Sermon – “Kinsman Redeemer”

2 There was a relative of Naomi’s husband, a man of great wealth, of the family of Elimelech. His name was Boaz. 2 So Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, “Please let me go to the field, and glean heads of grain after him in whose sight I may find favor.” And she said to her, “Go, my daughter.” 3 Then she left, and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers. And she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech. 4 Now behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and said to the reapers, “The Lord be with you!” And they answered him, “The Lord bless you!” 5 Then Boaz said to his servant who was in charge of the reapers, “Whose young woman is this?” 6 So the servant who was in charge of the reapers answered and said, “It is the young Moabite woman who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab. 7 And she said, ‘Please let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves.’ So she came and has continued from morning until now, though she rested a little in the house.” 8 Then Boaz said to Ruth, “You will listen, my daughter, will you not? Do not go to glean in another field, nor go from here, but stay close by my young women. 9 Let your eyes be on the field which they reap, and go after them. Have I not commanded the young men not to touch you? And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink from what the young men have drawn.”

2 Therefore if there is any [a]consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, 2 fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

25 ‘If one of your brethren becomes poor, and has sold some of his possession, and if his redeeming relative comes to redeem it, then he may redeem what his brother sold.

4 Now Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there; and behold, the close relative of whom Boaz had spoken came by. So Boaz said, “Come aside, [a]friend, sit down here.” So he came aside and sat down. 2 And he took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, “Sit down here.” So they sat down. 3 Then he said to the close relative, “Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, sold the piece of land which belonged to our brother Elimelech. 4 And I thought to [b]inform you, saying, ‘Buy it back in the presence of the inhabitants and the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, redeem it; but if [c]you will not redeem it, then tell me, that I may know; for there is no one but you to redeem it, and I am next after you.’ ” And he said, “I will redeem it.” 5 Then Boaz said, “On the day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you must also buy it from Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to [d]perpetuate the name of the dead through his inheritance.” 6 And the close relative said, “I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I ruin my own inheritance. You redeem my right of redemption for yourself, for I cannot redeem it.” 7 Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and exchanging, to confirm anything: one man took off his sandal and gave it to the other, and this was a confirmation in Israel. 8 Therefore the close relative said to Boaz, “Buy it for yourself.” So he took off his sandal.

6 For when we were still without strength, [d]in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.

Then morning. God is good. And all the time. God is always faithful wisdom isn’t he isn’t T. IS SO GOOD knows Karon already was speaking of that song power in the blood and you know it is so amazing that the blood of one man shed upon the cross is sufficient for the sins of all the world you know we like to know and we know that we are sons and daughters of the Living God and were set free from our sins by that blood but just to think about the magnitude of the sins of all the world can be forgiven by the Blood of Jesus Christ that is that much power in that blood one drop would have been sufficient. For the remission of all of our sins for the cleansing of all of our sins we are set free and you know yes we can stand against the enemy we say you know get behind me Jesus or get behind me devil when jesus name and by His blood I’ve been set free but you know what it’s not our power it’s HIS we need to humbly realize that it’s what he has done this humbly believe in him this morning my message the title Ken’s been Redeemer you know as we read the Bible there are so many stories we find about God’s redemption plan about how he wanted to bring man back to himself and to have fellowship and commune with man once again and disseminate stories you can look at Abraham and Moses and the Moses bring the people out of Egypt and but today we’re going back to the Book of Ruth you know Ruth you as you read this book I encourage you all to read the book of Ruth It’s for little chapters but it’s such an amazing story and it’s like a common everyday family if you will. The family that had to. Back up a little bit so this refresh has been a couple weeks ago just like a common family that had to leave their homeland had to leave Bethel Ham because of a famine that come upon the land but the ham was known as it was called House of Bread or the House of Bread was without bread because of famine so they had to leave in a had to move 40 miles away to Moab so they moved to a foreign land so Elimelech his wife Naomi and her 2 sons moved to Moab a common everyday family if you will but while they were there tragedy struck Elimelech died so Nomi was a widow and then her 2 sons died but they had married they had married women of Moab they married Mo bitis Mo bite women one was name Oprah and the other was Ruth the book is called Ruth but as I read the 1st message on Ruth I called true devotion because Ruth was so devoted to her mother in law this she chose to follow her back to the land Bethleham whenever Naomi heard that there was bread once again in the land that they God sent rain and they was able to harvest crops again she decides to go back and she urged her daughter in law was to turn and go back to your homeland go back to your parents go back and find yourself a husband and Oprah did but Ruth said no where you go I will give your people will be my people your land will be Milan your God will be ma god where you die I will die that’s how truly devoted she was to her mother know how much she loved her mother in law. But this morning we’re going to look at another amazing character in that wonderful little book of Ruth the one that she would eventually marry she married again married a man named Boaz kinsman redeemer Ruth Chapter 2 verses one through 9 and will read a little bit more later on but we’re going to begin with verses one through 9 there was a relative unknown Me husband a man of great wealth of the family of Elimelech his name was Boaz So Ruth the MO bitis said to Naomi please let me go to the field and clean heads of grain after him in his sight I may find favor and she said to her go my daughter then she left and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers and she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz who was of the family of a limb Aleck now be hobo as came from Bethleham and said to the reapers the Lord be with you and they answered him The Lord bless you then bow as sent to his servants who was said to his servant who was in charge of the reapers whose young woman is this so the servant who was in charge of the reapers answered and said it is the young mobile woman who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab and she said please let me go again after lean and gather after the reapers among the C.S. So she came and has continued from morning until now though she rested a little in the house then though as said to Ruth you will listen my daughter will you not he said you will listen to me won’t you sometimes the way they work it’s a little confusing she’s like you’re going to listen. Do not go to glean in another field nor go from here but stay close by my young woman. Let your eyes be on the field which they reap and go after them have I not commanded the young man not to touch you and again he said I’ve told my young men not to touch you to leave you be and when you are thirsty go to the vessels and drink from what the young men have drawn May God at His blessing so they hear it in the reading of His holy work let us pray Father we do thank you and praise you for your word your word that reveals your relationship with those that have come before some father most of all reveals your love in your perfect plan your plan for their lives it also Father plans that we can follow Father we can read your word and understand how much you love us and Father help us to trust in you help us to listen to you and allow your Spirit to lead us and guide is Father our hearts and our minds are opened you this day that you will guide us and help us to receive what you have for years and may we glorify you with the life that you have given us in or just bless us again with your presence for your glory in Jesus’ name amen you know I hadn’t planned this part of it but it says that Ruth happened to come upon the part of the field belonging to Boaz Now how many here believe that it was coincidence that Ruth happened to come to that field part of the field belonging to Boaz nobody kids do you believe it was coincidence no then how do you think it happened if you don’t think it was coincidence maybe not knowing the word but you think possibly divine intervention OK yes I can get it’s not there possibly divine intervention and I know some of you’ve heard this story before but I’m going to share it again for those that may have not heard it and may be watching and haven’t heard it many moons ago my wife and I had been married very long we get married 1978. And I went to work for vet Co Virginia electric and Power Company and they was located up in Mt storm West Virginia most probably know where that is but it was at least an hour drive from where we lived in Ridgely to get to Mt storm every day and that was when the weather was good and if you know anything about Mt storm it is properly named because there were times when it was not an easy trip so anyhow so I travelled that every day for a year in often times we worked long hours it seemed like that we worked a minimum of 10 hours often 12 and you put a hours journey on each end of that weather permitting and it makes for a long day my oldest daughter did not even know me very well during that year and I couldn’t even sit on a couch beside her because I was practically a stranger to her because I work such long hours so we talked and we decided we’re going to try to find a house in between didn’t want to move all who would want to live in Mt storm right but people do certain how we thought we’re going to try to find a house half way between so we found this house that we think of as a nice house one that is going to work for us with our family is going to be growing and we put a deposit on and what we happen to stop by a couple weeks after we put a deposit on one to show the mother loan father and all this house while there was some damage in this house that we did not see the 1st time in the foundation of the house so it was difficult but we was able to get her deposit back you know so our plans you know we’re thinking the this is our plans aren’t going very well so then we found a 2nd house put a deposit on and this time the seller backed out the seller something happened that you know cannot and I want to back out of this. Plan to sell you my house so you know again things is are going well are going as we are planning very shortly after that 2nd plan fell through my own school who worked at the railroad calls and says You want to come work for the reverend down here put an application in so long story I’m a little bit sure here I was hired at the railroad do you think it was coincidence that that 1st house fell through and then that 2nd house deal fell through I didn’t know for certain that God intervened his plans are always better than our planes God did not want us moving up there me working up there he wanted us here because he knew the plans he had for me right in for our family he knew this planes I don’t think it just happened that those deals still through nor do I think it just happened that Ruth wandered into the field of Boaz that day there was a relative a man named Boaz you know as you read this story and watched it unfold you realize that Boaz is a kind of person that you could admire he’s an admirable man they honest man you know the 1st 1st said that he was a wealthy man but you know as you read dish you realize that he did not let his wealth go to his head he didn’t that is wealth make Emo pride for an arrogant haughty and boastful even with his wealth he was a humble man he actually seems to be sensitive to the needs of others look at his greeting towards his servants I think is very commendable but was said to the reapers upon coming back from Bethlehem the Lord be with you. How delightful that your superior over you would come to you and say how the Lord be with you he’s basically saying May the Lord bless you May the Lord preserve you May the Lord strengthen you this is the kind of God You want to work for right this is a con a manager I’d like to have active walking every day May the Lord be with you and May the Lord bless you also a man everyone though could have these admirable characteristics if we allow the Lord to work in our lives and help mold and shape us into that kind of a person I believe he was a humble man you know I know that many people are very successful they do great things they’re wonderful they’re very talented but the ones that we admire that have these gifts are the ones that are humble about it who likes that person that likes to stand up there and say well I did this and I accomplished that and I’m so smart and I’m strong and all this that we like that kind of person know we like the one that we learned those things naturally maybe somebody else tells about it or we just observe it ourselves Boaz was a humble person he was also a very generous person very generous generous towards his servants very generous towards Ruth which will get into more and you know you don’t have to be wealthy to be a generous person a generous person is ones that want is one that wants to help others you don’t have to have a lot of funds to be able to do that you just have to have the want to to help in whatever way God leads you to help them it might be given a little bit of your time. The going and helping them so will their driveways in the winter like you haven’t remembered to go help them fixed your car or go help them clean your house up a little bit you don’t have to be wealthy to be generous be generous with what God has blessed you with it it might be these 2 hands and it might be this these years I want this 1st it might be these ears to listen because you know there’s a lot of people out there that don’t have anybody to talk to they just want someone to listen to them. I’ve heard stories of people hiring people just to come and sit down listen someone to talk to I heard recently a story about a man that went into I don’t know if it’s a Starbucks but a coffee shop and he put up a little sign at the table and said down here and said the sign said Come and listen to my story nobody nobody came and visited him that day. Yeah I’ll buy you a cup of coffee if you come and hear my story so the next day he changed his sign I’ll buy you a cup of coffee and come and tell me your story there was a line waiting people need someone to listen someone to talk to a man honesty is an admirable characteristic if you are not honest if you are not true you’re not going to have good relationships with others it will not work a relationship there would there has to be trust in a marriage there has to be trust there has to be honesty we’re not to hide things from our spouses you might have to hide things you know our presence and we got them for their birthdays or for Christmas. Boaz possessed many admirable characteristics kind to his workers at the very beginning he showed kindness to Ruth he asked the servant who was in charge who Zhang woman is this. You know no where in the Book of Ruth are you going to find a description of Ruth’s outward appearance aab not read it no description of her outward was she beautiful to look at I don’t know I’m pretty sure Gary’s of pretty sure she probably was but it doesn’t say was she beautiful was she gorgeous I don’t know but what it does say is this the bow as said to her it has been fully reported to me all that you have done for your mother in law since the death of your husband and how you have left father and mother in the land of your birth and he added May the Lord repay your work you see it speaks of a beauty that is inward doesn’t it a beauty that is inside that is greater than the outward appearance she had a beautiful heart she loved her mother mother in law she was a virtuous woman she could have went back home she could have went back home and found herself a man somewhat into marrying somebody to keep her for the rest of her days she did not choose the easy way out instead she was more concerned with the well being of her mother in law Naomi she knew that someone would need to help care for Naomi because she was getting no she knew that Naomi wouldn’t be able to go out into the fields and Blaine she was too old she was well advanced in years so she cared for her mother in law all Proverbs 3110 says who can find a virtuous wife for her worth is far above rubies far above rubies Precious is what a virtuous wife wife is worth Philippians to one through 4 says they’re for. If there is any consolation in Christ if any comfort of love if any fellowship of the Spirit if any affection and mercy fulfil my joy by being like minded having the same love being of one accord of one mind let nothing be done through selfies ambition or conceit but in lowliness of mine let each esteem others better than himself look out early at each of you look out not only for his own interest but also for the interest of others my friends that’s the kind of Perth person of our time talking this morning that’s the kind of person that Ruth was she looked out for the interest of others can we do the same do we do the say look out for the interest of others her kindness indeed is rewarded Boaz says to her again do not go in clean in another field he says I have commanded my young men to not touch you to leave you alone so Boaz provided protection for Ruth he says if you are thirsty go and drink from what my men have drawn in and he even said if you’re hungry go get food so he has provided provision for her then he commanded his young men to intentionally intentionally let some grain fall to the ground and Deuteronomy speaks of gleaning and this is our God is so loving so compassionate to take care of people when Deuteronomy 2419 it says when you reap your harvest in the field. And you forget a sheaf in the field so if you miss it you drop it you shall not go back and get it it shall be for the stranger for the fatherless and the widow that the lured Your god may bless you in all the work of your hands so God takes care of those that are less fortunate for the foreigner which would be like Ruth the widow which is like Ruth God said do not go back and give it leave it for those leave her for the those are going to be doing those that have had hardships in her life but Boaz goes even beyond this he instructs his men I want you to drop some leaves some for Ruth this will be able to gather a good harvest today isn’t it amazing that God says even though in his commandment in Deuteronomy do not go back and get it leave it for those that have need that I may bless you God says if you bless others I am going to bless you friends you cannot out give God If you are generous God will bless you if you are generous with a pure heart a loving heart God cares for the least of these among us as should we he cares for everyone that’s why I made a way of providing for them that are less fortunate than we are though as was faithful to the commands of God He was a man blessed with a generous spirit but the greatest blessing is yet to come when Ruth went home that evening after working in the field all day with his great harvest I don’t know the size of the containers but let’s just say most people if you go to glean in a field you’re going to get crumbs you’re going to get a very skimpy harvest most of the time you know if you go and clean most of let’s say you might get a court but she probably went home with a bushel. And when she come into the house that night her mother Nelson Where did you work today where did you work that you found all this grain Oh she goes I happened to come upon a field belonging to Boaz right away they are Mrs Boaz she said Blessitt be the Lord who has not forgotten his kindness to the living and the dead for this man is a close relative of ours he is kin he is kin we don’t use that term very often but we are kin we’re related right we are kin now you know me remembers the law concerning Ken’s men Redeemer she remembers the law that how if you had to sell a piece of land because of a hardship one of your can one of your close relatives can redeem that for you to bring it back into your family where rightly belongs so she tells Ruth here’s what I want you to do now this is going to sound very strange to our ears but she tells Ruth he is a kinsmen of ours and he can redeem the land force So tonight I want you to go down to the threshing floor and I want you to watch as the men are working when they’re done after they have eaten after they have drank some wine I want you to be mindful of where Boaz goes and lays down and I want you to go in uncover street I want you to lay at his feet and you’re thinking to have this is crazy but it’s a whole different culture my friends this is the way it is done she humbled herself if you will at his feet were going to get back to this in a moment but she humbled himself at his feet as what she has done and in the middle of the night he has stirred he realizes something don’t you imagine waking up in Mill a night someone’s laying at your toes. It’s going to startle you isn’t it so he wakes up and who is it who is it is she reveals to him that they are can that he is a relative of hers and that he is indeed their kinsman redeemer she lets him know that but Boaz being the honest man that he is I said he’s honest he’s trustworthy he’s truthful he lets her know that Ruth there is a nother relative that is closer than I So for me to be the kinsman redeemer Ramos 1st go to this man give him the opportunity to fulfill this duty of the kinsman redeemer Leviticus $2525.00 speaks of the kinsman redeemer it says if one of your brother becomes poor and has sold some of his possession and if his redeeming relative comes to redeem it then he may redeem what his brother has sold so now I want to remove or go to our 2nd reading and root chapter 4 verses one through 8 now Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there and behold the close relative of whom Boaz had spoken came by so Boaz said Come aside friend and sit down here so he came and sat down and he took 10 men of the elders of the city my friends these are 10 witnesses to witness this transaction is what these 10 men are 10 men of the city and said Sit down here so they sat down then he said to the close relative Naomi who has came back from the country of Moab sold the piece of land which belonged to our brother Elimelech And you know as I read that I happened up thought to myself and I didn’t do the research when he says our brother Elimelech I wonder was it really a brother. Or was it just does it just call him Brother as in we call one another brother or sister it could have very well been a brother Elimelech may have been an older brother so it’s possible that Boaz was a much younger brother of Elimelech the maybe there was a brother in between because that’s how you would receive your inheritance Bah age so the oldest person in the next so it’s very possible this they could have been brothers or just cousins I’m not sure but that’s a possibility so you know I’m not saying that absolutely is the way this lame belonged to our brother Elimelech our family or Cam and I thought to inform you saying buy it back in the presence of the inhabitants and the elders of my people if you read him it redeem it but if you will not read then tell me that I may know for there is no one but you to redeem it and I am next after you and he said I will redeem it then Boaz said on the day that you buy the field from the hand of Naomi you must also buy it from Ruth the MO bitis the wife of the dead to perpetuate the name of the dead through his inheritance the close relative said I cannot redeem it for myself does I ruin my own inheritance you redeem our right of redemption for yourself for I cannot redeem it now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and exchanging to confirm anything a man took office saying to and gave it to another. And this was a confirmation in Israel therefore the close relative said to Boaz buy it for yourself they took office and all that sealed the deal they didn’t have to get a contract out and sign and all this and that they took off their sandals and in Scott saying if I were the same size boot he had me taking my boots off and give them time and then have they sealed the deal by taking the stand all so now he had the right to go and redeem that land to redeem that which had previously be long to Naomi this whole deal is about inheritance it’s about redemption new me and her husband had to sell this land because of the heartsick that came upon them God made a way God made a way to allow those that own property to receive their property back Boaz became Ruth and I only scans men Redeemer to restore that man you know there’s a deeper sense to this that traces back I know that it goes forward also because Christ is our redeemer but I feel that even goes back I think it goes all way back to the beginning God created Adam and me where did he place them where did they live the Garden of Eden right he gave them this land to care for to tend the garden and they could eat of the trees of the of the garden it could eat of all the trees they could see the tree of life but they were forbidden to eat from the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil yes they were forbidden to eat from that one tree so one day we know what happened we’ve all heard this story the old devil tricked Adam and Eve I’m not going to separate just leave because Adam was right there he tricked them into eating the tree eaten from the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and we know that on that day death entered in man could have lived for eternity. They did just obey God but they ate from the tree in death entered in they didn’t die that day but eventually did but friends there was more than that what else happened God put them out of the garden did nothing he put them out of the garden so they could not eat of the tree of life so he removed them from that lame end which was there it was or God gave it to him it was there’s some might say Well that was awful cruel that God would do such a thing to put him out of that land and and then cause him to die but my friends God can not change his nature it was actually a merciful act in the garden God would walk with man man could not enter into the presence of God now because he had sinned if he had entered into the presence of God he would immediately die so it was actually a merciful act God putting them out God still did talk with and commune with man but not in the same way God cannot change his nature to accommodate our sinful lifestyles my friends he didn’t do it then and he doesn’t do it today he does not change his nature to accommodate us that we can live any way we want God commands us to be holy as he is holding in through the power of the Holy Spirit we can do that but also we are cleansed of the blood of Jesus Christ our sins as we are washed away washed away we are set free from the bondage to sin to the blood of Jesus Christ that amazing blood the power is in the blood so God in His amazing love though he wanted to restore that lost inheritance he wanted to allow man to come to him again he wanted to heal that broken relationship with man but it would do cause require redemption Boaz was there kens man redeemer but Jesus Christ is our kens man Redeemer He is our kens man redeem are today. When you redeem something you have to pay for right with man needed to be redeemed and we all know what the debt was blood had to be shed Jesus Christ paid that debt on our behalf that we could be restored to him to God that we could once again walk with God that we could walk in fellowship with God in our back into that garden if you will symbolically and be with God through the redemption act of Jesus Christ upon that crawls Romans 56 through 9 says for when we were still without strength in due time Christ died for the young Godly for scarcely for a righteous man will one die yet perhaps for a good man some one would even dare to die But God demonstrates His own love toward us and that while we were still sinners Christ died for us much more than having now been justified by his blood we shall be saved from wrath through him howling in Boaz took Ruth as his bride he read aimed her and took her as his bride friends the church is the bride of Jesus Christ he is the groomsmen and he is coming again to redeem his church Hallelujah are you looking for that day and know that I am I am joyfully looking for because he has paid the debt that we can once again have fellowship with God relationship restored that’s what the redemption work of Jesus Christ is all about to get that inheritance back restore that which rightfully belong to us that we willingly gave away in the Garden of Eden if they were in the sin 5 would have been the one the do it but praise be to God. He sent of cans of men to redeem we are heirs in careers with Christ are we not. We are co-heirs He is our Kinsman Redeemer and you know I spoke of how Ruth went and laid his feet. Brothers sisters out what we need to do we need to humbly become come before Christ whenever God sent someone sent a messenger to those of old like Abraham or Moses when they realize was a messenger of God What today do they fell interfaces before them. We when we are in our sin that’s what we must do we must just come before Christ I don’t care if you fall on your face to begin on your knees but we must humbly repent of our sins given to him because he died for us and receive the redemption that he freely provides for all who will come that’s the message of the church friends that’s the message that we have for the world that’s for us in for all all who will believe. You know if truth would have said. I don’t care about that land I don’t want it she would have walked away from a kinsman redeemer would see of well there’s many out there today that here it is it’s for all it’s God’s desire that all would come but they have to come freely willingly their own hearts has to draw them but it’s there for all who were seen. For God so loved the world they gave His only begotten Son that whoever shall believe in him sound not die but of everlasting life that is to give a pray that we’ve all asked Christ to come in here take up residence in his heart today receive them as your consuming Redeemer Amen.