My Purposes or His? (Ruth)

Formal Elements / Descriptive Data

Text: Ruth

CIT: God’s people were encouraged to keep hope in His promises but especially when national circumstances were bleak leaving the outlook of fulfillment uncertain.

Proposition: When you come to the end of self, you are ready to become full of the LORD

Statement of Purpose:

(1) MO – Supportive

(2) SO – I want my hearers to find encouragement in the truth that regardless how bleak things might seem, Jesus “Will Come Again” and receive us unto Himself.

Title (Topic/Name): My Purposes or His?

Structural Pattern: Biographical – Naomi / Narrative – Four Acts

Informal Elements / Rhetorical Data

Initiation – Life Interest – Beginning Movement/Episode/Issue:

LM: Narrate the background of the Book of Ruth to tell how Elimelech had taken his family to Moab to avoid the Famine in Bethlehem-Judah and point out the things that occurred to his family while in essence running from God.

· Describe how in famine, many have been driven from their homes and livelihoods in search of a better opportunity, only to find that what they dreamed was only an illusion.

· Contrast others who are driven by different motives: Connect the story of the Separatists who looked for a nation where they could freely worship the God of the Bible without Government interference.

· Set the stage for what the Bible describes as “The Contempt of Moab” and illustrate that with Post-9-11 America’s contempt of terrorist nations who invite modern day “Balaam’s” to curse us.

· Describe how religious liberty is under attack today as it has been in other times of history

EXP: Narrate the events of Act One – “The Fields of Moab” and explain the “Emptying of Naomi” to show how there is an evident “Crisis” upon continuation of the Line of Messiah.

LI: As then for Israel, so to for us: How can we hope that God’s promises will not be thwarted when it appears so many things are presently against His people? As scoffers continued to boast, “Where is the sign of His coming…all things continue as they were of old until now…” What reason do we have to hold out hope that our Messiah too will one day come again?

Continuation – Progress – Middle Movements/Episodes/Options:

LM: Illustrate how families that experience the sorrows of life can be driven to despair like Naomi (e.g. death, destroyed dreams, etc.)

· Compare how the early days of America’s beginnings too was riddled by times of despair

· Describe how families today (even families who might profess to believe in God) might be driven to the brink of no hope, perhaps even to the point of giving up on God

· Connect the high cost of carnality and materialism that leads to spiritual famine as it drives the decisions of so many who have a shallow faith if faith at all.

· Provide personal testimony of how I became “bankrupt before God” and arrived at “poor in spirit.”

EXP: Narrate the events of Act Two – “In the Field of Bethlehem” (see Daniel Block Commentary)

· Describe Ruth’s First Encounter with Boaz

· Show Naomi’s response and how it provided a ray of hope for the Messianic Line to continue

TR: Describe how upon their return to the House of Bread, the nation can see a ray of hope where there was none as Ruth begins to find grace in the eyes of Boaz by “hap”

· Describe how as people across our nation begin to seemingly return to God (in genuine repentance and faith), we too can observe spaces of grace which provide us with glimmers of hope that God’s Word does in fact remain the truth (IT IS FOREVER) in the face of skeptical unbelievers, and moves us to continue to worship God freely and joyfully despite circumstances.

TS: When we come to the end of ourselves, provided we remain humble, we arrive at the place to begin to hear how God is really working.

Next Movement/Episode/Option:

LM: Describe some of the dangers to freedom and prosperity today as the nation deteriorates morally and experiments with Socialistic ideologies

· Explain how, like in the Days when the Judges Ruled, the very laws that were meant for our good can be used against good and godly people (i.e. Churches being fined in executive overreach for assembling once immediate emergency situations are past, etc.)

· Discuss how no government can be “ideal” until Jesus comes as promised, and like Ruth found her answer for life at the feet of her Boaz, we too must come to the foot of the Cross of our Kinsman Redeemer for eternal life.

· Show how gracious the Lord was to me the day I was saved (Personal Testimony of Salvation)

EXP: Narrate the events of Act Three – “At the Threshing Floor”

· Describe Ruth’s Second Encounter with Boaz

· Show how again, there is a complication to the continuation of Messiah’s Line (a kinsman nearer than Boaz, legal obstacles, potential future conflicts over land allotments if handled incorrectly, etc.)

Consummation – Climax – Ending Movement/Episode/Option:

LM: Demonstrate how earthly leaders (e.g. David), while used by God for a season, are never the ultimate solution and illustrate this in a description of how great Israel would become under David & Solomon while reminding how each failed.

· Describe how the Millennial Kingdom will look (as given in Scripture, Rev. 20) while showing how Jesus (the Promised Son of David) both fulfills all and succeeds where all others failed.

EXP: Narrate the Events of Act Four – “In the Town of Bethlehem”

· Show how Naomi was refilled with hope as the crisis over the Messianic Line was resolved in David.

FR: At the “End of Self” is the “Beginning of Him”

· Empty Before Filled (Ruth 1)

· Listening for Where God Is Working (Ruth 2)

· Acting When God Opens the Door (Ruth 3)

Watching for the Lord to Come (Ruth 4)