their own husbands
c.
They experienced
the sorrow every day in their homes – no joy there at all anymore
d.
There was nothing
but ruin and failure in their homes
e.
They, like Naomi
have lost everything
2.
Both Ruth and
Orpah evidently love Naomi, and want to stay with her
3.
But that was a
hard thing to do
a.
Because THEY
(Orpah and Ruth) would now be the foreigners in another land
b.
Israel is no
place for Moabites, and especially Moabite women!
c.
They would be
rejected – no hope of ever finding a husband there
C.
Naomi Pushes Them
Away
(1:8-13)
1.
Tells her
daughters-in-law to leave her and stay with their own families
2.
She has no way to
take care of herself and them too!
3.
She pushes them
both away from her
4.
Because she
doesn’t want their lives ruined any more
5.
Sometimes we do
that when we are defeated – we push everyone away
6.
Orpah is easily
talked out of following Naomi and heads back to her own family
7.
But Ruth, well,
she is a different kettle of fish!
D.
Ruth Was NOT
Going to Leave Naomi
(1:14-18)
1.
Even though Orpah
left
2.
Even though she
has no guarantee of anything working in her favour
3.
Ruth chose to
stay with Naomi, no matter what it takes!
E.
Naomi Is Bitter
(1:19-22a)
1.
Who would
naturally blame her. A lot of people live this way. Bitter, cold, hard, harsh,
defeated.
2.
But at least
Naomi is home
3.
And… she has
Ruth!
4.
I don’t think
Naomi realises just how much of a gift Ruth is going to be to her!
F.
But that is just
the beginning of the Story
(1:22)! God is just showing us the entranceway of GRACE! He has a whole lot more
to show!
1.
Romans 5:2 “By
whom also we have access by faith into this grace”
2.
Ephesians 2:18,
19 “through him we both have access by one
Spirit unto the Father. Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners...”
3.
Hebrews 4:16 “Let
us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy”
4.
It is ALL through
JESUS! He is the door, the only way that accesses God (John 10:9; 14:6)
5.
ALL of God’s
grace is available to you (2Cor 9:8)! And he never runs out!
6.
If we would just
access it!
G.
How Grace SAVED
Naomi
(Ruth 1:6-15; 19-21; see also Isaiah 61:3)
1.
Naomi’s life was
ruined. GREAT! That is a great starting place!
2.
She Decided to Go
Home – Change Course
a.
Home was still
there – thank God! It is not always going to be there!
b.
She decided to
start over!
c.
Whatever is
ahead, it will be better than what is behind, as long as she gets back to the
place where she left God’s will and work in her life!
3.
She Got Rid of
Old Baggage – at least tries to!
a.
Leaves everything
behind in Moab – the culture, the idolatry, the home, and even her two
daughters-in-law who would only bring Moab with them
4.
She Admits She is
Bitter – WOW what a life changing act!
5.
Then GRACE
Stepped in!
a.
Life has painted
Naomi’s life dark and ruined
b.
NOW God can paint
beauty for ashes (Isaiah 61:3)
c.
And boy does He
paint well!
d.
Grace WAITS for
us to admit we are lost, we are bitter, we are proud, we are hard, we are cold,
we are angry!
e.
Once we let that
out, Grace steps IN! (James 4:6)!
H.
How Ruth Accessed
God’s Grace
– even more amazing!
1.
Everything was
against Ruth
a.
She was a pagan
girl from birth – only knew idolatry, abuses, and loss
b.
She was a
foreigner – NOT a Jew
c.
She was cursed by
God (Dt 23:3,4)
d.
She was a
complete failure in her soul, and her spirit – defeated, and lost!
e.
That is, until
she had met Naomi!
2.
Ruth Desired a
Different Life
a.
It was not forced
on her, it was her desire, her hunger, her choice
b.
Her Moabite life
offered her nothing – nothing good!
c.
Her gods had
never taught her anything but hate and war and death to their enemies
d.
Life was cheap,
children were constantly at risk
e.
Here was a chance
to access a different life in Israel – a life of Grace, and kindness and
forgiveness and mercy
3.
Ruth “CLAVE” to
Naomi – CLUNG, held onto, stuck with her
a.
Why? Because
Naomi and her Jewish family were different. Flawed, imperfect, backslidden, away
from God, but different.
b.
Begged Naomi to
not ask her to leave her
c.
Wanted to follow
Naomi wherever she went, no matter where she went
d.
Ruth has watched
Naomi, and knows her inside and out, seen her on her good days, and now sees her
on her bitter days, and still loved her!
e.
Wanted to stay
with her!
4.
Ruth’s Blind
Trust
a.
She trusted Naomi
– who she could see
b.
More than that,
Ruth had started to trust Naomi’s GOD, BECAUSE of Naomi!
c.
And was willing
to leave everything and everyone behind – no matter what it might cost her –
because of that trust!
5.
Ruth’s Complete
Swap – she could not bring anything of Moab into her new life
a.
No Moabite
baggage could be brought along into Israel
b.
She left her home
in Moab, for wherever Naomi ends up
c.
Her Moabite
family, for Naomi’s family
d.
Her Moabite gods
for Naomi’s God
e.
I think that was
a pretty good swap!
f.
YOU need to make
that same kind of swap!
6.
Those FOUR
attitudes opened God’s grace to this cursed foreigner named Ruth!
a.
Desire
– your choice
b.
Trust
– Come under His rule (Ruth 2:12) – adoption!
c.
Clinging
– not just a wish, or a one time decision that flippantly changes from day to
day – but a determination to stay the course! Holding to the decision
d.
Swap
– complete swap of the old life for the new (Eph 4:22-24; Philp 3:7-9)
IV.
Application
A.
A Life Without
Grace, is No Life
(Ephesians 2:12) This is you and me without Jesus…
1.
Alone – only
GRACE keeps people together. YOU keep trying to keep things together, it won’t
work. You will need GOD’S Grace, to overlook and love in-spite of flaws!
2.
Constant Loss –
whether you admit it or not
3.
No future –
doomed if not for Grace
4.
Under the
dominion of false gods – Satan (Acts 26:18)
5.
No life – only
one curse after another
6.
Bitterness,
harshness, fault-finding, coldness, anger, wrath – NONE of that is the fruit of
GRACE!
7.
At fault – guilty
of leaving God’s will
8.
The Bible is full
of people who lived far away from Grace – don’t join them!
a.
Not just the
Moabites, but the Ninevites, the Assyrians, the Egyptians, the Babylonians
b.
As well as King
Saul – never enjoyed God’s grace because he lived alone in his world of pride,
never concerned that he had no access to God’s grace!
c.
The Pharisees –
lived sad lives, judgmental, condemning of everyone around them
d.
Esau – became
obsessed with revenge and bitterness (which is how Naomi could have turned out if not for Ruth in her life)!
e.
As well as every
man, woman and child who all their lives will not bow the knee and humbly seek
God’s grace before facing His judgment!
B.
God Was Already
At Work
1.
Did you notice
all that GOD was doing?
2.
God was actively
at work in every life affected, but Naomi, Ruth, Orpah never realised it!
3.
Brought Elimelech
and Naomi TO Ruth and Orpah’s area – even Elimelch’s wrong decisions turn out
good because GOD is in control – remember that!
4.
God showed
Himself through this backslidden family
a.
Elimelech’s
family was flawed – backslidden, not very devout, consistent
b.
But they still
lived differently that the Moabites
c.
And that was the
Bible that Ruth read every day!
5.
Stripped these
three women of everything they could hold onto
6.
And then forced
them all to make a decision
C.
What Blocks /
Hinders / Limits God’s Grace? (James 4:6)
1.
What makes it so
that GOD Almighty can’t help you?
2.
What makes it so
that He HAS to stand in your way? And make things harder for you?
a.
Pride (1Peter
5:5)
b.
Apathy –
unconcerned like Orpah about the spiritual things that matter most
c.
Idolatry (1:15) –
as Ruth was until she decided to dump her idols. What gods are running YOUR
life, your finances, your thoughts, your time, your attention?
d.
Bitterness –
Naomi didn’t enjoy God’s grace until she saw RUTH basking in it! Ruth was NOT
bitter!
D.
How You Access
God’s Grace…
1.
NOT as a
special person, as a Jew, Prime
Minister, Movie Star
But AS a foreigner, stranger, outsider – even an enemy - a Moabitess (2:10)
2.
NOT as a success,
or wealthy person
But as a failure – she had nothing to show for her life and way of life
3.
NOT with great
abilities, or Powers and strengths
But as powerless, without rights, without help, without strength or authority
4.
NOT because you
deserve to be accepted by God
But as undeserving, unworthy, pitiful, never good enough!
5.
And most of all,
NOT with ANY pride at all
But only as humble, low, meek
a.
We have way too
much ‘ME’ in our relationship with God
b.
Soft – feminine
(2:10)
c.
Changeable,
yielding, breakable
E.
It’s Up to YOU!
Choose right!
1.
Desire Grace
– your choice – don’t desire blessings, money, success. Desire GRACE!
a.
Grace, kindness,
acceptance, a new life was available to both Orpah AND Ruth
b.
You will never
get born again until YOU want it – want the new life (John 10:10)
2.
Trust God
– Come under His rule (Ruth 2:12) – adoption!
a.
They could NEVER
have imagined just how good God’s grace is
b.
But they could
never experience it unless they solidly, and absolutely decided to trust the God
of Naomi
c.
Access God’s
infinite grace by Faith alone – just believing God will take care of you as you
seek HIM and His will
3.
Cling to Him
– not just a wish, or a one time decision that flippantly changes from day to
day – but a determination to stay the course! Holding to the decision
a.
Make a determined
choice to access God’s Amazing Grace (Rom 5:2)
4.
Make a Good Swap
– complete swap of the old life for the new (Eph 4:22-24; Philp 3:7-9)
a.
Choose to change
(1:16) – not to change yourself, but decide you are now ready to be changed,
transformed, made new (2Cor 5:17)
b.
Are you ready to
start over?
c.
Are you ready to
put up with bitter and flawed people called Christians?
5.
THAT is when
GRACE is accessed (plugged into), and it will begin to work in your life and
transforming it, saving it from hell, and from sin!