Scandalous Faith Mountain Life Church/Life Pack/February 1-2, 2014
2 Scandalous Faith Sermon Notes February 1-2, 2014 I. Naomi and Ruth s Plan A. Manipulation or Bold Faith? 1. Manipulation Is Naomi asking Ruth to sleep with Boaz out of wedlock? Is Naomi telling Ruth to seduce Boaz into marrying her? 2. Bold Faith Go el - The kinsman-redeemer clears up the understanding Uncovered his feet - The context implies Ruth did just that, and only that No evidence of hanky-panky, but rather, honoring B. Conclusion: Ruth is walking in extremely bold faith 1. The kinsman-redeemer was God s idea (all faith must be initiated by God - it s God s idea!) The kinsman-redeemer was responsible to buy a fellow Israelite out of slavery (Leviticus 25:48). He was responsible to be the avenger of blood to make sure the murderer of a family member answered to the crime (Numbers 35:19). He was responsible to buy back family land that had been forfeited (Leviticus 25:25). He was responsible to carry on the family name by marrying a childless widow (Deuteronomy 25:5-10). C. Naomi and Ruth are acting on God s word and on civil law 1. Ruth is asking Boaz (an older man) to marry her to redeem the land of Elimelech 2. In his humility, Boaz had not pursued marriage with Ruth because there is a large difference in their age and he didn t want to force something that she did not desire 19
Table Talk Teens Read Ruth Chapter 3 Question One: In this chapter of Ruth, the theme of emptiness and fullness is repeated here. Describe how God can turn our emptiness into fullness if we trust in Him. Question Two: In verse 3:7, Ruth would remove the outer garment from Boaz s feet and lie down by his uncovered feet. Touching and holding his feet was an act of submission. What is your act of submission to the Lord? Question Three: Ruth s act of submission was a daring and courageous action that would call for a decision on Boaz s part to be her protector. When you submit to Jesus, how can he be your protector? Question Four: When we seek the Lord for protection and security, in the same way that Ruth was asking Boaz, we then can be redeemed by the love of Christ. Share how God can redeem you. II. Boaz & Ruth are like Jesus & Me! A. Man s need for redemption goes way back! 1. Why didn t God just declare man redeemed right after Adam & Eve sinned? God had a better plan with much deeper implications Man s redemption would need a kinsman - a man - to redeem him Yet, only God could truly redeem man Man needed someone to show him that it IS possible to walk intimately with God Jesus did it all with His life, His death, and His resurrection 2. Jesus is our kinsman-redeemer! Boaz is an Old Testament picture of this beautiful reality! The Bible so beautifully shows us how Jesus pursued us, but Ruth is an example of how we are to respond B. Ruth is a Great Role Model! 1. Boaz was pleased with her bold, yet humble and chaste attitude 2. Jesus is pleased with my bold approach to Him 3. His gift of barley as a downpayment on his pledge is a picture of the Holy Spirit 4. He will turn our bitterness (Mara, or Mary) into pleasantness (Naomi) A picture of Mary sitting at Jesus feet and receiving from Him Mary and Ruth s bitterness was redeemed! 18 3
Life Group Questions for February 1-2, 2014 Message = Scandalous Faith Ice Breaker: Tell about a time when you took a risk and it paid off with a great reward. Read Ruth chapter 3. 1. What do you observe about this passage? 2. What do you think would have happened if other people would have caught Ruth laying at Boaz s feet? What does that say about her courage and boldness in approaching him like that? 3. Faith always involves risk and courage. What would you say is a major thing God is asking you to boldly pursue at this time. 4. Those who heard Randy s message about the Kinsman Redeemer, please explain to the group how Boaz represents Jesus as the Kinsman Redeemer for all of mankind. 5. What do you think is significant about the grain that Boaz gave to Ruth? 6. Do you think Boaz had been thinking about redeeming Ruth before she came to him at night? What evidence do you have to support this idea? 7. Faith is always initiated by God. God s word is then often confirmed by authorities in our lives. How do you see this principle in the 3rd chapter of Ruth? 8. Pray for one another. Table Talk Elementary Focus: A Not-So-Hopeless Situation Scripture: Jeremiah 29: 11 (adapted from Big Book of No Object Talks by Tim Simpson) Day 1 If you like to play basketball, pretend to dribble and shoot a basketball. If you like to play football, pretend to catch a football and do a touchdown dance. If a group of professional athletes in any of these sports came into the room, do you think you would have any hope of beating them? Why or why not? You might feel hopeless if you had to play against a professional athlete. What does it mean to feel hopeless? Day 2 Feeling hopeless is awful! It can make us feel like giving up. The good news is that, with Jesus, we can always have hope. Think of some sad or angry times when you have felt like giving up. No matter what tough situations we re in, God promises to give us hope. Jeremiah 29: 11 tells us God s promise to give us hope. Read Jeremiah 29: 11. We all go through tough times when we re sad, angry or confused. Sometimes we feel like giving up. But God promises us that there is hope in our future. God always keeps his promises and He will always help us. With God, we can always have hope! Day 3 Even in the worst situations, God gives us hope. Let s look at a sad story in the Bible where hope was found even in the worst of situations. Read Acts 7: 54-60. Stephen knew he was about to be killed. Yet, as he was being killed, he had hope! He prayed for Jesus to receive his spirit and even found it possible to forgive those who murdered him. Stephen had hope because he knew that he was going to be with Jesus in Heaven. If you have a friend who is having a tough time and feeling hopeless, what might you say or do? In the Fort, we have been reading the book of Ruth. One wouldn t have blamed Ruth for feeling hopeless. Yet, she trusted in God and He provided for her. In what ways did He do so? 17
Table Talk Preschool & Nursery Personal Devotion Pages The following pages are designed to help you enjoy a regular time alone with God. We have divided up the curriculum to help us grow wherever we are at in our relationship with God and in our knowledge of His Kingdom. LEVELS: Since we are a Colorado church, we use skiing imagery to communicate the different levels of intensity and time involved in relating to God. BEGINNER: If you are new in your relationship with God, we encourage you to try the exercises under this symbol: INTERMEDIATE: If you have walked with God for some time and would like a little more challenge and more time involvement, try the exercises under this symbol: ADVANCED: These exercises are for people who have walked with God for some time and display maturity in their relationship with Him. These exercises provide a practical way to encounter God and His truth on a regular basis. There are no rules here. Please don t hurry through the process. Slow meditation and memorization seems to soak in better than cramming. Enjoy! 16 5
Day One 1. Take some time to praise the Lord for who He is and enjoy thanking Him for what He has done in your life lately. 2. Read Ruth 3. 3. Write down some ways that you see Boaz as a picture of Jesus. 4. Take time to thank Jesus for being your kinsman redeemer. Memorize Hebrews 4: 16. Memorize Hebrews 4: 15-16. Memorize Hebrews 4: 12-16. Day Five This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same temptations we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it. ~Hebrews 4:15, 16, NLT As our spotless, sinless, kinsman redeemer, Jesus sits at the right hand of God praying for us continually. He ever lives to see us presented to the Father without sin. The writer of Hebrews captures the spirit of Ruth when he powerfully invites us to come before the throne of grace with boldness! Our kinsman redeemer has completely redeemed us from sin, Satan, and slavery. We are no longer paupers, but rather princes and princesses of the King of the universe! Ruth would stand with the author of Hebrews and tell us that there is great reward in boldly coming before our kinsman redeemer! As a woman from Moab, it s beautiful to see that Ruth s marriage to Boaz brought her into the ancestral line of David... and of Jesus! God was so impressed with her faith that He brought this alien and stranger out of Moab and into the family of Jesus Himself! For Ruth, I think she could dream of no greater reward. Beautiful symbolism then came from Boaz s hand. He gave Ruth some barley as a downpayment on his commitment to figure out who should marry her - him or another relative. This stands as a symbol of the Holy Spirit, who was given as a downpayment of our complete redemption at the day of Jesus return. 6 15
Day Five 1. Take some time to praise the Lord for who He is and enjoy thanking Him for what He has done in your life lately. 2. Read Ruth chapter 3 again today and write down what you learn by re- reading it. 3. Take time to pray for God to give you a deeper passion, devotion, and discipline in pursuing Him. 4. Finish your Bible memorization today. Day One One day Naomi said to Ruth, My daughter, it s time that I found a permanent home for you, so that you will be provided for. ~Ruth 3:1, NLT Naomi now steps out in bold faith and commands Ruth to do something that is a bit edgy. Her goal reflects a world view that looks at marriage a little differently than the view held by our contemporary culture. Marriage today is about finding a soul mate to share life s journey. It s about fulfilling relational needs. In ancient cultures, marriage was focused on practical needs such as provision and raising up children to carry on the family name and family business. Romance was not really a part of the equation. Romance certainly happened, but it was more a bi-product of a healthy marriage, rather than the primary pursuit of the relationship like it is today. In essence, Naomi commands Ruth to boldly and unabashedly pursue marriage to Boaz. This command is practical. He is a kinsman redeemer, and therefore, can be expected to take on the husbandly role for a young widow in the family. Ruth s obedience to her mother-in-law also reflects bold faith. She is not shy about pursuing Boaz as a husband and even asking him to do the honor of marrying her. Father, teach me to boldly pursue what is important to you. Teach me not to be shy about going after the things that You value and prize. 14 7
Day Two 1. Take some time to praise the Lord for who He is and enjoy thanking Him for what He has done in your life lately. 2. Read Ruth chapter 3 again today. 3. Ruth was bold and courageous to lie down at Boaz s feet. What is God telling you to do that will require boldness? 4. Write down in this space some of your former sins and take time to thank Jesus for redeeming you from your past and your sin. Day Four Who are you? he demanded. I am your servant Ruth, she replied. Spread the corner of your covering over me, for you are my family redeemer. ~Ruth 3:9, NLT As a destitute widow, Ruth has asked Boaz to fulfill his obligation as a family redeemer. This role was given to any man whose relative died, leaving a widow without children. His duty was to marry the woman and raise up children in honor of the dead relative. The family redeemer, or kinsman redeemer gives us an amazing and deep perspective into the Gospel. When Adam and Eve sinned, God did not immediately redeem them from their sin. Why? His plan was beautiful, lawful, and awesome. God later on laid down his own law saying that only a kinsman redeemer could redeem. God showed us that He could not lawfully (His own laws prohibited it) reach down from heaven and simply declare mankind redeemed from sin, evil, and Satan. That would have been nice, expedient, and much quicker. But God had a deeper plan. Mankind had to be redeemed by a man, not by God. Man needed a kinsman redeemer. 5. Continue memorizing and meditating on the scriptures for this week. Jesus came as the Son of Man. He showed all of mankind and all of the heavenly hosts that a man could walk with God sinlessly and humbly. He showed all of creation that there truly was a man worthy of redeeming the entire race of man. Jesus is our kinsman redeemer. Jesus, thank You for taking on flesh and becoming our perfect, spotless redeemer! 8 13
Day Four 1. Take some time to praise the Lord for who He is and enjoy thanking Him for what He has done in your life lately. 2. Meditate on Hebrews 2: 16-18. 3. Take time to listen to the Holy Spirit and pray the things that He is praying through you. 4. Continue meditating on and memorizing the scripture for this week. Day Two Now do as I tell you--take a bath and put on perfume and dress in your nicest clothes. Then go to the threshing floor, but don t let Boaz see you until he has finished his meal. Be sure to notice where he lies down; then go and uncover his feet and lie down there. He will tell you what to do. I will do everything you say, Ruth replied. ~Ruth 3:3-5, NLT You may have missed this point before, but it must be stated again here. Faith is ALWAYS initiated by God and never initiated by me. Faith is God s idea. In addition, the Bible places great emphasis on the idea that the bigger the faith step, greater confirmation from God is required. Throughout scripture, God uses authorities in our lives to confirm His word. When we honor and obey authorities, God knows He can trust us to trust Him. In this passage, Ruth s mother-in-law tells her what to do, and she obeys implicitly. Like Ruth, I have found that submission to authority always brings about blessing! God speaks through our authorities and He confirms His word to us through them. We would be wise to heed them, even if their advice does not seem sage, but rather - foolish. Ruth wisely acted boldly on Naomi s plan, sensing that it was what God had for her. She did not hesitate. Lying at Boaz s feet could have proven fatal for Ruth. If he wanted to, he could have thought of her as a loose woman with no morals, hoping to have sex with him. But Boaz saw no such guile in this young woman. He too was open to God s direction and plan. Father, give me a submissive spirit and a willing heart. Protect me from rebellion and arrogance. Teach me how to walk boldly by faith! 12 9
Day Three 1. Take some time to praise the Lord for who He is and enjoy thanking Him for what He has done in your life lately. 2. Meditate on Hebrews 4: 12-16. 3. Bring at least three friends or loved ones to the Lord and ask Him to bring them to repentance and faith. Ask Him to show you how you can boldly love them and speak the words of Jesus into their lives. Day Three Around midnight, Boaz suddenly woke up and turned over. He was surprised to find a woman lying at his feet! Who are you? he demanded. I am your servant Ruth, she replied. Spread the corner of your covering over me, for you are my family redeemer. ~Ruth 3:8, 9, NLT Boaz is startled to find someone sleeping at his feet. He demands to know the identity of this sneaky person! Ruth answers with a gentle and submissive answer that is spiced up with a direct and bold question. Her request for Boaz to spread the corner of his covering over her is a Hebrew idiom. It is symbolic language meaning this: I d like you to marry me. Even today, when a Jewish man marries a woman, after the vows are made, he covers her with the corner of his tallith, his prayer shawl, as a symbol that he has become her covering, her husband, her protector, and her provider. Ruth has made a bold move. She and Boaz could both be stoned if they were found by the other people sleeping nearby. Two unmarried people sleeping close like this were immediately judged with impropriety. 4. Continue meditating on and memorizing the scripture for this week. How could God ask a woman to do such a scandalous thing? It s because faith requires boldness. It s because God loves to shut the mouths of those who judge unrighteously. God s ways can often be misunderstood by people who do not know Him and have a tendency to judge by outward circumstantial evidence rather than by the heart. Father, give me a willingness to do whatever You say, even if it offends others. 10 11