1 00:00:00,200 --> 00:00:03,574 Hello and welcome to the Middletown Baptist Church podcast, 2 00:00:03,702 --> 00:00:06,606 where we are proclaiming the truth to the world. 3 00:00:06,718 --> 00:00:09,662 My name is Pastor Josh, and I want to thank you for listening to 4 00:00:09,686 --> 00:00:10,690 this podcast. 5 00:00:10,990 --> 00:00:14,630 I hope that this podcast can be a blessing to you and strengthen 6 00:00:14,670 --> 00:00:16,290 you in the word of God. 7 00:00:16,750 --> 00:00:20,134 Now come along, let's look into the Bible and see what God has 8 00:00:20,182 --> 00:00:21,650 for us here today. 9 00:00:23,470 --> 00:00:27,078 We're going to go ahead and start our Bible study here this evening. 10 00:00:27,134 --> 00:00:29,326 If you have your bibles, please turn with me to the book of 11 00:00:29,358 --> 00:00:30,122 Ruthen. 12 00:00:30,216 --> 00:00:33,726 And we are going to actually tonight conclude the book of Ruth, 13 00:00:33,878 --> 00:00:36,830 the story of the kinsman Redeemer. 14 00:00:36,950 --> 00:00:41,290 And I hope that this has been a study that has helped you understand 15 00:00:41,790 --> 00:00:44,518 God's love and his grace in your own life. 16 00:00:44,654 --> 00:00:48,246 Anytime we see stories in scripture, we know that they're more 17 00:00:48,278 --> 00:00:49,410 than just stories. 18 00:00:49,950 --> 00:00:53,166 They are descriptions of real people going through real issues 19 00:00:53,238 --> 00:00:56,590 and ultimately receiving real forgiveness and real grace from a 20 00:00:56,630 --> 00:00:57,692 real goddess. 21 00:00:57,786 --> 00:01:02,640 And so I know that so many times in our life we can be separated 22 00:01:02,680 --> 00:01:05,700 from these stories because they are thousands of years old. 23 00:01:06,400 --> 00:01:09,616 And I know that not everything in scripture can we personalize for 24 00:01:09,648 --> 00:01:10,056 ourselves. 25 00:01:10,128 --> 00:01:13,576 But I do believe that there is that application of understanding 26 00:01:13,608 --> 00:01:16,392 our kinsman redeemer in Jesus Christ through this story. 27 00:01:16,576 --> 00:01:19,900 And so we see the story of Ruth, and she's the centerpiece. 28 00:01:20,360 --> 00:01:21,856 Ultimately, God's the centerpiece. 29 00:01:21,888 --> 00:01:25,680 But in this case, Ruth is the one who receives grace from her kinsman 30 00:01:25,760 --> 00:01:26,840 Boazden. 31 00:01:26,910 --> 00:01:29,460 And so I believe Ruth is a picture of those believers. 32 00:01:29,500 --> 00:01:33,804 Boaz is a picture of Jesus Christ extending his grace and love 33 00:01:33,892 --> 00:01:36,164 to us as the groom. 34 00:01:36,252 --> 00:01:38,420 And we, the church, are the bride. 35 00:01:38,540 --> 00:01:41,724 And that's an important thing to think about when it comes to our 36 00:01:41,812 --> 00:01:42,800 christian life. 37 00:01:43,340 --> 00:01:47,916 That picture of the Lord being the bridegroom, we being the bride, 38 00:01:48,068 --> 00:01:50,732 and how he's coming back for us one day. 39 00:01:50,876 --> 00:01:55,950 If you know the picture of, of marriage back in the Bible times, 40 00:01:56,030 --> 00:01:58,150 it wasn't the type of marriage that we have today. 41 00:01:58,190 --> 00:02:01,262 I mean, it's similar in the concept of they would get married 42 00:02:01,286 --> 00:02:03,886 and there would be that covenant union, but there was something 43 00:02:03,918 --> 00:02:06,702 called the betrothal period back then that is different than 44 00:02:06,726 --> 00:02:07,690 what we do today. 45 00:02:07,990 --> 00:02:11,998 We have in most cases, not everyone is like this, but there 46 00:02:12,014 --> 00:02:15,910 is usually a time in marriages today where there's an engagement 47 00:02:15,990 --> 00:02:16,326 period. 48 00:02:16,398 --> 00:02:19,250 I know Alicia and I, we had a year long engagement. 49 00:02:19,390 --> 00:02:22,002 That was the time for the bride to find her dress and to go 50 00:02:22,026 --> 00:02:22,730 through all those things. 51 00:02:22,770 --> 00:02:25,858 And, you know, I didn't do much in the planning process. 52 00:02:25,954 --> 00:02:27,386 I was like, hey, what are we going to eat at the wedding. 53 00:02:27,418 --> 00:02:30,762 That was about the only question I had input I had on all 54 00:02:30,786 --> 00:02:31,350 that. 55 00:02:32,130 --> 00:02:36,506 But back then, what would happen is the groom would make a 56 00:02:36,538 --> 00:02:40,450 commitment to his future wife and there would be this betrothal 57 00:02:40,490 --> 00:02:40,930 period. 58 00:02:41,050 --> 00:02:44,058 So they were essentially linked already, but they had not 59 00:02:44,074 --> 00:02:45,050 consummated the marriage. 60 00:02:45,090 --> 00:02:46,658 They didn't have that reunion. 61 00:02:46,794 --> 00:02:50,794 And at an appointed time, and the bride wouldn't know this, the 62 00:02:50,882 --> 00:02:54,906 bridegroom would come back as he was preparing a place for his 63 00:02:54,938 --> 00:02:56,498 bride in his father's house. 64 00:02:56,634 --> 00:02:57,890 And he would prepare that place. 65 00:02:57,930 --> 00:03:01,938 And when he was ready, he would come back and take his bride 66 00:03:01,994 --> 00:03:03,226 and take her back. 67 00:03:03,258 --> 00:03:04,586 And there would be that consummation. 68 00:03:04,618 --> 00:03:06,466 There would be that completion of marriage. 69 00:03:06,578 --> 00:03:08,730 And that's the beautiful picture of what's happening for us 70 00:03:08,770 --> 00:03:09,146 right now. 71 00:03:09,178 --> 00:03:10,314 We are in the betrothal period. 72 00:03:10,362 --> 00:03:13,246 We're waiting for our kinsman redeemer to come back. 73 00:03:13,378 --> 00:03:14,974 And that's an exciting time. 74 00:03:15,022 --> 00:03:15,982 We're longing for that day. 75 00:03:16,006 --> 00:03:18,838 We don't know when that day is, but the Bible says for us to 76 00:03:18,854 --> 00:03:19,286 be prepared. 77 00:03:19,318 --> 00:03:23,030 And even in John, chapter 14, Jesus says, I go to prepare a place 78 00:03:23,070 --> 00:03:24,734 for you, and I will come again. 79 00:03:24,822 --> 00:03:26,766 And that's exactly the period that we are in right now. 80 00:03:26,798 --> 00:03:29,646 So, Ruth, chapter number four, we're going to go to verse number 81 00:03:29,678 --> 00:03:30,250 13. 82 00:03:31,110 --> 00:03:33,086 So we've seen Ruth, we've seen Boaz. 83 00:03:33,158 --> 00:03:36,518 But there's another individual in this story that's notable, and 84 00:03:36,534 --> 00:03:37,606 that is Naomi. 85 00:03:37,758 --> 00:03:38,918 Where did Naomi start? 86 00:03:38,974 --> 00:03:41,450 Well, Naomi started at the very beginning with. 87 00:03:41,750 --> 00:03:45,470 With her husband moving from the land of Israel, specifically 88 00:03:45,510 --> 00:03:48,846 Bethlehem, and traveling to the land of Moab because of this 89 00:03:48,878 --> 00:03:49,542 famine. 90 00:03:49,686 --> 00:03:54,030 And so instead of trusting in God, she and her husband trusted 91 00:03:54,070 --> 00:03:56,614 in the land of Moab for their provisions. 92 00:03:56,742 --> 00:04:00,438 And obviously, that was a bad decision, and there were consequences. 93 00:04:00,494 --> 00:04:01,654 Her husband dies. 94 00:04:01,822 --> 00:04:03,570 Eventually her sons die. 95 00:04:03,910 --> 00:04:07,158 And Naomi travels back to Bethlehem. 96 00:04:07,254 --> 00:04:10,670 And when she travels back to Bethlehem, she is known, or at least 97 00:04:10,710 --> 00:04:14,450 she wants to be known not by her name, Naomi, which means blessed. 98 00:04:15,190 --> 00:04:18,686 But she wanted to be known as Mara, which meant bitter. 99 00:04:18,798 --> 00:04:21,038 And so we know that in the heart of Naomi, there was a sense 100 00:04:21,054 --> 00:04:21,970 of bitterness. 101 00:04:22,350 --> 00:04:25,294 But through the story, we've seen Naomi's heart change from a 102 00:04:25,302 --> 00:04:28,254 heart of bitterness to a heart of being blessed and understanding 103 00:04:28,382 --> 00:04:31,142 the perspective of being blessed in the Lord. 104 00:04:31,246 --> 00:04:34,598 And so through this marriage of Ruth and Boaz, Naomi is going 105 00:04:34,614 --> 00:04:35,318 to be blessed as well. 106 00:04:35,334 --> 00:04:36,782 And we're going to study that here this evening. 107 00:04:36,806 --> 00:04:38,170 So let's look at verse number 13. 108 00:04:38,960 --> 00:04:41,448 We'll start in verse number 13, and we will go down to the end 109 00:04:41,464 --> 00:04:45,380 of the chapter, it says, so Boaz took Ruth and she was his wife. 110 00:04:45,800 --> 00:04:49,144 Obviously, in this verse here, we see that picture of the culmination 111 00:04:49,192 --> 00:04:55,056 of marriage, the time in which this all becomes one. 112 00:04:55,168 --> 00:04:59,520 And we know that the Bible speaks of marriage as a union of 113 00:04:59,560 --> 00:05:02,300 one flesh, a covenant before God. 114 00:05:02,680 --> 00:05:07,596 And we live in a society today that cheapens the definition of marriage. 115 00:05:07,748 --> 00:05:10,040 It cheapens the definition of love. 116 00:05:10,620 --> 00:05:13,780 Marriage is just an agreement that we have with somebody until 117 00:05:13,820 --> 00:05:17,628 they make us upset or they aren't fulfilling what we want to 118 00:05:17,644 --> 00:05:19,996 be fulfilled in our life, and then we have the freedom to break 119 00:05:20,028 --> 00:05:20,196 that. 120 00:05:20,228 --> 00:05:21,820 That's in our society today. 121 00:05:21,980 --> 00:05:24,740 But the Bible says that marriage is between one man, one 122 00:05:24,780 --> 00:05:26,532 woman for life, one flesh. 123 00:05:26,676 --> 00:05:28,420 And so there is that commitment. 124 00:05:28,460 --> 00:05:32,144 There is that covenant between each other and before God. 125 00:05:32,252 --> 00:05:35,104 And so it says here, so Boaz took Ruth and she was his wife. 126 00:05:35,152 --> 00:05:38,752 And when he went in unto her, the Lord gave her conception and 127 00:05:38,776 --> 00:05:40,056 she bear a son. 128 00:05:40,248 --> 00:05:43,656 And so we see here, in this case, there is a gift given to them, 129 00:05:43,688 --> 00:05:46,088 and that is the gift of marriage, but also the gift of a 130 00:05:46,104 --> 00:05:46,660 child. 131 00:05:47,240 --> 00:05:49,392 And that would be a great story in and of itself. 132 00:05:49,456 --> 00:05:52,608 But we know that there is significance to this child because 133 00:05:52,664 --> 00:05:55,008 this child is going to have a child, and that child is going to 134 00:05:55,024 --> 00:05:55,424 have a child. 135 00:05:55,472 --> 00:05:58,224 And we're going to ultimately see that the line of the Messiah 136 00:05:58,272 --> 00:06:01,464 comes through the line of Boaz and Ruth. 137 00:06:01,592 --> 00:06:05,872 What an amazing blessing that is for a woman who was not born in 138 00:06:05,896 --> 00:06:10,584 Israel, was not of that heritage, but yet she was used by 139 00:06:10,632 --> 00:06:12,816 God to be part of the line of the Messiah. 140 00:06:12,848 --> 00:06:15,872 And we know that there are others that could be mentioned about 141 00:06:15,896 --> 00:06:16,008 that. 142 00:06:16,024 --> 00:06:18,592 And if we had more time, we could go through the whole genealogy. 143 00:06:18,736 --> 00:06:21,416 But what I will say here in this case, in verse number 13 is 144 00:06:21,448 --> 00:06:25,088 we see God's hand and his blessing upon the life of Boaz and 145 00:06:25,104 --> 00:06:26,624 Ruth for their faithfulness. 146 00:06:26,792 --> 00:06:31,096 And we see, obviously, God's providential plan working in the 147 00:06:31,128 --> 00:06:33,320 lives of individuals who didn't know that they were being 148 00:06:33,360 --> 00:06:34,456 used by God. 149 00:06:34,648 --> 00:06:38,008 And so we certainly don't believe in determinism when it comes 150 00:06:38,064 --> 00:06:40,024 to God forcing everyone to do something. 151 00:06:40,072 --> 00:06:43,920 But we do know that God has his providential hand upon our lives. 152 00:06:43,960 --> 00:06:46,616 And so if God wants something to happen, he will ordain that to 153 00:06:46,648 --> 00:06:46,816 happen. 154 00:06:46,848 --> 00:06:50,688 And God ordains this to happen and uses the obedience of Ruth and 155 00:06:50,704 --> 00:06:52,182 Boaz in this case. 156 00:06:52,376 --> 00:06:53,330 So verse 14. 157 00:06:53,450 --> 00:06:55,570 And the women said unto Naomi. 158 00:06:55,650 --> 00:06:59,202 So we see the women of Bethlehem referencing Naomi here, 159 00:06:59,386 --> 00:07:02,030 and they say, blessed be the Lord. 160 00:07:02,690 --> 00:07:04,450 So this is Naomi's testimony. 161 00:07:04,570 --> 00:07:07,778 Blessed be the Lord, which hath not left thee this day without 162 00:07:07,834 --> 00:07:12,750 a kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel. 163 00:07:13,570 --> 00:07:17,682 Naomi went from a place of saying, God has turned his back on 164 00:07:17,706 --> 00:07:17,890 me. 165 00:07:17,930 --> 00:07:19,226 God has forgotten me. 166 00:07:19,258 --> 00:07:21,946 God has given me all this pain, and he's given me all this 167 00:07:21,978 --> 00:07:22,622 suffering. 168 00:07:22,786 --> 00:07:25,310 Now her testimony is no longer bitterness. 169 00:07:25,350 --> 00:07:29,326 It's now the testimony of a God who cares for her, a God who 170 00:07:29,358 --> 00:07:30,846 has not left her alone. 171 00:07:30,998 --> 00:07:33,742 And this reminds me of that passage of scripture in Hebrews, 172 00:07:33,766 --> 00:07:34,694 chapter 13. 173 00:07:34,862 --> 00:07:37,382 That God will not leave us nor forsake us. 174 00:07:37,486 --> 00:07:39,078 Naomi was never forgotten about. 175 00:07:39,134 --> 00:07:43,030 Even in her unfaithfulness, God was still faithful to her. 176 00:07:43,190 --> 00:07:45,246 And God rewarded her for her humility. 177 00:07:45,318 --> 00:07:47,430 God rewarded her for her obedience. 178 00:07:47,470 --> 00:07:50,972 And ultimately, we see here that the testimony now of Naomi's 179 00:07:50,996 --> 00:07:54,724 life is that she is blessed and that she was not forgotten. 180 00:07:54,892 --> 00:07:57,020 And I want you to know here this evening that God is not going 181 00:07:57,020 --> 00:07:59,916 to forget about you, regardless of your issues, regardless 182 00:07:59,948 --> 00:08:00,692 of your struggles. 183 00:08:00,716 --> 00:08:02,708 Now, he doesn't condone our sin. 184 00:08:02,764 --> 00:08:07,188 He doesn't want us and celebrate in our sin and say, you 185 00:08:07,204 --> 00:08:07,596 know what? 186 00:08:07,668 --> 00:08:08,876 I'm glad that you're unfaithful. 187 00:08:08,908 --> 00:08:12,040 But yet God still loves us as a loving father loves his child. 188 00:08:12,700 --> 00:08:14,904 I was having a conversation with someone recently. 189 00:08:15,092 --> 00:08:16,864 I said, you know how much you love your children? 190 00:08:16,952 --> 00:08:23,648 You know how much that even when they frustrate you, even when 191 00:08:23,664 --> 00:08:26,460 they do things that you don't agree with, you still love them. 192 00:08:26,800 --> 00:08:29,536 A good parent still loves their child, even if they don't agree 193 00:08:29,568 --> 00:08:30,672 with what they're doing. 194 00:08:30,856 --> 00:08:32,840 And I say, that's how God loves us. 195 00:08:33,000 --> 00:08:36,072 If we are his child, truly his child, if we've trusted in him, in 196 00:08:36,096 --> 00:08:37,440 faith, God loves us. 197 00:08:37,480 --> 00:08:40,112 Even in our stumbles now, he doesn't condone us. 198 00:08:40,136 --> 00:08:41,072 He wants us to get back up. 199 00:08:41,096 --> 00:08:43,858 If I love my child, I don't want them to stay in their sin, but 200 00:08:43,874 --> 00:08:44,938 I still love them. 201 00:08:45,114 --> 00:08:47,922 And so God's love was there with Naomi through the ups and the 202 00:08:47,946 --> 00:08:48,266 downs. 203 00:08:48,298 --> 00:08:51,602 But ultimately, he was pulling her back to that fellowship with 204 00:08:51,626 --> 00:08:52,122 him. 205 00:08:52,266 --> 00:08:54,906 And so God did not leave them without a kinsman. 206 00:08:55,058 --> 00:08:57,242 And I can tell you here this evening that God does not leave you 207 00:08:57,266 --> 00:08:57,906 without a kinsman. 208 00:08:57,938 --> 00:09:01,810 If you've come to Jesus Christ in faith, you have a kinsman redeemer. 209 00:09:01,930 --> 00:09:05,090 You have one who was there with you in the midst of your struggles, 210 00:09:05,130 --> 00:09:08,138 in the midst of your doubts, in the midst of your pain, in the 211 00:09:08,154 --> 00:09:09,270 midst of your loss. 212 00:09:09,730 --> 00:09:13,122 And Naomi was one who had a lot of loss, had a lot of pain, even 213 00:09:13,146 --> 00:09:15,994 though some of that was brought upon her life, by her own 214 00:09:16,042 --> 00:09:19,562 decisions, God still dealt with that pain and suffering and 215 00:09:19,586 --> 00:09:20,754 provided for her. 216 00:09:20,922 --> 00:09:23,202 And I will let you know that God is a provider. 217 00:09:23,266 --> 00:09:27,202 One of my favorite names of God is Jehovah Jireh, the God who 218 00:09:27,226 --> 00:09:28,186 provides. 219 00:09:28,378 --> 00:09:31,190 And God provides for us what we need in our lives. 220 00:09:31,730 --> 00:09:35,066 Sometimes he doesn't provide what we want, but he provides what 221 00:09:35,098 --> 00:09:35,910 we need. 222 00:09:36,290 --> 00:09:40,010 And so what we can see here is that God provides for Naomi, God 223 00:09:40,050 --> 00:09:42,642 provides for Ruth, God provides for boaz. 224 00:09:42,746 --> 00:09:46,602 And it says, verse 15, and he shall be unto thee a restorer of 225 00:09:46,666 --> 00:09:47,670 thy life. 226 00:09:48,650 --> 00:09:51,850 We can see here that the testimony of Naomi's life is that 227 00:09:51,890 --> 00:09:56,810 God restored her back to where she was before, probably definitely 228 00:09:56,850 --> 00:09:58,202 better than she was before. 229 00:09:58,386 --> 00:10:01,408 And I can tell you here tonight that God is a restorer. 230 00:10:01,594 --> 00:10:03,772 He can restore broken relationships. 231 00:10:03,916 --> 00:10:05,908 He can restore broken hearts. 232 00:10:06,084 --> 00:10:08,560 He can restore us in the midst of loss. 233 00:10:08,940 --> 00:10:11,596 I can tell you a lot of times people will say, you know what? 234 00:10:11,628 --> 00:10:12,540 Time heals. 235 00:10:12,700 --> 00:10:15,996 And I can tell you there are people in my life that have passed 236 00:10:16,028 --> 00:10:17,796 on, and I'll never get over it. 237 00:10:17,828 --> 00:10:18,068 Right? 238 00:10:18,124 --> 00:10:19,244 We never get over something. 239 00:10:19,292 --> 00:10:21,156 But what God does is he restores us. 240 00:10:21,268 --> 00:10:23,932 He fills us with other blessings in our life and allows 241 00:10:23,956 --> 00:10:28,082 us to see the goodness in his kindness and his love towards us. 242 00:10:28,236 --> 00:10:31,806 Says, and he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life. 243 00:10:31,998 --> 00:10:34,614 And so God is one who restores us. 244 00:10:34,742 --> 00:10:36,462 And so we go back to verse number 14. 245 00:10:36,526 --> 00:10:38,838 I want you to see a couple things about the Lord here. 246 00:10:38,974 --> 00:10:41,222 He is one who does not forsake us. 247 00:10:41,326 --> 00:10:43,886 He always remembers us in the midst of our pain. 248 00:10:44,038 --> 00:10:45,446 But then we see verse 15. 249 00:10:45,518 --> 00:10:47,410 He is a restorer of life. 250 00:10:48,230 --> 00:10:49,850 So he remembers us. 251 00:10:50,430 --> 00:10:52,010 He restores us. 252 00:10:53,030 --> 00:10:54,900 You know, it's so fitting. 253 00:10:55,030 --> 00:10:59,752 I believe that we see the difference in Naomi, because I think 254 00:10:59,776 --> 00:11:02,472 the difference in Naomi's life is the difference that we can have 255 00:11:02,496 --> 00:11:03,536 in our own life. 256 00:11:03,728 --> 00:11:06,296 We can come to Christ, but yet there are going to be times in our 257 00:11:06,328 --> 00:11:09,232 life, in our christian walk, that we are going to feel like we're 258 00:11:09,256 --> 00:11:10,976 down, we are going to feel like we're defeated. 259 00:11:11,048 --> 00:11:12,544 We are going to feel broken. 260 00:11:12,672 --> 00:11:16,728 But we see that God is a restorer of life. 261 00:11:16,864 --> 00:11:21,096 And then we see here in verse 15 that he's a nourisher, a nourisher 262 00:11:21,128 --> 00:11:22,580 of thine old age. 263 00:11:23,410 --> 00:11:25,030 God nourishes us. 264 00:11:25,370 --> 00:11:27,442 What a beautiful picture that is. 265 00:11:27,626 --> 00:11:31,386 What a beautiful picture it is that God restores us and nourishes 266 00:11:31,418 --> 00:11:31,634 us. 267 00:11:31,682 --> 00:11:35,914 And this is an awesome demonstration of what God can do 268 00:11:36,082 --> 00:11:39,950 through one broken person who gets right with him. 269 00:11:40,890 --> 00:11:44,110 Folks, if we are taking a breath. 270 00:11:44,570 --> 00:11:46,282 It's never too late to get right with him. 271 00:11:46,306 --> 00:11:49,058 It's never too late to get restored back to fellowship with 272 00:11:49,074 --> 00:11:49,574 him. 273 00:11:49,722 --> 00:11:51,886 I know so many people that say, you know, I've been out of church 274 00:11:51,918 --> 00:11:52,930 for so long. 275 00:11:53,630 --> 00:11:55,566 I've gotten away from him so far. 276 00:11:55,718 --> 00:11:57,262 I've gotten away from reading his word. 277 00:11:57,286 --> 00:12:01,078 I've gotten away from loving my worship for him and desiring to 278 00:12:01,094 --> 00:12:02,382 be with him and to stay with him. 279 00:12:02,406 --> 00:12:02,838 But you know what? 280 00:12:02,854 --> 00:12:03,822 It's not too late. 281 00:12:03,926 --> 00:12:06,326 The Bible says that he can restore us, he can renew us. 282 00:12:06,358 --> 00:12:08,130 That's the heart of revival. 283 00:12:08,430 --> 00:12:11,806 And God wants us to go back to that place of humility in our life 284 00:12:11,838 --> 00:12:14,250 so that we can be revived in our spirit. 285 00:12:15,440 --> 00:12:19,344 You know, a lot of times, we, at least me, I can blame Naomi early 286 00:12:19,392 --> 00:12:22,312 on, and Ruth, like, come on, why Naomi? 287 00:12:22,336 --> 00:12:23,520 Why would you doubt God? 288 00:12:23,560 --> 00:12:26,176 But we can understand her heart, because sometimes we doubt 289 00:12:26,208 --> 00:12:26,820 God. 290 00:12:27,520 --> 00:12:30,240 But we should learn from those instances. 291 00:12:30,320 --> 00:12:33,784 We should learn that God's plan is perfect and filled with love. 292 00:12:33,912 --> 00:12:37,304 And even though sometimes we can't figure out what he's doing 293 00:12:37,472 --> 00:12:41,360 and sometimes we might be desperate, we have to go back in 294 00:12:41,400 --> 00:12:44,340 faith and say, lord, I trust you because of your goodness. 295 00:12:44,830 --> 00:12:50,494 And we can even claim that passage of scripture in romans 828. 296 00:12:50,582 --> 00:12:56,126 And we know that all things, all things work together for good 297 00:12:56,158 --> 00:13:00,730 to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose. 298 00:13:01,110 --> 00:13:02,622 You say, explain that to me. 299 00:13:02,686 --> 00:13:05,494 How can this pain right now be good? 300 00:13:05,662 --> 00:13:07,390 I can't explain that to you. 301 00:13:07,510 --> 00:13:09,110 That's above my pay grade. 302 00:13:09,230 --> 00:13:11,822 But what I can say is that I know what scripture says, and I know 303 00:13:11,846 --> 00:13:14,446 that God will work things out for our good. 304 00:13:14,478 --> 00:13:15,850 That's what it says right there. 305 00:13:16,400 --> 00:13:17,760 Now you would say, well, you know what? 306 00:13:17,800 --> 00:13:19,264 I can't see how this is good. 307 00:13:19,352 --> 00:13:21,460 I can't understand this pain right now. 308 00:13:22,160 --> 00:13:24,420 And I would tell you I understand that. 309 00:13:24,880 --> 00:13:28,192 But what I can say is that God is a healer, God is a restorer. 310 00:13:28,216 --> 00:13:29,312 God is a nourisher. 311 00:13:29,416 --> 00:13:32,552 It could be on this side of heaven, or it could be when we see 312 00:13:32,576 --> 00:13:33,768 him face to face. 313 00:13:33,944 --> 00:13:37,560 You know, a lot of times we pray for healing for folks, and many 314 00:13:37,600 --> 00:13:39,376 times, God answers that prayer. 315 00:13:39,408 --> 00:13:41,288 But sometimes God does not answer that prayer. 316 00:13:41,304 --> 00:13:42,976 And we say, how could he not heal? 317 00:13:43,088 --> 00:13:46,184 Well, let me tell you, if it's a child of God, if the individual 318 00:13:46,232 --> 00:13:48,792 you're praying for is a child of God and God allows them to go 319 00:13:48,816 --> 00:13:51,432 home with him, he's healing them better than he could heal them 320 00:13:51,456 --> 00:13:54,180 here on this side of heaven, because now they're restored. 321 00:13:54,560 --> 00:13:56,608 When Paul understood what heaven was like. 322 00:13:56,664 --> 00:13:58,008 Remember his conflict there. 323 00:13:58,104 --> 00:14:00,632 Paul says, you know, I'm torn because I want to go be with him. 324 00:14:00,656 --> 00:14:02,500 But I know that God has a plan for me now. 325 00:14:03,160 --> 00:14:05,680 And I think the more we understand of the goodness of God, 326 00:14:05,720 --> 00:14:07,992 the more we understand what it means to be in his presence, the 327 00:14:08,016 --> 00:14:08,678 more we. 328 00:14:08,704 --> 00:14:12,010 We will see that what he does, no matter if he heals or not heals, 329 00:14:12,050 --> 00:14:13,122 he's ultimately a healer. 330 00:14:13,146 --> 00:14:14,826 He's ultimately a nourisher. 331 00:14:14,858 --> 00:14:16,550 He's a restorer of life. 332 00:14:16,970 --> 00:14:20,354 And so he says here, a nourisher of thine old age for thy 333 00:14:20,402 --> 00:14:22,510 daughter in law which loveth thee. 334 00:14:22,850 --> 00:14:25,842 Hey, there's a blessing right there that she has a daughter in 335 00:14:25,866 --> 00:14:26,442 law that loves her. 336 00:14:26,466 --> 00:14:28,350 She has a family that cares about her. 337 00:14:28,810 --> 00:14:29,194 You know? 338 00:14:29,202 --> 00:14:32,538 And I will tell you, one of the marks of an individual when it 339 00:14:32,554 --> 00:14:36,246 comes to their life, and the blessings in their life is, do they 340 00:14:36,278 --> 00:14:37,782 have a support staff? 341 00:14:37,846 --> 00:14:39,158 Do they have a family that loves them? 342 00:14:39,174 --> 00:14:40,570 That's a blessing in itself. 343 00:14:40,950 --> 00:14:43,142 You know, I've seen individuals go through struggles, 344 00:14:43,166 --> 00:14:46,046 and they have no one here that is there to support them. 345 00:14:46,078 --> 00:14:48,422 But what we see here is Naomi was not left alone. 346 00:14:48,566 --> 00:14:50,734 Through the midst of all of that, through that midst of loss, 347 00:14:50,782 --> 00:14:54,614 God still provided for her a companion there in Ruth as her daughter 348 00:14:54,662 --> 00:14:57,710 in law, a daughter in law which loveth thee, which is better 349 00:14:57,750 --> 00:15:00,410 to thee than seven sons hath borne him. 350 00:15:00,830 --> 00:15:04,316 And so it puts it into perspective here, and that is perspective 351 00:15:04,348 --> 00:15:06,196 of gratitude, folks. 352 00:15:06,228 --> 00:15:09,372 When we understand that God is a God who doesn't forget about us, 353 00:15:09,396 --> 00:15:12,372 when we understand that God is a restorer of life, when we understand 354 00:15:12,436 --> 00:15:17,080 that God is a nourisher, we have then the perspective of gratitude. 355 00:15:17,540 --> 00:15:19,260 And we thank the Lord for what we do have. 356 00:15:19,300 --> 00:15:21,532 We thank the Lord for those gifts that we can see in our life. 357 00:15:21,556 --> 00:15:24,148 But when our eyes are not fixed on his goodness, what do we 358 00:15:24,164 --> 00:15:24,364 do? 359 00:15:24,412 --> 00:15:25,484 We focus on the negative. 360 00:15:25,532 --> 00:15:27,476 When we focus on the things that we don't have. 361 00:15:27,588 --> 00:15:29,396 And that's where Naomi was at the very beginning. 362 00:15:29,428 --> 00:15:30,530 I don't have a husband. 363 00:15:30,620 --> 00:15:31,854 I don't have sons. 364 00:15:31,942 --> 00:15:33,246 That was all taken away from me. 365 00:15:33,278 --> 00:15:37,310 Instead, now she's able to see what she does have in a relationship 366 00:15:37,350 --> 00:15:38,130 with God. 367 00:15:38,470 --> 00:15:41,250 You know, I can sit here all day and tell you things I don't have 368 00:15:41,870 --> 00:15:45,950 and skills that I would love to obtain and all these different 369 00:15:45,990 --> 00:15:46,190 things. 370 00:15:46,230 --> 00:15:50,502 What I could do is tell you all the reasons why I'm upset and 371 00:15:50,526 --> 00:15:52,878 why I could be bitter, or I could flip it around the other way 372 00:15:52,894 --> 00:15:53,446 and say, you know what? 373 00:15:53,478 --> 00:15:55,598 My God has to provide all of my needs. 374 00:15:55,774 --> 00:15:58,022 My God has given me everything in my life. 375 00:15:58,086 --> 00:15:59,834 Every good gift comes from goddess. 376 00:15:59,912 --> 00:16:03,790 I was talking to a brother this morning, and sometimes as pastors, 377 00:16:03,830 --> 00:16:04,990 it's good to talk to other pastors. 378 00:16:05,030 --> 00:16:07,478 And I was talking to another pastor, and I said, I just had a 379 00:16:07,494 --> 00:16:12,006 realization this morning how blessed that I am in grace, that 380 00:16:12,038 --> 00:16:14,530 God has given me an opportunity to serve him. 381 00:16:14,830 --> 00:16:17,214 And I know that that's a spiritual platitude that we say all 382 00:16:17,222 --> 00:16:18,382 the time like God's graced me. 383 00:16:18,406 --> 00:16:21,854 But I'm going to tell you, it's overwhelming. 384 00:16:21,902 --> 00:16:24,598 Sometimes we think that God has given me so many chances, and 385 00:16:24,614 --> 00:16:27,006 I have failed him so many times, but yet he still offers us 386 00:16:27,038 --> 00:16:29,818 grace, and he still offers us the opportunity to serve him. 387 00:16:29,874 --> 00:16:31,506 That is an exciting thing. 388 00:16:31,538 --> 00:16:36,018 And so we see Naomi used by God and blessed by God with her attitude 389 00:16:36,034 --> 00:16:36,562 of gratitude. 390 00:16:36,586 --> 00:16:37,082 And it says here. 391 00:16:37,106 --> 00:16:41,362 And Naomi took the child and laid it in her bosom and became a 392 00:16:41,386 --> 00:16:42,430 nurse unto it. 393 00:16:43,170 --> 00:16:47,482 So God obviously allowed for her sons to be taken from her. 394 00:16:47,506 --> 00:16:51,162 But now we see that this grandson is restored to her, and 395 00:16:51,186 --> 00:16:53,746 we see that Naomi now has this blessing. 396 00:16:53,938 --> 00:16:57,570 And this is an exciting opportunity to see God still caring 397 00:16:57,610 --> 00:17:02,034 for Naomi and providing a way for her to have this peace and rest 398 00:17:02,082 --> 00:17:02,930 and comfort. 399 00:17:03,050 --> 00:17:04,330 And God is a comforter. 400 00:17:04,450 --> 00:17:07,170 Second Corinthians, chapter one, says that God is the God of 401 00:17:07,210 --> 00:17:08,274 all comfort. 402 00:17:08,442 --> 00:17:11,070 And comfort comes in different ways and at different times. 403 00:17:12,210 --> 00:17:17,738 Some of you have heard me give the story before of when I had a 404 00:17:17,754 --> 00:17:18,202 kidney stone. 405 00:17:18,226 --> 00:17:20,690 And some of you that have had a kidney stone can relate to this. 406 00:17:20,730 --> 00:17:24,370 Orlando, maybe you've had another pain that was just unbearable. 407 00:17:24,490 --> 00:17:25,310 Okay. 408 00:17:25,610 --> 00:17:28,554 I remember I had that kidney stone. 409 00:17:28,602 --> 00:17:29,530 It was hurting really bad. 410 00:17:29,570 --> 00:17:30,218 I went into the. 411 00:17:30,274 --> 00:17:30,698 My dad. 412 00:17:30,754 --> 00:17:33,842 It was ironic, because my dad had just had a kidney stone about 413 00:17:33,946 --> 00:17:35,082 a week or two before. 414 00:17:35,226 --> 00:17:37,170 So he went to the emergency room. 415 00:17:37,290 --> 00:17:38,178 They immediately. 416 00:17:38,274 --> 00:17:39,506 They were like, oh, sorry, sir. 417 00:17:39,538 --> 00:17:41,578 You know, we're sorry for your pain. 418 00:17:41,674 --> 00:17:42,650 We're gonna give you the medicine. 419 00:17:42,690 --> 00:17:45,738 He said within, like, ten to 15 minutes, he was already on the 420 00:17:45,914 --> 00:17:46,410 medicine. 421 00:17:46,450 --> 00:17:48,258 He felt better, and they addressed it. 422 00:17:48,274 --> 00:17:49,082 It was overdeveloped. 423 00:17:49,136 --> 00:17:50,486 Yeah, that wasn't my story. 424 00:17:50,558 --> 00:17:51,102 Okay. 425 00:17:51,206 --> 00:17:53,622 I was in the emergency room for, like, two to 3 hours, and they. 426 00:17:53,646 --> 00:17:55,070 I still hadn't been called back. 427 00:17:55,190 --> 00:17:56,118 And I'm sitting there in the. 428 00:17:56,134 --> 00:17:58,062 In the emergency room going, you know, what? 429 00:17:58,166 --> 00:17:59,094 What's going on? 430 00:17:59,142 --> 00:18:02,678 I was writhing in pain, and I told Alicia, I said, I think I'm 431 00:18:02,694 --> 00:18:03,310 gonna pass out. 432 00:18:03,350 --> 00:18:04,862 And she's like, well, then just pass out. 433 00:18:04,966 --> 00:18:06,582 Because if you pass out, maybe they'll take you back. 434 00:18:06,606 --> 00:18:07,782 So I'm, like, trying to pass out. 435 00:18:07,806 --> 00:18:08,838 I'm like, okay, what's going on? 436 00:18:08,894 --> 00:18:10,662 And I was in a lot of pain. 437 00:18:10,846 --> 00:18:12,526 And so then they take me back. 438 00:18:12,558 --> 00:18:14,750 They go, you know, mister Masaru, come on back. 439 00:18:14,910 --> 00:18:16,110 What seems to be the problem? 440 00:18:16,190 --> 00:18:19,942 I said, my side feels like someone just stabbed me. 441 00:18:20,086 --> 00:18:21,622 I feel like I'm about to explode. 442 00:18:21,646 --> 00:18:22,894 I said, I think it's a kidney stone. 443 00:18:22,942 --> 00:18:25,086 They said, okay, okay, well, sit over here and wait. 444 00:18:25,118 --> 00:18:27,582 So now I'm in a secondary waiting room, and I'm like, what 445 00:18:27,606 --> 00:18:28,142 is this? 446 00:18:28,246 --> 00:18:30,110 I was like, I thought I was back, so I thought. 447 00:18:30,190 --> 00:18:33,014 And so there was just that waiting and that excruciating pain. 448 00:18:33,102 --> 00:18:34,810 And then eventually, eventually. 449 00:18:36,750 --> 00:18:37,926 So then Alicia had to leave. 450 00:18:37,958 --> 00:18:39,142 Micah was a baby at this point. 451 00:18:39,166 --> 00:18:40,998 It was getting late, so Alicia was like, I got to go. 452 00:18:41,014 --> 00:18:42,566 I got to take care because my parents were there. 453 00:18:42,638 --> 00:18:42,752 I. 454 00:18:42,766 --> 00:18:44,012 So my mom's like, I'll wait with you. 455 00:18:44,036 --> 00:18:48,628 So my mom waits with me there, and eventually they get me back. 456 00:18:48,684 --> 00:18:49,036 This is. 457 00:18:49,068 --> 00:18:50,156 I don't know how it felt. 458 00:18:50,188 --> 00:18:51,220 Like six or 7 hours. 459 00:18:51,260 --> 00:18:52,156 I don't know if it was that long. 460 00:18:52,188 --> 00:18:54,620 I'll have to confirm that story tonight with my parents. 461 00:18:54,780 --> 00:18:57,068 But I finally got back, and they put an iv in my arm, and they 462 00:18:57,084 --> 00:18:57,940 put that medicine in. 463 00:18:57,980 --> 00:19:00,260 And, I mean, I'm telling you, it was, like, immediate. 464 00:19:00,380 --> 00:19:02,292 I was like, oh, it went away. 465 00:19:02,396 --> 00:19:03,228 The pain's gone. 466 00:19:03,324 --> 00:19:06,692 And I remember looking at my mom and going, why am I here? 467 00:19:06,796 --> 00:19:07,996 I feel like it's fine right now. 468 00:19:08,028 --> 00:19:11,374 And she's like, son, you were just writhing in pain over here. 469 00:19:11,502 --> 00:19:15,046 And so immediately when that comfort came, I forgot about that 470 00:19:15,078 --> 00:19:15,342 problem. 471 00:19:15,406 --> 00:19:15,958 I'm like, what am I? 472 00:19:15,974 --> 00:19:16,374 What's. 473 00:19:16,462 --> 00:19:17,470 Why was I complaining? 474 00:19:17,590 --> 00:19:20,326 Now, I know that that comfort was temporary, okay? 475 00:19:20,518 --> 00:19:22,734 But that's sometimes how it is with the Lord, right? 476 00:19:22,822 --> 00:19:24,574 He brings that comfort into our lives. 477 00:19:24,622 --> 00:19:27,030 And then we say, well, why was I stressed about that in the first 478 00:19:27,070 --> 00:19:27,650 place? 479 00:19:27,990 --> 00:19:29,454 He took care of that for me. 480 00:19:29,582 --> 00:19:31,494 And it seems like we have short memories. 481 00:19:31,542 --> 00:19:34,446 We forget about how God got us through this struggle and this struggle, 482 00:19:34,478 --> 00:19:36,966 and now we're in that pain again, and we're going, oh, come 483 00:19:36,998 --> 00:19:38,446 on, God, why is it not happening now? 484 00:19:38,478 --> 00:19:41,582 Well, in his time, in his way, he will comfort us. 485 00:19:41,606 --> 00:19:43,342 He is the God of all comfort. 486 00:19:43,486 --> 00:19:46,326 And sometimes we go through those struggles, or at least he allows 487 00:19:46,358 --> 00:19:49,158 us to go through those struggles so that we can learn something, 488 00:19:49,294 --> 00:19:52,766 so that we can grow in our faith, so that we can grow in our 489 00:19:52,798 --> 00:19:53,970 trust in him. 490 00:19:54,350 --> 00:19:56,290 And sometimes that is a painful process. 491 00:19:56,910 --> 00:19:58,862 Sometimes growing is painful. 492 00:19:58,926 --> 00:20:01,948 Sometimes learning a lesson is painful. 493 00:20:02,134 --> 00:20:04,336 The Bible says that that is necessary. 494 00:20:04,448 --> 00:20:07,352 Romans chapter five tells us that it's necessary to go through 495 00:20:07,376 --> 00:20:09,688 those tribulations so that we can get to a place of hope at the 496 00:20:09,704 --> 00:20:10,260 end. 497 00:20:10,960 --> 00:20:14,056 It's patience, experience, hope. 498 00:20:14,208 --> 00:20:16,864 And that's what we see here in this passage of scripture. 499 00:20:16,992 --> 00:20:20,960 Naomi gets the comfort, verse 17. 500 00:20:21,120 --> 00:20:24,872 And the women, her neighbors, gave it a name, saying, there is 501 00:20:24,896 --> 00:20:29,410 a son born to Naomi, and they called his name Obedient. 502 00:20:29,860 --> 00:20:31,640 He is the father of Jesse. 503 00:20:32,140 --> 00:20:34,628 That name should sound familiar to you because we see in 504 00:20:34,644 --> 00:20:36,680 that next phrase the father of David. 505 00:20:37,260 --> 00:20:43,800 And so we get to see the line of the messiah through Ruth and Boaz, 506 00:20:44,380 --> 00:20:48,520 through Obed, through Jesse, and through David. 507 00:20:48,860 --> 00:20:52,892 And so Ruth and Boaz are the great grandparents of David, the 508 00:20:52,916 --> 00:20:53,892 king of Israel. 509 00:20:54,036 --> 00:20:57,054 And we know that Jesus comes from the line of David. 510 00:20:57,252 --> 00:21:00,250 And so the son of Ruth and Boaz was named Obed. 511 00:21:00,370 --> 00:21:01,786 He was the son of Jesse. 512 00:21:01,938 --> 00:21:05,362 And what an amazing, or, excuse me, the father of Jesse, and 513 00:21:05,386 --> 00:21:07,950 then ultimately the grandfather of David. 514 00:21:08,370 --> 00:21:14,482 So Naomi's return to Bethlehem way back at the very beginning, and 515 00:21:14,506 --> 00:21:17,538 the roots of David in Bethlehem going back to Ruth and 516 00:21:17,554 --> 00:21:22,202 Boaz are why Joseph and Mary had to go to Bethlehem back in Luke, 517 00:21:22,226 --> 00:21:22,706 chapter two. 518 00:21:22,738 --> 00:21:26,404 If you know, that story went back to be taxed, and it was actually 519 00:21:26,492 --> 00:21:27,532 like a census. 520 00:21:27,676 --> 00:21:31,324 And so Ruth and Boaz are the reasons why Jesus was born in Bethlehem, 521 00:21:31,452 --> 00:21:31,788 right? 522 00:21:31,844 --> 00:21:32,996 Or just one of the many reasons. 523 00:21:33,028 --> 00:21:34,444 Ultimately, it was God's plan. 524 00:21:34,612 --> 00:21:37,812 And we know that that's a fulfillment of prophecy, and we know 525 00:21:37,836 --> 00:21:38,972 that all of this comes together. 526 00:21:39,036 --> 00:21:42,300 And that's one of the ways that we can see in scripture how 527 00:21:42,340 --> 00:21:45,500 God's plan is woven throughout all of scripture. 528 00:21:45,620 --> 00:21:47,060 And that's an amazing thing to see. 529 00:21:47,100 --> 00:21:47,780 Verse 18. 530 00:21:47,900 --> 00:21:49,516 Now, these are the generations of Phares. 531 00:21:49,548 --> 00:21:53,368 Phares begat Hezron, and Hezron begat Ram, and Ram begat Abinadab, 532 00:21:53,484 --> 00:21:57,952 and Abinadab begat Nashon, and Nashon begat Salmon, and Salman begat 533 00:21:57,976 --> 00:22:01,400 Boaz, and Boaz begat Obad, and obad begat Jesse, and Jesse begat 534 00:22:01,440 --> 00:22:01,696 David. 535 00:22:01,728 --> 00:22:03,040 Now, you say, why is there. 536 00:22:03,200 --> 00:22:04,296 I don't like genealogies. 537 00:22:04,328 --> 00:22:05,464 Well, you should like genealogies. 538 00:22:05,512 --> 00:22:08,912 Genealogies are really cool, because the reason why it's there 539 00:22:08,936 --> 00:22:09,616 for a reason. 540 00:22:09,728 --> 00:22:12,340 Anytime the Bible puts something. 541 00:22:12,720 --> 00:22:15,552 Anytime you see something in scripture, the reason it's there 542 00:22:15,576 --> 00:22:18,976 is it's for something for us to know, and genealogies are there 543 00:22:19,008 --> 00:22:21,488 to show us that path and to show us that line. 544 00:22:21,584 --> 00:22:23,900 And specifically in this case, the line of Jesus. 545 00:22:24,330 --> 00:22:27,026 And so what can we take with us with the story of Ruth? 546 00:22:27,058 --> 00:22:30,194 Well, there's a lot of things that we can take with us, but the 547 00:22:30,242 --> 00:22:33,002 biggest picture that I think we can take with us in our life is 548 00:22:33,026 --> 00:22:35,150 that picture of the kinsman Redeemer. 549 00:22:35,890 --> 00:22:39,122 You, as a Christian today, have a kinsman redeemer. 550 00:22:39,146 --> 00:22:41,834 If you trust in Jesus Christ as your savior, he is your kinsman 551 00:22:41,882 --> 00:22:42,746 redeemer. 552 00:22:42,938 --> 00:22:44,430 He bought you with a price. 553 00:22:45,250 --> 00:22:47,034 The Bible says that we are bought with a price. 554 00:22:47,082 --> 00:22:49,050 We are redeemed by his blood. 555 00:22:49,090 --> 00:22:50,830 We are redeemed by his love. 556 00:22:51,470 --> 00:22:53,222 And it wasn't free for us. 557 00:22:53,286 --> 00:22:54,582 Or excuse me, it was free for us. 558 00:22:54,606 --> 00:22:55,930 It wasn't free for him. 559 00:22:56,670 --> 00:22:58,062 He paid a price for us. 560 00:22:58,126 --> 00:23:00,886 And so the kinsman Redeemer had the duty of buying the family 561 00:23:00,958 --> 00:23:02,070 members out of slavery. 562 00:23:02,110 --> 00:23:07,254 And Jesus redeemed us from slavery and from death and from sin. 563 00:23:07,302 --> 00:23:08,958 And he brings us to salvation. 564 00:23:09,094 --> 00:23:11,510 He brings us to everlasting life. 565 00:23:11,670 --> 00:23:15,454 So Boaz, as the kinsman Redeemer to Ruth, wasn't motivated 566 00:23:15,502 --> 00:23:20,522 by self interest, but he was motivated by selfless love, agape 567 00:23:20,626 --> 00:23:20,866 love. 568 00:23:20,898 --> 00:23:25,338 And so God, through his love for us, the Bible says, sent his 569 00:23:25,354 --> 00:23:26,146 only begotten son. 570 00:23:26,178 --> 00:23:29,154 And Jesus proved his love towards us, in that while we were 571 00:23:29,162 --> 00:23:30,842 yet sinners, he died for us. 572 00:23:31,026 --> 00:23:35,190 So the kinsman Redeemer is motivated by love, true love. 573 00:23:35,530 --> 00:23:39,466 And so Boaz, as the kinsman Redeemer to Ruth, had a plan to redeem 574 00:23:39,498 --> 00:23:40,710 Ruth unto himself. 575 00:23:41,010 --> 00:23:43,130 And there were challenges along the way. 576 00:23:43,290 --> 00:23:46,744 And Jesus had a plan, and some might think even some challenges 577 00:23:46,792 --> 00:23:47,640 along the way. 578 00:23:47,760 --> 00:23:50,984 But ultimately, we know that God's plan was played out through 579 00:23:51,112 --> 00:23:54,780 Jesus Christ and through his redeeming work on the cross for us. 580 00:23:55,800 --> 00:23:58,240 And so we are just like Ruth. 581 00:23:58,280 --> 00:23:59,288 We are the bride of Christ. 582 00:23:59,344 --> 00:24:01,780 The Bible says that in Ephesians, chapter five. 583 00:24:02,880 --> 00:24:06,776 The Bible says in ephesians 531 and 32, for this cause shall 584 00:24:06,808 --> 00:24:09,512 a man leave his father and mother and shall be joined unto his 585 00:24:09,536 --> 00:24:12,192 wife, and they too shall be one flesh. 586 00:24:12,256 --> 00:24:17,070 This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. 587 00:24:17,450 --> 00:24:23,154 And so what we really see is that marriage is a picture of Christ 588 00:24:23,202 --> 00:24:24,150 in the church. 589 00:24:24,850 --> 00:24:28,482 And so the way that we live our lives as married couples actually 590 00:24:28,586 --> 00:24:31,858 demonstrates to the world the relationship that Christ has with 591 00:24:31,874 --> 00:24:32,538 the church. 592 00:24:32,674 --> 00:24:35,138 It's a really interesting study, if you think about marriage 593 00:24:35,194 --> 00:24:36,170 in that perspective. 594 00:24:36,210 --> 00:24:41,348 It changes the way that we see marriage, and it will change the 595 00:24:41,364 --> 00:24:44,040 way that people will see what it means to love a spouse. 596 00:24:44,340 --> 00:24:48,292 And so what we see is that husbands, the responsibility for 597 00:24:48,316 --> 00:24:52,780 us, is to love our wives as Christ loved the church and gave 598 00:24:52,820 --> 00:24:53,988 himself for it. 599 00:24:54,164 --> 00:24:54,972 Sacrificial. 600 00:24:55,036 --> 00:24:55,236 Right. 601 00:24:55,268 --> 00:24:58,692 We know that, and we know what the wife's role is. 602 00:24:58,716 --> 00:25:01,876 The wife, it says there in Ephesians, to submit to her husband 603 00:25:02,068 --> 00:25:03,532 and to understand what that is. 604 00:25:03,556 --> 00:25:05,716 And so that's the understanding of the church submitting 605 00:25:05,748 --> 00:25:07,786 to Jesus Christ. 606 00:25:07,978 --> 00:25:11,690 Now, I know that that can be somewhat offensive to certain people 607 00:25:11,730 --> 00:25:14,842 in our society today, but the Bible clearly says that there are 608 00:25:14,866 --> 00:25:17,330 roles within the marriage equal in value, if you want to study 609 00:25:17,370 --> 00:25:17,658 that out. 610 00:25:17,674 --> 00:25:21,002 In one Peter, one Peter talks about how we're joint heirs together 611 00:25:21,106 --> 00:25:22,362 in the grace of God. 612 00:25:22,506 --> 00:25:24,466 Isn't that the husband's better than the wife? 613 00:25:24,578 --> 00:25:27,530 It's not that he has more wisdom or more power. 614 00:25:27,610 --> 00:25:30,562 It just talks about how we're different in our roles. 615 00:25:30,706 --> 00:25:34,820 Distinct in our roles, but equal in value in the eyes of goddesse. 616 00:25:34,930 --> 00:25:38,352 And so there is a beautiful picture of Ruth and Boaz's love, 617 00:25:38,456 --> 00:25:42,520 and that's a beautiful picture of the love that God has for us as 618 00:25:42,560 --> 00:25:43,272 his church. 619 00:25:43,376 --> 00:25:46,536 And it also can be applied to the way that we are to live our lives 620 00:25:46,608 --> 00:25:49,180 in our marriages within the church as well. 621 00:25:49,920 --> 00:25:52,008 But it all comes back to that kinsman Redeemer. 622 00:25:52,024 --> 00:25:55,880 It all comes back to that understanding of forgiveness and 623 00:25:55,920 --> 00:25:57,440 love and sacrifice. 624 00:25:57,600 --> 00:26:01,892 And so Boaz was willing to do anything for his bride, and God is 625 00:26:01,916 --> 00:26:05,240 willing to do anything for us and even give his life for us. 626 00:26:06,060 --> 00:26:11,000 You know, I love the picture in Isaiah 54. 627 00:26:12,180 --> 00:26:16,348 Isaiah 54, verses four through eight, kind of speak of this kinsman 628 00:26:16,404 --> 00:26:18,480 redeemer and what this is all about. 629 00:26:18,940 --> 00:26:23,932 And I think it would do us well to look at that passage. 630 00:26:24,076 --> 00:26:27,560 So if you would like to turn there with me, Isaiah 54. 631 00:26:30,540 --> 00:26:33,440 And we'll start in verses four through eight. 632 00:26:35,820 --> 00:26:43,508 And I think that through this we can see who Christ is, what he 633 00:26:43,524 --> 00:26:47,772 has done, what he continues to do as our kinsman Redeemer. 634 00:26:47,956 --> 00:26:50,236 And so it starts in Isaiah 54 four. 635 00:26:50,268 --> 00:26:51,600 It says, fear not. 636 00:26:52,420 --> 00:26:55,668 And I love how that is mentioned so often in scripture. 637 00:26:55,724 --> 00:26:59,624 Specifically dealing with our relationship with Goddesse prefaces 638 00:26:59,752 --> 00:27:03,296 things that he talks to us about when it comes to our struggles 639 00:27:03,328 --> 00:27:05,552 with fear not, we see that over and over again. 640 00:27:05,576 --> 00:27:10,340 So fear not, for thou shalt not be ashamed, neither be thou confounded, 641 00:27:11,040 --> 00:27:15,792 for thou shalt not be put to shame, for thou shalt forget the 642 00:27:15,816 --> 00:27:17,140 shame of thy youth. 643 00:27:18,080 --> 00:27:23,140 Isn't that exciting, that in our forgiveness, the way. 644 00:27:23,800 --> 00:27:26,224 I don't know about you, but I have a lot of things that I did in 645 00:27:26,232 --> 00:27:27,740 my youth that I'm ashamed of. 646 00:27:28,320 --> 00:27:31,344 I would not if they followed me around with the camera when I 647 00:27:31,352 --> 00:27:33,500 was a child and a teenager. 648 00:27:33,920 --> 00:27:34,992 And they played it for you. 649 00:27:35,016 --> 00:27:37,200 Now I would just be so ashamed. 650 00:27:37,240 --> 00:27:37,520 Okay. 651 00:27:37,560 --> 00:27:39,232 All my mistakes and all my problems. 652 00:27:39,256 --> 00:27:43,592 But the Bible says that in our forgiveness that we are not defined 653 00:27:43,696 --> 00:27:48,200 by the shame of our youth and shall not remember the reproach of 654 00:27:48,240 --> 00:27:51,100 thy widow would anymore. 655 00:27:52,730 --> 00:27:53,738 For the maker. 656 00:27:53,794 --> 00:27:55,602 For thy maker is thine husband. 657 00:27:55,746 --> 00:28:00,490 The Lord of hosts is his name, and thy redeemer, the holy one of 658 00:28:00,530 --> 00:28:06,190 Israel, the God of the whole earth shall he be called. 659 00:28:06,570 --> 00:28:06,882 For. 660 00:28:06,906 --> 00:28:11,962 The Lord hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, 661 00:28:12,066 --> 00:28:17,000 and a wife of youth when thou wast refused, saith thy goddess. 662 00:28:17,110 --> 00:28:20,372 For a small moment have I forsaken thee, but with great mercies 663 00:28:20,436 --> 00:28:22,484 will I gather thee in a little wrath. 664 00:28:22,532 --> 00:28:25,996 I hid my face from thee for a moment, but with everlasting kindness 665 00:28:26,028 --> 00:28:30,200 will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer. 666 00:28:30,900 --> 00:28:33,756 And so I think that's just one of the many beautiful pictures in 667 00:28:33,788 --> 00:28:36,812 scripture that speak to how God takes us out of that life of 668 00:28:36,836 --> 00:28:37,340 brokenness. 669 00:28:37,380 --> 00:28:40,836 And though we might feel forgotten about for a time, we will 670 00:28:40,868 --> 00:28:42,108 be restored and renewed. 671 00:28:42,124 --> 00:28:44,282 And so I want you to think about the end of ruthen. 672 00:28:44,336 --> 00:28:46,646 What does it say there that God doesn't forget about us. 673 00:28:46,758 --> 00:28:50,390 He restores us, he nourishes us, and he provides that blessing 674 00:28:50,430 --> 00:28:51,846 of forgiveness in our life. 675 00:28:51,878 --> 00:28:53,770 And so that is the story of Ruth. 676 00:28:54,350 --> 00:28:57,358 I always used to think that Ruth was just a story of Boaz and 677 00:28:57,374 --> 00:28:58,982 Ruth and getting married, and that's love. 678 00:28:59,046 --> 00:29:00,110 And it is a great love story. 679 00:29:00,150 --> 00:29:01,006 It's a beautiful love story. 680 00:29:01,038 --> 00:29:04,190 But any love story in scripture points to a relationship 681 00:29:04,230 --> 00:29:05,810 that God has for us. 682 00:29:06,150 --> 00:29:08,902 And so you have the story of Boaz and Ruth. 683 00:29:08,926 --> 00:29:10,158 You have the story of. 684 00:29:10,334 --> 00:29:13,518 And there's other stories of love, and not always as pretty. 685 00:29:13,654 --> 00:29:15,142 You have the story of Hosea. 686 00:29:15,246 --> 00:29:16,446 You ever heard the story of Hosea? 687 00:29:16,478 --> 00:29:19,390 That's a whole other story of how God's love is, and that's a different 688 00:29:19,550 --> 00:29:20,910 aspect of God's love. 689 00:29:21,030 --> 00:29:24,238 And that speaks of more of God's love in the midst of our unfaithfulness 690 00:29:24,374 --> 00:29:26,370 and the struggle with that. 691 00:29:27,190 --> 00:29:28,998 So we conclude the book of Ruth. 692 00:29:29,014 --> 00:29:30,966 And I hope it's been a good study for you. 693 00:29:30,998 --> 00:29:32,318 I hope it's been challenging. 694 00:29:32,374 --> 00:29:37,720 I hope it's been at least somewhat convicting, hopefully encouraging 695 00:29:37,880 --> 00:29:40,440 to know that you have a kinsman Redeemer. 696 00:29:40,600 --> 00:29:43,432 And if that's something that you have questions about, if that's 697 00:29:43,456 --> 00:29:44,344 something that you might say. 698 00:29:44,392 --> 00:29:46,000 I never really understood it that way. 699 00:29:46,120 --> 00:29:48,352 I've always just understood it to be that I'm trying really hard 700 00:29:48,376 --> 00:29:51,296 in my life, and I hope God shines his light upon me one day. 701 00:29:51,408 --> 00:29:53,328 Folks, that's a misunderstanding of the gospel of 702 00:29:53,344 --> 00:29:54,180 Jesus Christ. 703 00:29:54,960 --> 00:29:58,736 I gotta tell you this, and this is something that I think is 704 00:29:58,768 --> 00:30:02,440 one of my life's messages, is we cannot work our way to heaven. 705 00:30:02,560 --> 00:30:03,980 We cannot be good enough. 706 00:30:05,680 --> 00:30:07,864 It's just not realistic. 707 00:30:07,912 --> 00:30:10,980 We cannot be good enough to meet the standard of God. 708 00:30:11,480 --> 00:30:13,168 Now, it doesn't mean that we stop striving. 709 00:30:13,224 --> 00:30:15,752 It doesn't mean that we stop trying to serve him, stop trying 710 00:30:15,776 --> 00:30:16,256 to love him. 711 00:30:16,288 --> 00:30:17,912 But that's not the reason why we love him. 712 00:30:17,936 --> 00:30:20,952 We don't love him so that he'll bring us to heaven one day. 713 00:30:21,096 --> 00:30:23,976 He brings us to heaven one day when we trust in what he has done 714 00:30:24,008 --> 00:30:24,640 for us. 715 00:30:24,760 --> 00:30:26,800 And the good works are just stemming out of that. 716 00:30:26,840 --> 00:30:30,882 True faith works don't save us, but true faith does produce that 717 00:30:30,906 --> 00:30:32,554 work in our lives. 718 00:30:32,682 --> 00:30:36,314 Not perfect, but the Bible does say that that true faith has 719 00:30:36,362 --> 00:30:37,202 a change in our life. 720 00:30:37,226 --> 00:30:41,770 And just as Naomi changed, just as Ruth was changed from a lady 721 00:30:41,890 --> 00:30:45,914 in idolatry, in paganism, to a life of being part of the line of 722 00:30:45,922 --> 00:30:47,722 the Messiah, so we can be part of that. 723 00:30:47,826 --> 00:30:49,042 I don't know what your past is. 724 00:30:49,106 --> 00:30:54,402 I mean, you hear stories about people that were saved at five years 725 00:30:54,426 --> 00:30:55,858 old, and that's great. 726 00:30:55,914 --> 00:30:58,406 That's a wonderful story, because I think that when we see 727 00:30:58,438 --> 00:31:01,302 testimonies of people getting saved at a young age, that's a picture 728 00:31:01,326 --> 00:31:04,382 of God's protection from that person seeing the effects of sin 729 00:31:04,406 --> 00:31:04,846 in their life. 730 00:31:04,878 --> 00:31:05,614 And that's exciting. 731 00:31:05,662 --> 00:31:08,574 And we celebrate those just as much as we celebrate those people 732 00:31:08,622 --> 00:31:12,570 that were saved out of a life of violence and a life of addiction. 733 00:31:13,030 --> 00:31:14,638 That's a miracle in and of itself. 734 00:31:14,694 --> 00:31:17,270 Salvation is a miracle no matter what that person was doing 735 00:31:17,310 --> 00:31:18,134 prior to salvation. 736 00:31:18,182 --> 00:31:20,982 Because the Bible says that all of us, whether we were five years 737 00:31:21,006 --> 00:31:23,582 old in a kindergarten classroom or we were in the middle 738 00:31:23,606 --> 00:31:28,192 of prison, we are all enemies of God before we come to him. 739 00:31:28,336 --> 00:31:30,696 And as we come to him in faith, and as he extends that grace 740 00:31:30,728 --> 00:31:33,224 to us, we are all blessings. 741 00:31:33,312 --> 00:31:36,240 We are all blessed by the miracle of God's grace. 742 00:31:36,400 --> 00:31:38,888 And so I want you to think about salvation that way. 743 00:31:38,944 --> 00:31:41,648 Salvation is not just, hey, it's my ticket. 744 00:31:41,784 --> 00:31:44,768 Like, I go to the golf club or the YMCA. 745 00:31:44,864 --> 00:31:47,064 I signed up on a line, and now I'm part of the club. 746 00:31:47,112 --> 00:31:48,272 That's not what salvation is. 747 00:31:48,296 --> 00:31:52,650 Salvation is a miracle given to us out of grace and mercy, something 748 00:31:52,690 --> 00:31:56,338 that we did not deserve, but yet we still get the blessings of 749 00:31:56,354 --> 00:31:56,482 it. 750 00:31:56,506 --> 00:31:58,578 And that is an awesome, awesome thing. 751 00:31:58,754 --> 00:32:02,890 Well, so many people have been asking me, where are we going after 752 00:32:02,930 --> 00:32:03,274 Ruth? 753 00:32:03,322 --> 00:32:05,498 We were in Genesis for a long time, and we went to Ruth. 754 00:32:05,514 --> 00:32:06,538 Where are we going now? 755 00:32:06,674 --> 00:32:09,122 Well, I want to kind of whet your appetite for where we're going 756 00:32:09,146 --> 00:32:09,786 in the future. 757 00:32:09,898 --> 00:32:10,506 Okay. 758 00:32:10,618 --> 00:32:14,458 And I don't know if you guys have seen a theme, but on Wednesday 759 00:32:14,514 --> 00:32:16,394 nights, we have been really spending a lot of time in the old 760 00:32:16,442 --> 00:32:19,836 Testament, and we will continue that theme in the old Testament 761 00:32:19,868 --> 00:32:20,756 here for a while. 762 00:32:20,868 --> 00:32:23,876 And I think it's so important to see the full scope of scripture. 763 00:32:24,068 --> 00:32:28,412 And so one of the things that I was really doing was I was reading 764 00:32:28,436 --> 00:32:31,212 through the Old Testament, and I was really praying hard about where 765 00:32:31,236 --> 00:32:32,240 we would go next. 766 00:32:33,140 --> 00:32:35,172 I hope that you know that I don't just go like this. 767 00:32:35,196 --> 00:32:35,748 Okay. 768 00:32:35,884 --> 00:32:37,812 I think some people think that maybe I just do this. 769 00:32:37,836 --> 00:32:38,644 I just skimmed through the old. 770 00:32:38,692 --> 00:32:39,692 All right, we're going to preach on this. 771 00:32:39,716 --> 00:32:40,484 No, this. 772 00:32:40,652 --> 00:32:43,548 I spend a lot of time praying about where God would have us to 773 00:32:43,564 --> 00:32:44,188 go next. 774 00:32:44,324 --> 00:32:48,660 And I really felt pulled to the Old Testament and specifically 775 00:32:48,700 --> 00:32:50,068 the book of Zephaniah. 776 00:32:50,164 --> 00:32:52,956 And I don't know if any of you have studied the book of Zephaniah. 777 00:32:53,068 --> 00:32:57,052 It's a very short book of the Bible, three chapters, but there 778 00:32:57,076 --> 00:32:58,280 is a lot there. 779 00:32:59,340 --> 00:33:00,988 So I just want to give you kind of a. 780 00:33:01,044 --> 00:33:03,508 Because some of you might have just heard Zephaniah and said, okay, 781 00:33:03,604 --> 00:33:05,220 I won't be coming back till after that. 782 00:33:05,260 --> 00:33:06,156 That sounds like a no. 783 00:33:06,188 --> 00:33:08,052 Zephaniah is an exciting book of the Bible. 784 00:33:08,196 --> 00:33:12,310 It speaks of God's judgment upon those who rebel against him, 785 00:33:12,350 --> 00:33:15,782 and it also speaks of God's forgiveness and grace to those who 786 00:33:15,806 --> 00:33:17,890 come back to him in humility and forgiveness. 787 00:33:18,230 --> 00:33:22,742 And I really, as I was reading through the book of Zephaniah, I 788 00:33:22,766 --> 00:33:23,150 saw this. 789 00:33:23,190 --> 00:33:24,290 I said, you know what? 790 00:33:24,950 --> 00:33:28,574 You could transplant Zephaniah's message to a pulpit today 791 00:33:28,622 --> 00:33:32,046 in America, and it would be perfectly applicable because he talks 792 00:33:32,078 --> 00:33:33,730 about idolatry. 793 00:33:34,070 --> 00:33:37,144 You say, well, we don't have any idolatry in America, folks. 794 00:33:37,272 --> 00:33:39,180 We're plagued by idolatry. 795 00:33:39,640 --> 00:33:41,048 Plagued by it. 796 00:33:41,224 --> 00:33:43,460 And God hates idolatry. 797 00:33:43,880 --> 00:33:46,180 Idolatry is putting anything before the Lord. 798 00:33:46,720 --> 00:33:48,672 We have a lot of people that are putting things before the Lord 799 00:33:48,696 --> 00:33:49,500 these days. 800 00:33:50,800 --> 00:33:56,260 So idolatry, another aspect that he deals with is complacency. 801 00:33:56,800 --> 00:33:59,952 There is a phrase in the book of Zephaniah where basically the 802 00:33:59,976 --> 00:34:01,878 people are like, we don't really care what God does. 803 00:34:02,024 --> 00:34:04,226 We're going to do our own thing, and God's just going to do 804 00:34:04,258 --> 00:34:07,282 his thing, and we'll just do our, you know, he does his thing, 805 00:34:07,306 --> 00:34:09,194 we do our thing, and we're all just going to be happy. 806 00:34:09,322 --> 00:34:12,242 Very, very complacent about what God's work is going to be done. 807 00:34:12,306 --> 00:34:13,642 That's what we see in America today. 808 00:34:13,746 --> 00:34:17,138 We see a lot of people that they might believe that there's a 809 00:34:17,154 --> 00:34:17,690 God up there. 810 00:34:17,730 --> 00:34:19,650 They might even believe that he's a good God. 811 00:34:19,770 --> 00:34:21,674 But, you know, don't get involved in my life. 812 00:34:21,722 --> 00:34:23,146 My life is the way that it is. 813 00:34:23,258 --> 00:34:25,346 And so we're going to talk about how we deal with spiritual 814 00:34:25,378 --> 00:34:27,950 complacency within the church and without. 815 00:34:28,410 --> 00:34:33,778 And really, we're going to see the goodness of God's judgment and 816 00:34:33,794 --> 00:34:37,466 the importance of knowing that God is a righteous judge, but also 817 00:34:37,538 --> 00:34:43,226 he's a gracious, forgiving Lord that's willing to have us come 818 00:34:43,258 --> 00:34:44,002 back to him. 819 00:34:44,106 --> 00:34:46,106 And that's what the book of Zephaniah is all about. 820 00:34:46,138 --> 00:34:47,842 So we're going to go through it very, very slowly. 821 00:34:47,866 --> 00:34:48,970 It's three chapters. 822 00:34:49,090 --> 00:34:54,132 Might take us, I don't know, a couple months, I don't know, maybe 823 00:34:54,156 --> 00:34:54,652 a couple weeks. 824 00:34:54,676 --> 00:34:58,320 We'll see, see how it goes, see how good of a listeners you are. 825 00:34:58,660 --> 00:35:01,240 But I appreciate you being here through this study. 826 00:35:02,260 --> 00:35:03,964 And I mean this, by the way. 827 00:35:04,092 --> 00:35:07,852 If there is a study that you are, you're like, I've been always 828 00:35:07,916 --> 00:35:13,276 dying to hear a study on this passage, or even a topic for that 829 00:35:13,308 --> 00:35:13,836 matter. 830 00:35:13,988 --> 00:35:15,460 I'm always open to suggestions. 831 00:35:15,500 --> 00:35:18,492 I'm not gonna say that I will take your suggestion, but I will 832 00:35:18,516 --> 00:35:21,298 say I'm always open to hear people's thoughts and say, you know 833 00:35:21,314 --> 00:35:21,466 what? 834 00:35:21,498 --> 00:35:22,842 Can you please preach on this? 835 00:35:22,866 --> 00:35:28,110 Now, as you well know, I'm not always inclined just to preach about 836 00:35:28,410 --> 00:35:31,434 just whims and opinions and things like that. 837 00:35:31,522 --> 00:35:34,258 But if there's a passage of scripture or topic that you'd like 838 00:35:34,274 --> 00:35:37,202 to talk about, we might not be able to bring it up within, like, 839 00:35:37,226 --> 00:35:39,362 a corporate setting, but it might be something that we're able 840 00:35:39,386 --> 00:35:41,986 to do on a smaller setting in a different way. 841 00:35:42,138 --> 00:35:45,946 Some of you know that we have a podcast at the church, and I'm 842 00:35:45,978 --> 00:35:49,634 really looking for ideas and topics to deal with, with individuals 843 00:35:49,722 --> 00:35:51,986 because I can tell you what I'm excited about, and I can share 844 00:35:52,018 --> 00:35:54,770 with you what I'm thinking about, but it might not be something 845 00:35:54,810 --> 00:35:55,770 that you've been thinking about. 846 00:35:55,810 --> 00:35:57,070 So if there's a topic. 847 00:35:57,810 --> 00:36:03,026 And I know for many of you it might be current events, and I can 848 00:36:03,058 --> 00:36:05,482 speak to certain elements of current events today. 849 00:36:05,626 --> 00:36:08,986 But, you know, we know that the Bible is written to us. 850 00:36:09,058 --> 00:36:11,186 And the Bible says that all scripture is given by inspiration 851 00:36:11,218 --> 00:36:13,546 of God as profitable for doctrine, for approved for correction, 852 00:36:13,578 --> 00:36:14,928 for instruction and righteousness. 853 00:36:15,074 --> 00:36:20,164 And so everything that we need today is found right here. 854 00:36:20,332 --> 00:36:23,916 And I would encourage you to rest in that truth here tonight. 855 00:36:24,028 --> 00:36:26,372 Well, we're going to go ahead and transition to our prayer time. 856 00:36:26,516 --> 00:36:28,960 Appreciate your attention this evening. 857 00:36:30,100 --> 00:36:35,148 I never take it for granted that you all are faithfully coming 858 00:36:35,244 --> 00:36:37,428 and growing in the Lord. 859 00:36:37,484 --> 00:36:39,964 And you know, it's a blessing. 860 00:36:40,052 --> 00:36:42,396 It's a blessing to be part of a church that's hungering and thirsting 861 00:36:42,428 --> 00:36:43,520 after righteousness. 862 00:36:45,190 --> 00:36:47,750 Thank you again for listening to the Middletown Baptist Church 863 00:36:47,790 --> 00:36:48,590 podcast. 864 00:36:48,750 --> 00:36:51,290 I hope that this sermon has been a blessing for you. 865 00:36:51,670 --> 00:36:53,966 If you would like to find out more information about our church 866 00:36:53,998 --> 00:36:58,278 or this sermon, you can find us@middletownbaptistchurch.org or 867 00:36:58,374 --> 00:37:00,570 find us on Facebook or YouTube. 868 00:37:01,070 --> 00:37:06,702 You can also email me directly@joshmissaroiddletownbaptistchurch.com if 869 00:37:06,726 --> 00:37:10,272 you've enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe and follow along 870 00:37:10,336 --> 00:37:13,020 for future podcasts and updates. 871 00:37:13,400 --> 00:37:14,520 Thank you so much. 872 00:37:14,640 --> 00:37:15,464 God bless. 873 00:37:15,592 --> 00:37:16,640 Have a wonderful day.