The Bible is full of people who do surprisingly bold things through faith, and God blesses them. When our plans are in alignment with God’s will, it’s okay to be bold! In Ruth 3, Naomi and Ruth hatch a plan for carrying out God’s redemption of their family. Ruth approaches Boaz with boldness, and the rest is history. Ruth, a Moabite woman, would go on to be included in the lineage of Christ through Boaz (Matt. 1:5).

Take-Home Message– Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.

Naomi’s Plan (1-5)

• Ruth’s Bold Move (6-9)
• Boaz’s Response (10-15)
• Ruth Returns to Naomi (16-18)

Lessons from Ruth 3

• Watch while you wait (2).
• Listen while you wait (5).
• Take bold action when God opens the door (7b-9).
• Remember God’s deliverance (13).

Message: Ruth and Boaz at the Threshing Floor

Scripture: Ruth 3:1-18

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God has a way of showing up when all hope seems lost. Naomi’s world collapsed when she lost her husband and both of her sons. All hope seemed lost as she returned home with Ruth. But in the midst of her darkness, God was working for her redemption. In Ruth 2, we see God’s plan for a radical redemption of Ruth and Naomi. This redemption is a portrait of our redemption through Christ.

Take-Home Message: When all hope seemed lost, God sent my Redeemer.

Ruth and Boaz Meet (1-7).

Boaz and Ruth Honor Each Other (8-17).

• Boaz honored Ruth by…
• Protecting her (8-9).
• Praising her godliness (10-13).
• Providing for her (14-16).
• Ruth honored Boaz by…
• Respecting him (10, 13).
• Praising his godliness (10, 13).
• Providing for Naomi (17).

Naomi experiences new hope (18-23).

· The Kinsman-Redeemer could redeem…

• A family member sold into slavery (Lev. 25:47-49).
• Land that needed to be sold under financial distress (Lev. 25:23-28).
• The family name through a levirate marriage (Deut. 25:5-10).

· Christ our Kinsman-Redeemer

• Christ redeemed us from slavery to sin (Rom. 3:23-24; 6:15-18).
• Christ redeemed our property privileges lost in the Fall (Gen. 3).
• Christ redeemed our family name – children of God (1 John 3:1).

Message: Ruth Meets Boaz

Scripture: Ruth 2:1-23

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Faith is not a feeling… but…

• It’s a beautiful thing in those “moments” when our faith and our feelings do connect!

Today we’re going to look at three very different examples of “faithfulness”

• Orpah
• Ruth
• Naomi

Orpah

• On the surface it may appear that Orpah is the least faithful of these three women.
  
  • But don’t be so sure.
    • Even though we are all called to be faithful, we don’t all have the same calling!
      
      • The evidence shows that Oraph was living into her calling.

Ruth

• She’s the heroin of the story, as the name of the book implies. Her faith was exhibited in love, determination and selflessness.
  
  • But the fact is, maybe we’re giving Ruth more credit than is deserved… Perhaps her faithfulness to Naomi grew out of the fact that she had nothing to go home too! We don’t know…
    
    • But does it matter? The fact is, her faithfulness is one of the most beautiful expressions of faithfulness in the entire Bible!

Naomi

• Her faithfulness is expressed very differently than the other two.
  
  • Ruth 1:20- “Call me Mara (which means bitter), for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me…”
    
    • In some ways, Naomi’s expression of faithfulness is the best of all! She didn’t loose her faith in the midst of her trials and tribulations.
      
      • Was she angry and bitter? Yes! But she didn’t give up, and God blessed her for that!

God’s got broad shoulders. He can take it if you get mad at Him.

• Just don’t give up on Him!

Faithful (Even when you don’t feel like it)

Scripture: Ruth 1:6-22

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• The Bible is not a “history book”. It is a book that contains history. But…
  
  • Its ultimate purpose is to tell the story of God’s plan to save the world. Jesus!
    • All throughout the Old Testament, we find “easter eggs” pointing to Jesus.
      • The Book of Ruth is filled with them!
• No other book in the Bible starts out quite so “dark” as the Book of Ruth:
  • Famine, death and uncertainty about the future abound.
• Definition of an “easter egg” in this context:
  • A hidden clue that gives us a glimpse into what the future holds.
    • Our passage today has a not-so-hidden clue pointing us to Jesus:
      • Ruth 1:1- In the days when Judges ruled there was a famine in the land, and a man of Bethlehem in Judea, went to live the land of Moab.
        
        • From the little town of Bethlehem would come the Savior of the world… Jesus!
• Naomi was faced with much uncertainty, but she knew a few things:
  
  • She knew God was still on the throne and that He was still in control, even if it felt like everything was out of control!
    
    • And she knew that God had a plan. Why? Because He said so!
      
      • What will you choose when faced with the uncertainties of life?!

Message: Hope in the Midst of Despair

Scripture: Ruth 1:1-5

When you are gone, how will people remember your relationship with Jesus? Will you have a legacy of faith or a legacy of unbelief? When Jesus healed Lazarus, the authorities had a choice: embrace Jesus as the Christ, or reject him once and for all. They made the tragic decision of rejecting Jesus – they fixed their decision to kill him. The religious authorities’ story is a tragedy – a terrifying example of the result of rejecting Jesus when He clearly reveals Himself to us. How will your response to Jesus be remembered? You can either be a good example, or a fearful warning.

Take-Home Message: My response to Jesus determines how I will be remembered.

• My response to Jesus when I’m losing control (45-48).
  
  • Responding to Jesus when I’m losing control:
    • Do I believe that Jesus is in control?
    • Do I believe that Jesus is good?
    • Will I follow Jesus into the unknown?
• My response to Jesus when I’m planning my course (49-53).
  • Responding to Jesus when I’m planning my course:
    • Look for God’s clues in your circumstances.
    • Pray.
    • Seek God in His Word.
    • Seek Christian counsel.
    • Walk in obedience.
• My response to Jesus when I’m reaching a conclusion (54-57).

Message: The Plot to Kill Jesus

Scripture: John 11:45-57

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• Setting up our passage for today:
  
  • In Luke 10:41-42 there is an encounter between Jesus, Mary and her sister, Martha.
    • Martha is upset because Mary isn’t helping and she asks Jesus to intervene. Jesus responds by saying; “Martha, you worry about so much, but only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, and I’m not taking it away from her.”
      
      • How would you have responded to Jesus’ rebuke? Keep that in mind as we look at our passage for today.
• John 11:28- When Martha had said this, she went and said to her sister Mary, in private; “The teacher is here and is calling for you.”
  
  • It’s just speculation to try and understand what motivated Martha when she said this.
    • But keeping in mind the story from Luke, and what Martha said to Jesus in verses 21-22, is it fair to speculate that Mary may have been thinking this:
      
      • “Jesus thinks Mary’s more holy than me. Maybe he’ll listen to her?!”
• Putting aside all this speculation, let’s focus on some facts:
  
  • Jesus loved Mary and Martha, both, with every fiber of His being. Just as He loves us!
    
    • When Jesus answers a request, He does it according to what’s BEST!
• Jesus is not immune to the pain that His answers to our request may cause.
  
  • Three times in this passage we find evidence of this:
    
    • Verse 33- Jesus was deeply troubled…
  • Verse 35- Jesus wept…
  • Verse 38- Jesus was deeply moved…

• You can trust that the pain and the suffering you’re experiencing has a purpose, too… IF… you will put your trust in Jesus!

Message: Purpose in our pain

Scripture: John 11:28-44

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Jesus often makes us wait to see His miracles. Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, but He did not do it right away. Jesus waited two days after hearing that Lazarus was ill to go to him. Lazarus was in the tomb four days before Jesus raised him. Jesus waited until many Jews had gathered to console Mary and Martha before healing Lazarus. Jesus made them wait.

God is seldom early, but He is never late. He is always on time! If we had all of the information that God had, we would understand His timing. But we don't, and that means we need to trust Him. When Jesus makes us wait, may we say with the Psalmist, “I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” (Ps. 27:13-14)

Take-Home Message: Jesus makes me wait so that I may believe.

• Wait, because Jesus can do miracles (17-19).

• Wait, and Jesus will strengthen your faith (20-23).

• Wait, and Jesus will give you life (25-27).

Message: I Am the Resurrection and the Life

Scripture: John 11:17-27

Simple. Authentic. Jesus.

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Can you remember a time in your life when people that you loved, treated you in a way that didn’t “feel” loving?

o How did you respond?

The story of the death and resurrection of Lazarus is one of the most powerful in the Bible!

o But there’s more to the story and first meets the eye. This passage deals with two things that people experience everyday:

§ The fact that Jesus loves us.

§ And the fact that we often don’t understand that love, in the moment!

John 11:5-8

o Now Jesus LOVED Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when He heard Lazarus was ill, He STAYED two days long in the place that He was. Then after this, He said to His disciples; Let us go to Judea again. And the disciples said; “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you and you want to go back there again?”

§ On the surface, Jesus’ behavior did NOT seem loving, but to the disciples, it at least seemed logical. Going to Lazarus would have been dangerous!

· Neither of those things was true, however! He WAS being loving and there was nothing to FEAR!

o They just didn’t understand.

Are you willing to trust Jesus, believing that He loves you? And are you willing to follow Him, wherever He may lead?!

o That’s exactly what He’s asking of each of us every day!

Message: “Understanding Love”

Scripture: John 11:1-16\

Simple. Authentic. Jesus.

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