Untitled Sermon

PURITY CULTURE:Singleness Book of Ruth

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Lindsay and I are the Campus Pastors

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Intro

It is officially the month of February the month of LOVE! Anyone got any fun plans for Valentines day?? Well with that in mind this month we are going to be starting a new series today called ___________________ where we are going to be looking at the seasons of life called SINGLENESS, DATING, and MARRIAGE. 

Matthew 5:8

8 God blesses those whose hearts are pure,

for they will see God.

We are going to have a lot of fun these next couple weeks so you do not want to miss out. Not only are we going to have a lot of fun though I also believe as we look at these three seasons of life we are going to be learning Godly principles and things about who Christ is that apply to us no matter what season of life you're in whether that be married or single. So just because you've been married for 30 years doesn't mean what we discuss today as we dive into single life won't apply to you.

Message

Well today we are going to be jumping into the first part of this series which is SINGLENESS. 

Where are all my single people at?? Yall want to stand up this morning so yall know who each other are?? HAHAHA If you like being single make some noise. Hahaha

Now my goal for each of these seasons as we discuss them is not to give tips and tricks per say.

There are something’s Ruth does that I would say do and some things I would say don’t do.

Ruth doesn't exactly give you a good example on how to flirt and find your next man ladies. She literally walked into Boaz room uncovered his feet and layed by them hahaha.

But what the story of Ruth does give you are some great principles that will allow you to do this season of life well and that's my goal during this series.

 I want us to look at scripture and help see how we can make these seasons of life successful. How can we walk through this season of life called singleness and look back it and call it good. How can we see fruit in this season. How can look back and know this season was one that God would be proud of it. That honors him.

So let’s jump into the story of Ruth. 

The story of Ruth actually starts with two people by the name of Elimelech and Naomi. Elimelech and Naomi were judeans coming from southern Bethlehem known as Ephrathites. They got married had two sons and decided to travel to Moab and settle there. Shortly after they arrived Elimelech dies and Naomi is left with her two sons who choose to marry Moab women Oprah and Ruth and this is where the story of Ruth begin’s and all that her life can teach us.

After 10 years of marriage both sons die, meaning Ruth, Oprah and Naomi are now all widows. 

At this moment Naomi hears about how God is blessing the people of Judah and has decided she is going to travel back to her homeland and Orpah and Ruth join her.

As they start their travels Naomi stops and basically gives both woman an opportunity or out to go back and be with their parents. Oprah chooses to return home but Ruth chooses differently. 

Ruth 1:16

16 But Ruth replied, “Don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.

 Why was the decision so important?? Because…

YOUR NOW BUILDS YOUR NEXT

In this moment Ruth has two choices she can either return to Moab a place that was named and created from a insestues relationship between one of Lot’s sons and daughter whom worships the God of Chemosh. Where she has experience the lost of her husband.

Or 

Bethlehem the place which means “bread of life”, a place that worships the one true God she has had an encounter with and has given her life to. The place her beloved husband and mother in law came from.

Ruth understood this decision that she was about to make could determine what her future looked like. But it goes further than this when we look in Chapter 2 of Ruth and the reason Ruth found favor in the eyes of Boaz wasn’t because she was attractive but in vs11 we see it  was because she choose to serve and honor her mother in law the way she did and God blesses her for it.

This is a principle we see throughout the story of Ruth.

The choices we make during the season of singleness can absolutely affect what our next season of dating and marriage look like. 

 Galatians 6:7 NLT

“Do not be misled… You will always harvest what you plant”

What are we sowing through our decisions during this season of life that we will reap in the next??

vs22 Naomi tells Ruth to stay in that field because there are other field she could get hurt in

During this season of singleness are we making the decision to position ourselves around the right people and in the right places. Are we posistioning ourselves in the places and around the people God would want us to. This is a choice in this season that could affect the next..

Are we finding ourselves in church or the club or bar??

Club = Trouble, temporary joy (You got to go back)

Church = Jesus: Hope, Joy unspeakable and full of glory

Are we finding ourselves at the house party or community group?.

House Party = unfulfilling and surface friendship 

CG = Support and Commitment

Also ultimately where we position ourselves when we are single could be the place we find our husband or our wife.

Let me tell you ladies the man that is worried about the next party, the next drink is not going to be the man that’s going to lead you well. Hear me out that man might provide for you but he will never be able to lead you or his kids. 

Are we positioning ourselves consistently in prayer?? In worship?? In Gods word??

Are we celebrating those that are dating, getting married and having families?? This is not so much a physical decision but a emotional positioning? The opposite of celebration is jealousy.

One of the choices that I see people make no matter what season of life they are in is they make the next season in front of them an idol. They take the next season and or position and place it on this pedestal as if it is God and we spend all of our time striving after it instead of Christ. 

Ruth never does this though look at Ruth 2:19-21

19 “Where did you gather all this grain today?” Naomi asked. “Where did you work? May the Lord bless the one who helped you!”

So Ruth told her mother-in-law about the man in whose field she had worked. She said, “The man I worked with today is named Boaz.”

20 “May the Lord bless him!” Naomi told her daughter-in-law. “He is showing his kindness to us as well as to your dead husband.* That man is one of our closest relatives, one of our family redeemers.”

21 Then Ruth* said, “What’s more, Boaz even told me to come back and stay with his harvesters until the entire harvest is completed.”

Redeemer: Could step in and take care of them. 

 Recap story: Ruth basically telling her about the provision and Naomi says hey he is qualified to be your husband and Ruth completely ignores her lol.

RUTH SOUGHT GOD NOT A GROOM!

Even though Ruth knew what this ment in finding Boaz. 

Ruth and Naomi both were is a scary spot but she still didn’t make marriage an idol. 

No protection

No Land

No housing

no Finances

No provision

No stability

No covering

She didn’t make him an idol but she continued to put her faith in God serve as she had been doing. 

Romans 11:36 “All things come from God and through God”

In other words dont worship the gift, the position, the next but worship the one that gives it.

The other thing that can happen when we turn our focus more on the gift than the giver is that we strive for the whats next that we totally miss the whats now and what God is doing. If Ruth would have been focused on marriage would she have missed the provision in which God was providing for them. 

Do you. Know what God can teach us in the single season so we don’t have to learn it after the fact?? These would have been nice to know before I got married.

Build patience

you going to want this when you have 2 crying kids in the back seat on a road trip or when your husband doesn’t clean up like he is suppose to.

Mom you always said my wife wouldn’t want me if I didn’t clean up right look at me now hahaha.

Lead oursleves

Lets quit sliding into DM’s and slide into the word of God.

If we can’t lead ourselves men we will never be able to lead a wife and kids.

Love oursleves

Ladies God trying to teach you to love yourselves and show you how valuable you during this season. You will never love someone else effectively until you love yourselves.  

Heal hurt

God doesn’t want you to just wear bandaids or have scars he wants you heal completely. But that doesn’t happen if you don’t finish the prescribe medicines or follow the proper steps.

If your single in here this morning don’t worry about marriage and who your soul mate is going to be strive after Christ and watch what he will do.

Don’t strive for the new job, be faithful where you are at, put some applications in and allow God to do what he can do. 

Focus on what God is doing in your life now and enjoy the season of singleness. You don’t have to be complacent but you can be content. Because there is a difference Contentment says Im okay, im thankful, Im happy. Complacent says that is all there is to and nothing more. This you do not have to be. 

The last thing today that I want us to look at and draw from the story of Ruth around the season of life of singleness is this. 

DON’T CALL LONELINESS ABANDONMENT.

Ruth could have looked at the situation with her husbands dying, Oprah leaving, Naomi chapter 1:20 literally having a break down and being in this situation as we talked about earlier that literally was not safe for her because she had no husband and said God abandoned her but she didn’t. 

Im reading between the lines and im sure Ruth after being married 10 years and having that man at home every night to now having no one to talk to and make memories felt like alot of us who are in this single season lonely. 

But I love that Ruth never called that season abandon but kept her faith in God.

This morning I want you to know if you are feeling lonely in here you are not abandon. 

What’s amazing about the story of Ruth is in the end God restores and blesses Ruth with kiddos. 

Deuteronomy 31:8

8 Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.”

Matthew 28:20

20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”