Threshing Floor - OBEDIENCE AND ACTION

When we understand and obey God's process ---

Pause, Pray, Ponder, Proceed and Praise there will be a need for waiting whether a few moments or a lot of years.

Waiting is part of the process, patience is required and calmness in patience takes trust in the Lord.

We learn to rest in His promise.

So today our message about the events on the threshing floor are all about PROCESS< PATIENCE and PROMISE

our main theme is still redeemer and our redemption.

We have broken our study into smaller units:

Loyalty in a Christian,

the existence of Bitterness, and

a look God's providence

God always working in our life for His great purpose in each of us.

Ruth has showed us so far....

Bitterness answered with loyalty

Loyalty followed by God’s Providence

God’s Providence in our Actions.

Today we look at God's plan of progress.

Our location is secured for the event

--- Bethlehem and the property of Boaz

Our scene is set

--- Naomi and Ruth have been blessed by Boaz

- Boaz is providing for their food needs, Ruth's protection, and Boaz sought fellowship with Ruth

Todays God's plan moves to more action steps, Steps of obedience, steps of faith and trust

Taking Action is our Theme today!!

Open your Bible to Ch 3.

Process

There certainly has been a pause in Ruth’s life.

She was in her country with her husband and in laws.

Her husband dies, she picks up and follows her mother in law to a new land, is poor and hungry without any one to provide.\

I would classify that is a major disruption in an original life plan

Naomi is not pleasant to be around

Ruth must go out daily to find and gather food

THESE ARE THE Realities OF LIFE FOR RUTH

but we see what appears to be a change in Naomi’s attitude

She says in verse 1

SHOULD I NOT SEEK REST FOR YOU, THAT IT MAY BE WELL.

that is a loving, caring statement that shows a change in life perception.

REST in the Bible is peace, ease, or refreshment of body and spirit.

our Lord Jesus offers us REST.

Matt 11:28-30 “28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.””

Rest is a sought after life condition.

There is a PLAN OF ACTION

Go back to Boaz

Wash and anoint yourself

Get dressed nicely — put on that nice cloak

Be patient, Be watchful

Wait until Boaz lies down and then uncover his feet and lie there

Then OBEY

Directions given by older wiser,

Obedience is done,

Follow through occurs,

and then the blessed events unfold.

Do you remember in our prior message we said that Blessing follows Obedience?

We cannot be a servant of Christ and not obey

John 14:15 “15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”

We cannot love without obedience.

Our process must be to submit to Christ, obey His directions and then follow through, this is the pathway to Blessing.

Illustration:

I all to often here a Christian talk about KARMA --- it a form of SELF control ---

if i am mean then others will be mean

--- if something bad happens to a bad person or vice versa if something good happens it is because they did good.

Friends this is not the life of a Christian

We are submitted to HIM

--- All things work through Him according to HIS purpose

--- You don’t have the magical power to speak anything into existence ESPECIALLY anothers actions.

believers of karma see that concept in two forms == Immediate and long term

Immediate may be like you smile

and someone smiles back OR you are told not to put your hand on a burner and you do and Karma burns your hand

The long term is like planting a seek and loving, caring, nuturing that seed into a producing plant

OR like giving love and care to another and they commit to you in love and unity for life

The problem with Karma is not submitting to Christ

Karma is believing that the sum of your actions in this life will determine your fate in the next.

it is thinking that Luck or your thoughts or actions

Our walk be to TRUST in another, to Believe and Hope in a PROMISE

The Promise of our Lord

The Words in Roman 8

there is no condemnation for those in Christ, and that we can NOT be separated from our life eternal with Christ.

runs the world and not our Lord Christ Jesus

Luck is haphazard

our LORD IS in CONTROL.

That is Providence --- God has a plan for us and works all things for the good of those HE loves according to HIS purpose.

God is never rolling the dice, put putting forth the PLAN in full control of the outcome

Peace in Christ comes through Faith, Love, Trust and Obedience to HIM and HIM alone.

But we in our human nature have to deal with that pesty thing called Patience.

Patience

Waiting is a part of life

40 days, 3 days, waiting in prayer....

Waiting is a part of life

Noah waited for the dove too return

Abraham waited for a son

Elijah waited

Paul waited in prison

Is 40:31 “31 but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”

We don’t often like the WAIT, but waiting is part of life

Illustration:

One Christmas my gift from my sales team was a Picture frame with this amazing drawing in awesome colors

IT SAID NOW

It was really an amazing picture

BUT frankly I was a little confused

All this detail and then SIMPLY the word NOW

Of course i ask one of the sales people i was close with

WHY

He looked at me confused…

You don’t realize that whenever we ask you to clarify when you want an instruction done BY you say NOW

I didn’t like to WAIT.

Our waiting is an action, not inaction.

Let me say that again Our waiting is an action, not an INACTION.

We must chose to wait upon the LORD

Is 40:31 “31 but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”

we are not to sit idle starring at a wall

BUT to be walking with Christ while we are waiting

walking with Christ is often to allow HIM to carry us.

Waiting for our time to be directed to take action.

it sounds like an oxymoron

but it is a PROGRESS

we keep walking, learning, growing, and withstanding the circumstance CONTINUING TO MOVE FORWARD

We MUST LEARN TO WAIT

We must learn to trust…

Trust is walking in the dark, praying for a light

Trust is loving an unloving person

Trust is smiling when the world is pressing us to fold in

Trust is opening up in prayer, when the world pushes us to close up

Patience is an act of Faith and Trust to get to the Promise.

Ruth was taking action

Ruth was obeying the instructions

There is no mention of Ruth questioning, deliberating, or pushing back

Ruth in Chapter 3 is obeying and taking action

There is a PLAN OF ACTION

Go back to Boaz

Wash and anoint yourself

Get dressed nicely — put on that nice cloak

Be patient, Be watchful

Be observant

Wait until Boaz lies down and then uncover his feet and lie there

Then OBEY

Promise

So Ruth does what she is told

Ruth takes the actions that she was guided to

Then there is another one of these amazing WORD PICTURES in this Book

Spread your wings

For you are a REDEEMER

isn’t that amazing?

To protect me

To bring me close

Ps 17:8 Hide me in the shadow of your wings

Ps 91:4 “4 He will cover you with his wings

This is a picture of Safety but also protection

Think about a Hen bringing the chicks to warmth and safety

BUT also of the EAGLE spreading out to protect and attach an enemy

CONCLUSION:

Pause, Pray, Ponder, Proceed and Praise

there will be a need for waiting whether a few moments or a lot of years.

Waiting is part of the process, patience is required and calmness in patience takes trust in the Lord.

We learn to rest in His promise.

We have all heard the call of Naomi

Others in your life have sought and desired you to have REST

Others have pointed in in the direction of the REDEEMER

They have prayed that you WASH yourself of Sin, of the Filth of the WORLD

They have given you the direction to GO

Go and think on seeking the Redeemer

Confess and Repent of your old ways

LAY DOWN YOUR LIFE AT THE FEET OF YOUR REDEEMER

Then the LORD JESUS CHRIST asked you

WHO ARE YOU?

and you replied I AM _________ your servant

you ask CHRIST

SPREAD YOUR WINGS

FOR YOU ARE MY REDEEMER

and Jesus responded

MAY YOU BE BLESSED

YOU HAVE NOT SOUGHT THE WORLD

BUT YOU HAVE SOUGHT ME

THE LORD JESUS CHRIST REPLIED TO YOU

DIDN’T HE???

I WILL DO ALL THAT YOU ASK

I WILL REDEEM YOU

LETS PRAY