The Courtship of the Redeemer

If you brought your bibles turn with me over to the book of Ruth chapter three, and in a moment we are going to read verses 1-6 of Ruth chapter three. The tittle of the message this morning is; “The Courtship of the Redeemer.”

We are going to talk about having a plan to grow in a relationship with Christ.

We spend our entire life planning for what’s next. We plan each day as we prepare to go to work or to school, because we like to be prepared. We don’t want to be caught off guard.

So we plan for the short term and we plan for the long term. We plan for vacations and marriage, children, careers, and retirement. Some people really have a difficult time when things don’t go as we plan, because we want to be efficient and make the most of our time.

I sometimes wish I was more like my wife and I could just take each moment as it comes but I don’t operate like that; I plan and I prepare. I want to be ready, even if I don’t know what I am being ready for.

I think most people are like that, I know some people even plan their funeral arrangements long before they are old.

There is nothing wrong with being prepared, but very few people plan for eternity. Very few people plan for the health and well being of their soul when they leave this world.

The bible teaches us that we will live and dwell in one of two places; in heaven or hell, either in the presence of God, or in the presence of darkness with the enemy.

The good news is; God invites us all into the courtship of the Redeemer, He invites us all to the wedding ceremony of the Lamb, and guess what, you don’t have to come as a guest. You’re invited to come and be the bride.

Your invited to be a part of the family who live for God right now in this world, because our salvation isn’t something we wait for until we get to heaven. It is something we live for in this life.

So, I want to encourage you today, don’t just go through the motions of coming to church, have a plan to grow in a relationship with God. Have a plan to come to know Christ as your redeemer.

Ruth 3:1–6 (NASB95)

Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, shall I not seek security for you, that it may be well with you?

“Now is not Boaz our kinsman, with whose maids you were? Behold, he winnows barley at the threshing floor tonight.

“Wash yourself therefore, and anoint yourself and put on your best clothes, and go down to the threshing floor; but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking.

“It shall be when he lies down, that you shall notice the place where he lies, and you shall go and uncover his feet and lie down; then he will tell you what you shall do.”

She said to her, “All that you say I will do.”

So she went down to the threshing floor and did according to all that her mother-in-law had commanded her.

In our passage this morning we see Naomi coming up with a plan for Ruth to court Boaz.

Ruth has been working hard. She has been gleaning in the fields. And Boaz has been very kind to her. He made sure; she was protected, and provided for, but the harvest is over now.

There isn’t going to be anymore gleaning. Naomi and Ruth will be poor once again. They need help to survive.

They need more than grain for their next meal. They need a marriage proposal. They need a long term commitment from their kinsmen redeemer, and so do we. We need a long term commitment from God that protects us and provides for our future. And God provided that for us in His Son.

Remember Boaz is an Old Testament example of Christ in this story. And many of us are just like Ruth; we know the Lord, but we don’t know Him intimately and personally. We need a plan to come to know Christ in a deeper more meaningful way.

The Purpose of the Plan Vs 1

Here we see Naomi has a distinct purpose for her plan. She has a reason for Ruth to go out and court Boaz, she wants her to have security.

Vs. 1, “My daughter shall I not seek security for you that it may be well with you.”

This word “security” in the Hebrew means more than just safety and protection, it gives us the idea of rest and peace, and hope for the future. It speaks of having a permanent home with a stable environment.

Keep in mind the harvest is over now. Ruth was blessed by Boaz. She got enough grain to sustain her and Naomi for weeks to come, but that grain is going to run out and they wI’ll be struggling to survive again. They need more. They need security.

And the same thing is true in our lives today. Many people are looking for their security from the world and you might be doing great right now. You might have a good job and be able to pay all your bills. You might have everything you need as far as you can see.

But one day the harvest will be over. One day you will stand before the Lord, and you need assurance from God that you belong to Him for all of eternity.

John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.”

Each one of us need that kind of assurance. We need the peace of God that surpasses all understanding. So, we can live our lives without fear, knowing that God has got this. He is in control and we can trust Him with our future.

Romans 8:28 “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”

We need faith that can move mountains. And that doesn’t come from anything in this world. That comes from placing your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus said, “what good is it for a man to gain the world but lose your soul?” (Nothing) There is nothing in this world that is worth not having God.

In the gospels, Jesus tells a story of a man who had such an incredible harvest he didn’t know what to do with it. So, he said to himself; I will build bigger barns so that I can store all my grain and I wont have to work so hard in the future.

But Jesus said, “you fool, tonight your life will be required of you and some else will get your stuff.” The point is; No one knows what tomorrow holds but you can know who holds tomorrow.

So, don’t lay up treasures for yourself that are temporary. Lay your treasures up in heaven where you can find rest and peace for your soul in Christ.

Naomi had a purpose in her plan. She wanted Ruth to have security, but she also saw;

The Potential of the Plan, Vs 2

Here we see Naomi realized the potential for Boaz to become their redeemer and she wanted Ruth to realize it as well.

“Now is not Boaz our kinsman, with whose maids you were?

Boaz was a man among boys, at a time when good men were hard to find. He was a man of honor and integrity. He was kind and compassionate toward Ruth as she gleaned in his fields. I want to give you a quick review of how important Boaz is to Naomi and Ruth.

A. First, He was important because of His relationship.

In order to qualify as a kinsmen redeemer a man had to have a close personal relationship to the family, and Boaz qualified because he was related to Naomi’s husband.

In the same way Christ Jesus took on the form of a man. He came into the world clothed in flesh, so He could save all men. He has the right relationship to qualify as our kinsmen redeemer. We can be accepted into the family of God because of God’s Son.

B. Next, Boaz was important because of His resources.

He was a man of great wealth. He was not only able to provide for Ruth in the future but he could afford to pay the debt she owed.

Well consider the debt we owed. Each one of us were sinners separated from God and condemned for all eternity. We were hopeless until Christ came. He willing died on a cross so that we could be forgiven, and redeemed. He alone is able to pay the debt we owe to God.

C. Finally, Boaz was important because of His recognition.

Remember how he noticed Ruth the moment he saw her in the field. He took an interest in her, and he began to protect and provide for her.

Well, the same thing is true in our lives. There are times when it feels like no one understands us, or cares about what we are going through. There are times when everything seems to be falling apart and we don’t know how to stop it. But it is important to understand that Christ knows what your going through, and He has the ability to meet every need.

He doesn’t just see and understand our situation but He is actively involved in fixing it. He came into the world that we might have life and have it more abundantly.

Do you see the potential of what a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ can mean to your life?

One of the ugliest creatures in the world is a caterpillar, but when you see it, you know it has the potential to be a butterfly. That is what Christ sees when He looks at you. He sees the potential of what your life can become.

The Place of the Plan Vs. 2b.

Naomi knew exactly where Boaz would be that night. She knew he would be at the threshing floor, winnowing his harvest and celebrating with his men. The threshing floor is an important place for us in the Bible because of what it represents.

The threshing floor was a platform built on a hill where the grain was beaten and separated from the chaff. They would throw it high in the air and the wind would blow away all the impurities.

Well, in the same way Christ was taken to a hill called Calvary. And He was separated from the Father and offered as a sacrifice for us. He was beaten and scourged and He carried away all the sin of humanity.

Notice Ruth had to go to the threshing floor to meet Boaz. Well, in the same way, each one of us has to come to the cross and be separated from our sin and have the impurities removed form our life.

That doesn’t happen the moment we are saved. The moment we are saved we are forgiven completely of our sin but over time God begins to purify us. He does that through trials and storms. He blows the chaff away.

I am reminded 2 Samuel 24:24. When king David sinned against God, he went to the threshing-floor to build an altar and ask for forgiveness. Araunah owned the threshingfloor and he tried to give it to the king, but David refused. He said, “No but I will surely buy it from you for a price. For I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God which cost me nothing.”

Sometimes becoming a man or a woman of God comes at a cost. But whatever the cost it is worth it, because God is removing the impurities from our life and making us who He wants us to be.

Philippians 1:6 “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”

The Preparation for the Plan. Vs. 3-4.

Ruth had to prepare to meet Boaz and if we hope to have a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ we have to be prepared as well. There are three things in these verses I want you to notice.

First, Notice Ruth’s preparation involved cleansing.

Vs. 3 “Wash yourself therefore, and anoint yourself.

Obviously Naomi wanted Ruth to appeal to Boaz. She wanted to improve her chances of making him her man. So, she tells her to clean herself up and make sure you smell good.

Well, cleansing is an essential part of our salvation only we are not the ones doing the cleansing. We are cleansed by the blood of Jesus. When we come to Christ all of our sin is washed away.

Now, that doesn’t mean we are not going to make mistakes. None of us are perfect, we all make mistakes. But what that means is; the cross of Jesus Christ is sufficient for you. It will cleanse you of all your sins.

Then Notice Ruth’s preparation involved clothing. Vs. 3 says, “Put on your very best clothes.”

Well the same thing is true in our lives, we have to put on the very best, but it doesn’t have anything to do with the clothes we wear, but we put on the Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 13:14 “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.”

Notice that putting on Jesus is something we have to do. It’s a choice we make everyday to live for God, and it has to nothing to do with the clothes on our body, but it has everything to do with getting rid of the sin in our life.

So many Christians are worried about what they wear to church on Sunday morning but Jesus is more concerned about the way you live everyday.

Then Notice Ruth’s preparation involved commitment. Vs. 4

She had to go down to the threshingfloor. She had to lie down at the feet of Boaz and wait for him to tell her what to do.

In other words, she wasn’t there to make demands. She wasn’t there to force herself on him but she was there to do what he commanded her to do.

In the same way, we have to be commited to doing the will of God. We have to be commited to serving God on His terms. That means obeying the commands of His Word, and sometimes waiting patiently at the masters feet.

Isaiah 40:31 “Yet those who wait for the Lord Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.”

We have to prepare to come to know Christ. But the preparation is not what we think it is. We don’t have to clean ourselves up on the outside, we have to allow Christ to clean us up on the inside. We do that by surrendering to His will, and by doing what He commands us to do. The final thing I want to show you in this passage.

The Participation in the Plan. Vs 5-6

Ruth had to participate. She had to agree and be willing to do what she was told to do. And look at her response.

Vs. 5 -6 “She said to her, “All that you say I will do.” So she went down to the threshing floor and did according to all that her mother-in-law had commanded her.”

This might sound silly to you, but if Naomi’s plan was going to work, Ruth had to show up for the plan. She had to be at the meeting. She had to be willing and participate.

Well, I am convinced that God wants to meet with us far more often than we do. I mean, don’t you think God wants to know you personally and spend time with you everyday? but how often do you fail to show up?

For some of us the only time we ever meet with Christ is on Sunday morning when we show up for church. If that is the case in your life, ask yourself this, “are you really participating in a relationship with God?”

Ill. When I first met Tammy, I wanted to know everything about her. That is the way we should approach our relationship with God.

Conclusion

There are three things that are essential to having a plan to grow in Christ.

We need to become intimately acquainted with God’s Word.

We need to become self feeders. 2 Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;”

2. We need to become intimately acquainted with God in prayer.

Prayerlessness is powerlessness. Prayer is essential to our faith because it says I believe in you Lord when know one is watching, and I want to know you more.

3. We need to become intimately acquainted with God’s people.

Fellowship with God’s people is essential to growing in your faith. Because we need each other.

We share Christ with each other. When we come together as a church we get to see Jesus at work in each others lives and strengthens our faith. The book of Hebrews tells us not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together, because we need fellowship to grow.

I want to encourage you today, don’t just go through the motions of coming to church but get involved, have a plan to grow in a relationship with Christ in a deeper more meaningful way.