From a List to a Legacy

Ruth 4:18-22

Text: Ruth 4:18-22

Title: From a List to a Legacy

Truth: God redeems broken and ordinary people for His extraordinary purposes, turning a list of names into a legacy of grace.

Introduction:

Thank you guys for coming tonight. This is the last lesson in the Ruth series. As I was preparing for this lesson I was reflecting on the things we had discussed in previous lessons. Before we get into the lesson I want to thank each and every one of you for this wonderful blessing and opportunity to stand behind this stand nearly every Wednesday night and nearly every Sunday morning. It has been an absolute honor to serve Trinity Baptist and you guys in this capacity.

This is not the end and I’m not going anywhere. I’m going to faithfully serve this church in anyway the Lord directs. I’m reminded of all the lessons that were taught from this series and I remember my prep from each week. Each week I would reflect on the Scripture and would spend so much time in prayer, not for being prepared or having the right things to say, but prayers of thanksgiving, for gratitude. Prays that said, “Why me, I’ve done nothing to deserve any of this Jesus, so why me? Why me that gets to stand in front of these students and deliver a lesson. What did I do to deserve that?”

But as I continued to prep and continued to pray, God was reminding me that He can use anyone, anywhere, at anytime including a man like me. I don't say any of this to put a spotlight on myself. I’m not saying this to create a dramatic goodbye. I’m saying all of these things to give God alone all the glory! I just wanted to say thank you for that and to let you know I’m not going anywhere. Ill be on that back row next to Nick or beside Ms. Kim. I love you guys

But let’s get into it.

Have you ever skipped the “boring” parts of the Bible—those long lists of names? Be honest! But what if I told you that buried in those names is a message of hope, a legacy of redemption, and a connection to Jesus Himself?

Ruth 4:18-22 may look like just another genealogy, but in reality, it’s proof that God is always working behind the scenes to bring about His perfect plan.

Last week we saw how God can take you from A to Z fast, if you are faithful. Tonight, we are going to see where else He can take you from and to. Turn in your Bibles if you aren't already there to Ruth chapter 4. We will be covering the last few verses starting at verse 18.

Ruth 4:18–22 ESV

18 Now these are the generations of Perez: Perez fathered Hezron, 19 Hezron fathered Ram, Ram fathered Amminadab, 20 Amminadab fathered Nahshon, Nahshon fathered Salmon, 21 Salmon fathered Boaz, Boaz fathered Obed, 22 Obed fathered Jesse, and Jesse fathered David.

At first glance, this list of names seems unimportant, but let’s take a closer look. It’s a reminder that God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things.

From Ordinary to Extraordinary

Look at how this genealogy begins in verse 18:

"Now these are the generations of Perez…"

Right away, we see something interesting. This list doesn’t start with someone famous,it starts with Perez. Now, Perez wasn’t a king, a prophet, or a warrior. He wasn’t even the firstborn son of Judah. He was just an ordinary guy.

In fact, let’s be real,almost everyone in this list was just an ordinary person:

Hezron, Ram, Amminadab—most of us have never even heard of them.

Salmon—his only claim to fame is that he married Rahab, the woman from Jericho.

Boaz—he was just a landowner in Bethlehem.

And yet, God used these everyday people to change history.

Think about Ruth,she wasn’t even an Israelite! She was a Moabite, a foreigner. In the world’s eyes, she was a nobody. But because she followed God, He placed her in the family line of King David,and ultimately Jesus.

Maybe you feel ordinary—like your life doesn’t matter much. Maybe you think, “I’m not the smartest, the most talented, or the most popular.” But God specializes in using ordinary people for extraordinary purposes! Some of you have shared times of you being bullied, or sad, or lost, or angry. Dont believe the lies that run thru your head during all of those situations. You are worth so much more than those lies. You are loved by not only in this room, but by God.

If God can take a widow from Moab and make her the great-grandmother of King David, imagine what He can do in your life! Stay faithful and stay in the fight.

But here’s the crazy part: Not only did God use ordinary people, but He also used some seriously broken people. That brings us to point number two…

From Broken to Blessed

Let’s take another look at some of the names in this genealogy. There are some messy stories in this family tree:

Perez—His mother, Tamar, had a scandalous relationship with her father-in-law, Judah (Genesis 38).

Rahab—She wasn’t just a foreigner; she was a prostitute in Jericho (Joshua 2).

David—We all know his story. He was a man after God’s own heart, but he also committed adultery and murder.

This list isn’t full of perfect people—it’s full of redeemed people.

God didn’t choose a spotless, squeaky-clean family to bring the Messiah into the world. He chose a broken family that had been transformed by His grace.

And that’s the whole point of redemption, isn’t it? God takes what is broken and makes it beautiful.

Maybe you feel like your past is too messy. Maybe you think, “God can’t use me—I’ve made too many mistakes.” But this genealogy proves otherwise!

If God can take a prostitute, a widow, and a man with blood on his hands and make them part of Jesus’ family tree, then He can take your past, no matter what it looks like,and use it for His glory.

So, we’ve seen that God moves people from ordinary to extraordinary and from broken to blessed. But here’s the most important part, this list isn’t just about David. It’s leading us to Jesus.

From a List to the Lord

Let’s fast forward to Matthew 1. The New Testament starts with this same genealogy. But this time, it doesn’t end with David, it ends with Jesus Christ.

Do you see what’s happening here?

This isn’t just a random list of names. This is a roadmap to the Messiah.

Footnote!!!

For anyone who preaches, giving an expository, verse by verse, sermon is intimidated by Matthew 1

Matthew 1 ESV

1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. 2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 3 and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram, 4 and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5 and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, 6 and Jesse the father of David the king. And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, 7 and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph, 8 and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, 9 and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, 10 and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah, 11 and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon. 12 And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, 13 and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, 14 and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, 15 and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, 16 and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ. 17 So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations. 18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

As a matter of fact, back in October Pastor Robert and I went to the NC Baptist convention for a few days. It was an awesome experiance but anyway...

We attended a late night discussion panel on Expository Sermons. Someone in the crowd asked the panel, “how would you preach Matthew 1?” I had not thought about this so I was interested in the panels answer. You ready for it??? They said, “This is the Sunday that you invite a guest pastor.” They went on to give actual tips on how to preach it but that stayed with me. It’s the first chapter in the New Testiment and it’s a list of names you about have to have a doctorate to pronounce.

After some study and prayer I realized that the way I would preach it is by showing the brokenness, showing the skeletons in the closet, showing all the times these people fell. But most importantly, I would preach hope and love and the undeserving grace of God.

Boaz was a redeemer for Ruth, but Jesus is the Redeemer for the whole world.

David was a king, but Jesus is the King of Kings.

This list started with a family, but it ends with an invitation for everyone to be part of God’s family.

So the question is, where do you fit into this story?

Maybe you’ve never made the decision to follow Jesus. Maybe you’ve thought your life was too ordinary or your past was too broken. But Jesus invites you to be part of His family, not because of what you’ve done, but because of what He has done on the cross.

Let’s bring it all together.

The book of Ruth started with loss—Ruth lost her husband, Naomi lost her family, and they both thought their future was hopeless. But it ended with redemption—Boaz stepped in as a kinsman-redeemer and changed their story forever.

And guess what? That’s exactly what Jesus has done for us.

We were lost in sin, but Jesus redeems us.

We were outsiders, but Jesus brings us into His family.

We were broken, but Jesus makes us new.

So tonight, I have one question: Will you let Jesus rewrite your story? I gave Him full control over my story and I can tell you tonight that even my worst day following Him, is a million times better than any “good day” without Him.

Maybe you’ve already given your life to Christ, but you need to be reminded that God has a purpose for you. You’re not just a name on a list, you are part of His legacy.

Or maybe you’ve never put your faith in Jesus. If that’s you, as we close out in prayer I pray that you accept the redemption He is offering. As the seconds tick by, the window of opportunity is closing.

AS we close I want to leave you with this final truth...

God redeems broken and ordinary people for His extraordinary purposes, turning a list of names into a legacy of grace.

Let’s pray.