From Fear to Faith: Finding Joy in Jesus

Introduction

Christmas is a season of opposites! Think of the basic things like weather - the days have less and less sunlight and more and more coldness but it’s the time of year where people seem to have more warm feelings of hope and love towards one another! A time where people might have less, but try to give more. As we read in God’s Word, we celebrate several opposites. Nearly 1600 years ago, an early church leader Gregory of Naziansus said, “Remaining to be what He was, He assumed that which He was not” - God became a man! The infinite stepping into time and becoming an infant. A King being born to a poor family in a manger. The shepherds being afraid and the angels telling them to “fear not!” Christmas is a wonderful time of celebrating these paradoxes and this morning we celebrate another opposite of sorts: Fear and Faith. These things are often pitted against each other as opposites. You either choose fear or faith. Most of us here would at least say out loud that we choose faith. We want to be people of faith, not people of fear. Even if you’re here and you’re not a Christian, no one wants to admit to being a person of fear! But how can we tell which person we are? Fear or Faith? We can ask a different question:

What do you rest in?

Christmas is a busy season, but it is also supposed to be a season of rest. A season where kids are off from school. Many restaurants and stores close at least for a day or two. Families enjoy added time together. A time where we rest. Our problem as a society, though, is that we don’t always do a good job resting. We don’t know how to be still. We are addicted to busyness. In this world, we’re tempted to try and find rest in our accomplishments. In our faithfulness. In our grades. In our reports. In our works. If we feel as though we can earn our rest or discover rest on our own, we will be sorely disappointed. Discouraged. Even depressed! Yet, we read in Scripture that there IS rest that is available. There is JOY that is available. How can we find these things? We find them in Jesus! We realize that these are gifts of grace that we could never earn or deserve ourselves. This morning in the book of Ruth, we’ll discover that in God’s provision and in God’s love, there is JOY as He works for His glory and our ultimate good!

Ruth 3 CSB

1 Ruth’s mother-in-law Naomi said to her, “My daughter, shouldn’t I find rest for you, so that you will be taken care of? 2 Now isn’t Boaz our relative? Haven’t you been working with his female servants? This evening he will be winnowing barley on the threshing floor. 3 Wash, put on perfumed oil, and wear your best clothes. Go down to the threshing floor, but don’t let the man know you are there until he has finished eating and drinking. 4 When he lies down, notice the place where he’s lying, go in and uncover his feet, and lie down. Then he will explain to you what you should do.” 5 So Ruth said to her, “I will do everything you say.” 6 She went down to the threshing floor and did everything her mother-in-law had charged her to do. 7 After Boaz ate, drank, and was in good spirits, he went to lie down at the end of the pile of barley, and she came secretly, uncovered his feet, and lay down. 8 At midnight, Boaz was startled, turned over, and there lying at his feet was a woman! 9 So he asked, “Who are you?” “I am Ruth, your servant,” she replied. “Take me under your wing, for you are a family redeemer.” 10 Then he said, “May the Lord bless you, my daughter. You have shown more kindness now than before, because you have not pursued younger men, whether rich or poor. 11 Now don’t be afraid, my daughter. I will do for you whatever you say, since all the people in my town know that you are a woman of noble character. 12 Yes, it is true that I am a family redeemer, but there is a redeemer closer than I am. 13 Stay here tonight, and in the morning, if he wants to redeem you, that’s good. Let him redeem you. But if he doesn’t want to redeem you, as the Lord lives, I will. Now lie down until morning.” 14 So she lay down at his feet until morning but got up while it was still dark. Then Boaz said, “Don’t let it be known that a woman came to the threshing floor.” 15 And he told Ruth, “Bring the shawl you’re wearing and hold it out.” When she held it out, he shoveled six measures of barley into her shawl, and she went into the town. 16 She went to her mother-in-law, Naomi, who asked her, “What happened, my daughter?” Then Ruth told her everything the man had done for her. 17 She said, “He gave me these six measures of barley, because he said, ‘Don’t go back to your mother-in-law empty-handed.’ ” 18 Naomi said, “My daughter, wait until you find out how things go, for he won’t rest unless he resolves this today.”

We see once again in our passage that our God is a God who provides for His people! We’ve seen this in each chapter so far - He’s provided Naomi with Ruth. He’s provided for these two in Bethlehem as they return in the harvest. He provides for Ruth as she enters into Boaz’s field. He provides as Boaz notices Ruth. Today, He provides Ruth with a kinsman redeemer who is willing and able to redeem! Aren’t you thankful that we have a Redeemer who is willing and able to redeem us today? This truth provides us with JOY!

Our Desperate Need for Rest (1)

If I told you that there was a way for you to have increased mental health, a better memory, a healthier immune system, reduced stress, an improved mood, better metabolism, and increased productivity, you would likely ask “Where do I sign up for that?!” There is such a way and it doesn’t involve paying billions of dollars. It doesn’t involve signing your life away. It doesn’t involve some futuristic technology! It simply involves one simple word: REST. Whenever you and I think about the word rest, we typically think of sleep. Sleep is important! It’s been shared that the average adult needs at least 7 hours of sleep each day. Teenagers need between 8-10 hours of sleep. Children need between 9-12 hours of sleep. Babies need over 12 hours of sleep! The way that our bodies are designed is that we NEED to sleep. We are designed to require rest… and statistics tell us that many of us do not get the amount of sleep that we need to get.

Sleep is not the only type of rest that we think of. Sometimes people are in a busy season of life and they talk about their need for rest and what they mean is that they need to get away and kind of unplug from their normal schedules and routines. Whenever we think of our Saturday or Sunday afternoon, maybe you think of a time of rest as you’re able to spend time as a family, watching the Chiefs game (although, that hasn’t been very restful this year!), or doing something you enjoy. For some maybe your version of rest is mowing the grass. For others, maybe it’s cleaning the house. For some it might be watching TV, for others maybe it’s playing video games, for some it might be doing absolutely nothing! The way that we are designed, we need times like this in our lives to rest, laugh, have fun, and enjoy something that we love doing!

As we look at Ruth 3:1, we see that Naomi is trying to find “rest” for Ruth. She desires for Ruth to be taken care of. In this world, Ruth was in a difficult situation. Her husband had passed away. She was in a foreign place. She was working hard to provide for her mother in law, but Bethlehem wasn’t all rainbows and butterflies. The book of Ruth might be the best Hallmark Christmas Story there is, but there are dangers lurking in the shadows. Boaz talks about this in chapter 2 whenever he tells Ruth to stay close to his servants and whenever he orders his servants to not humiliate her and to protect her. Ruth is vulnerable… and whenever we’re vulnerable, we need protection. This is what Naomi is trying to find for her daughter in law, Ruth. She wants her to be taken care of. Protected. Secure.

Isn’t this what our world is searching for? Provision. Protection. Security. Where can we find these things? Our world says that we can find them in places and possessions, but the Bible tells us that we find them in a person whose name is Jesus! There is hope. Peace. Rest. Security. Protection. And life, all available and abundant in Jesus Christ! Consider what Hebrews 4 says about this

Hebrews 4:1–2 CSB

1 Therefore, since the promise to enter his rest remains, let us beware that none of you be found to have fallen short. 2 For we also have received the good news just as they did. But the message they heard did not benefit them, since they were not united with those who heard it in faith.

The preacher of Hebrews is talking about the promised land that God gave to the Israelites but deeper than that, He is saying that the promised land was pointing to something even greater. An eternal rest that is only possible because of Jesus Christ… and that promise and that possibility to find rest in Jesus is still available TODAY in Christ. Just as we all need physical rest, we have an infinitely greater need for spiritual rest and that is impossible to find without Jesus!

Draw Near to God Fully Cleansed (2-5)

Because we all need Jesus, because we all need this rest, we must draw near to Him. We see a picture of this in our passage with Ruth. Naomi reminds Ruth of Boaz and how Boaz is a relative and a family redeemer. How God has provided in recent days to work in Boaz’s field, to get close to his servants, to build a relationship with him. In light of this, Boaz has a plan and this plan is for Ruth to clean up and draw near to her kinsman redeemer. First in this plan is for her to wash up - we’re not talking about a bubble bath here. We’re not talking about a long hot shower before you start your day. This is a ceremonial cleansing. This is to demonstrate to Boaz that her period of mourning is over and that she is ready for a relationship.

Whenever we think of marriage proposals today we think of a man and a woman falling in love over a period of time and eventually the man proposes and the woman says “yes!” and it’s a wonderful thing! Thousands of years ago this wasn’t the case! Parents usually arranged marriages for their children. We see this in the Bible and in other ancient civilizations as well. Naomi is trying to help provide for Ruth and one of the ways that she’s doing this is by encouraging Ruth to make her intentions clear to Boaz that she wants to be married. That’s what this scene is all about - it’s a bizarre scene. Waiting until Boaz has drank and eaten. Waiting until everyone in the threshing flood was asleep. Uncovering his feet and then lying down next to his feet - I sure hope they didn’t smell! Why would she go to these lengths? Because she was drawing near to her family redeemer, ready for this union, ready for redemption.

James 4:8 tells us the importance of drawing near to our God

James 4:8 CSB

8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

We see in the New Testament that we are to draw near to God and to have our hands and hearts cleansed. This is our instruction. This is our expectation… but how does it happen? How can you and I draw near to God? It’s not by coming up with a clever scheme. It’s not by sneaking into a crowded room at night. The only way that we are able to draw near to God is to be fully cleansed by the blood of our Redeemer! We must draw near to God and the only way that this is possible is through the finished work of Jesus Christ. He gives us this access. He makes this way. He gives us this hope. He provides us with joy. Consider Hebrews 4

Hebrews 4:14–16 CSB

14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens—Jesus the Son of God—let us hold fast to our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin. 16 Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need.

What do we celebrate at Christmas time? We remember that each of us stood separated from God because of our sin. Many religions and worldviews believe that mankind is at the bottom of the mountain and God is at the top and there are multiple ways to get to the top of the mountain: Be a good person, treat others nicely, go to church, believe in a god, give to charity… if you do this, then you will reach the top through your works. This is the opposite of Christianity! We celebrate at Christmas the reality that we could not reach the top of the mountain ourselves… so God sent His Son from the top, down to the bottom. In the name Immanuel, which we say at Christmas time, we celebrate that when humanity stood separated from God, God drew near to us. We celebrate that the baby in Bethlehem grew up to be a sinless man who gave Himself in our place on the cross! We celebrate the joy that Jesus gives to our souls because we realize that through Jesus, we can now draw near to God… not through our works. Not through taking a long shower. Not through doing good things. But through the finished work of Jesus and through His shed blood on Calvary. We don’t have to be afraid of anything. Hardships. Trials. Suffering. Abandonment. We can face it all and do so with joy because we have Jesus!

Draw Near to God Faithfully Committed (6-18)

The majority of this passage is spent looking at this encounter between Ruth and Boaz. Boaz is out guarding his harvest with others and has eaten and drank and is winding down for bed while Ruth is watching to see when to approach him. If you have kids, you’ve probably played the “are they asleep yet” game! You get them in bed but they roll around or you’re rocking them but their eyes are still fighting to stay open and you ask your husband or wife, are they asleep yet? Gabriel is notorious for taking his blanket off before he falls to sleep, so seemingly every night there Lindsey and I are looking on his monitor before we go to bed, hoping that he’s asleep so we can go in and put his blanket on him so that he doesn’t get cold.

Here is Ruth, waiting for Boaz to be asleep, and at the perfect time she sneaks past everyone and uncovers Boaz’s feet and lays down next to his feet. We’re not told what happens, maybe there was a gust of wind that tingled his toes, or maybe it was Ruth’s hair that tickled his toes, could you imagine being woken up by someone tickling your toes? That’s would be quite the surprise! Regardless, Boaz awakes and there is Ruth of all people, laying down next to his feet, and the first thing she says is “I am Ruth… take me under your wing, for you are a family redeemer.” Talk about a surprise to wake up to here!

Ruth is committed to Boaz. She has done something shocking and risked her character and her position as a servant in his field - but she has demonstrated her commitment to this man and Boaz acknowledged this by pointing out that she has pursued him rather than someone younger. Do you know who Boaz’s mom is? A woman named Rahab - she didn’t have exactly the best reputation. He shares that she is a woman of noble character and that he is in fact a family redeemer but that there is another redeemer with a better claim. The way this worked was whoever was closer in relation had the higher claim. Perhaps this was a 1st cousin rather than a 3rd cousin, we aren’t told but there was an order to this redemption that we’ll study more in depth next week.

Here we see that Boaz commits himself to Ruth and continues to provide for her. He gives her 6 “measures” of barley. In chapter 1 there was darkness, famine, and loss… all of these things have been provided for due to God’s providence demonstrated through Boaz’s kindness. All parties benefit here! Ruth was committed to Boaz and Boaz was a faithful and willing redeemer - we are able to draw near to our God because of the faithfulness of our Redeemer.

We can’t make a straight line from Boaz to God or from Ruth to ourselves but we can see glimpses of parallels here. We see a picture of God’s character and love in this true story. In the midst of our waiting, we can draw near to our God through faith because of Jesus. What is the result whenever we place our faith in Christ? We experience the reward of redemption. We experience the joy of belonging to Jesus.

Psalm 24:3–4 CSB

3 Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? 4 The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not appealed to what is false, and who has not sworn deceitfully.

Left to ourselves this sounds hopeless. Who may ascend to God’s presence? One with clean hands and a pure heart. In other words, you must be sinless. What does Scripture tell us? All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. We have no hope here… but whenever we look to Jesus, there is hope. We can’t climb up that mountain by ourselves, but that’s exactly what He did. He lived a perfect life. He never sinned. He died for our sins on the cross. He defeated death. He ascended to heaven! Because of Jesus, we can draw near to God and we do this by committing ourselves to Him. Denying ourselves. Taking up our cross. Following our Christ!

Drawing Near to Jesus Fills Us with Lasting Joy

In our world there is confusion between happiness and joy. One of my favorite movies of all-time is called the Pursuit of Happyness and it follows the true story of a man trying to provide for his son but he’s struggling. He’s trying to find work. He’s trying to provide. He’s trying to do all of these things, pursuing what the movie calls happiness. What is the problem with pursuing happiness? Happiness comes and goes because happiness is largely dependent upon our circumstances. If my needs are provided for, I’m happy. If the thermostat is where I want it at my family Christmas meal, I’m happy. If I get the gift I want, I’m happy… but let’s flip those scenarios a bit. What if your needs are not provided for in the way you hope? We might feel bad. What if the thermostat isn’t where you want it for your Christmas gathering? Some of you will be mad. What if you don’t get that dream gift? Then you might be sad. Why? Because happiness is dependent upon our circumstances! Can I give you some good news today?

Joy isn’t dependent on your circumstances, joy is dependent upon your Christ! Whenever you come to realize that at Christmas time we don’t just celebrate the birth of a baby… no, we celebrate the infinite God, the God who created and sustains all things, the God who knows all things, the God who created the mother who gave birth to Him, the God who was carried by the hands that He Himself formed, this God stepped into time at the right time and was born as a baby in Bethlehem. Why? Why did He come? Because of our sin. Because of our great need, God sent a greater Christ. We celebrate God’s love in sending His Son into the world to save sinners just like you and me! As you come to this realization about who Jesus is, and why He came, you realize what you need. You need Jesus. You need to turn from sin and trust in Christ - not to get a get out of hell free-pass, but because Jesus has something so much better for you today! He has something better than this world has to offer. He has hope, peace, love, and joy that this world simply can’t match. You can experience this today through faith in Christ. Christians, you can experience this today as you let His light shine through you in a world of darkness.

See, the result of experiencing God’s love is a life of joy. We see this in John 15 that as we abide in Christ, we produce fruit and one of those fruits is joy. Joy follows obedience. We see this in the book of Ruth. Ruth obeys her mother’s instructions and rejoices to find her redeemer. Friends, joy is available to us all today but we will not find it by pursuing earthly worldviews and fleshly desires… we will find true, lasting joy only by obeying God’s Word and denying ourselves. Whenever we follow our Christ, we experience His otherworldly joy.

Are you a person of joy today? I’ve met some Christians who are chronically angry, miserable, critical, and upset. Friends, those aren’t fruits of the spirit… but being joyful is. Being loving is. Being patient is. Being kind is. Matt Carter once shared it like this, “Joy in Jesus is inseparable from knowing and following Him.” So if you aren’t experiencing this joy, a simple diagnostic question is this: Am I obeying and following Jesus today? Am I willing to follow Jesus even when there is a cost? Am I willing to do what His Word demands even if it’s difficult? What gets us in trouble often times? Our inability to wait.

Don’t we experience that every Christmas time? Students can’t wait for school to get out. Adults can’t wait for a day off. Grandparents can’t wait to have the family over for Christmas. We don’t wait very well. Do you remember being a child and walking by your parents room or whatever room of the house they would have presents in and seeing something whether it be a package or wrapping paper, and wishing that you didn’t have to wait? This advent season is a season of waiting… and in a world where people don’t wait well, Jesus can change your heart in your circumstance. We don’t wait like the world waits.

Think of some Biblical examples:

Abraham - Abraham and Sarah waited 25 long years for God to come through on His promise of their son, Isaac

Ruth waited years to remarry and waited for Boaz for a long period of time

The Israelites waited 400 years for God to speak… and after that time of waiting, ultimately God spoke supremely and finally through His Son, Jesus Christ

During Advent, we continue to wait. We wait for the return of Jesus… but we don’t wait as those without hope… we wait with great hope because we have a God who keeps His Word and fulfills His promises

This world cannot take away our joy because God gives us joy. Joy isn’t found in a present or a place… joy is found in a person and His name is Jesus! We have the market cornered on Joy. We have a monopoly on Joy! Jesus alone provides His people with joy while they wait. Jesus will give you joy while you wait on an answer. Jesus will give you joy while you want on a person. Jesus can even give you joy while you wait on your foot at a restaurant this afternoon at lunch! Jesus can give you joy while you wait on Christmas Day to arrive. God’s Joy is Endless and offers Limitless Benefits for His People!

Have you experienced this JOY today? If your answer is no or if you are being tempted to not have that joy, I want to close with 3 reasons why we can have joy today, tomorrow, and each day until Christ calls us home.

You can have Joy in Your Waiting Because of the Love of God

God’s love satisfies the searching in our heart. Your waiting isn’t purposeless - it isn’t unoccupied! God works on His people in their waiting. He loves us enough to not leave us where we’re at. He provides for us while we wait. He loves us while we wait. You can rejoice because God’s love seeks, seals, satisfies, and saves.

You can have Joy in Your Waiting Because Jesus Redeems Sinners

While you wait, you have joy that Jesus has saved you as a Christian. Even though we will have difficulty in this world, Jesus promises to be with us. Just as Ruth was able to experience joy from her redeemer we are able to experience joy because we know that our Savior redeems lost sinners. Regardless of what we face in this life, and regardless of how long we have to wait, we are able to experience His otherworldly peace because of the redemption He alone brings to our lives.

You can have Joy in Your Waiting Because One Day Your Waiting Will End

While we wait on Christ to return, we don’t sit on our blessed assurance. We have a job before us! The Christmas season reminds us of the eternal plan of our God to seek and save lost sinners. The joy of God’s love and Christ’s Advent must motivate us to use our time, talent, and treasure to share the Gospel message with others. We can rejoice today as we know that our God is at work and that our waiting - on Christ’s return and on a resolution to our present problems - will one day come to an end! We can have joy today because our Savior came.

Do you know this Jesus? Do you know His joy? Are you drawing near to Him today?