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Ruth: Redeeming the Mess
When Life Stays Messy 06/08/08
Proverbs 3:1-8
Series: Ruth: Redeeming the Mess
Pastor: Matthew Green
As we finish the story of Ruth, the question lingers: What about when our messy lives don't wrap up as beautifully as Naomi's? What about when the tragedy and hardship doesn't seem to come to an end, and it seems like God is not good?
Ruth 4.13-22 06/01/08
Ruth 4:13-22
Series: Ruth: Redeeming the Mess
Pastor: Steve Hart
As the story of Ruth comes to a close, the camera pulls back from the love story of Boaz and Ruth and revisits the plight of Naomi. When she left for Moab, she was full of family, future, and hope. When she returned from Moab she was bitter, broken, and empty - and childless. But God has not left her, and in his love for her has orchestrated the marriage of Boaz and Ruth so that they could give birth to a grandson who would refresh her soul. The camera then pulls back even further, and we see that this son, Obed, becomes the father of Jesse, who in turn becomes the father of the great King David!
Ruth 4.1-12 05/25/08
Ruth 4:1-12
Series: Ruth: Redeeming the Mess
Pastor: Steve Hart
Every great love story has obstacles, and the blossoming love of Ruth and Boaz is no exception. Though Boaz is fully intent on marrying Ruth, he is also a man who loves God's law and wants to do things the right way. There is a redeemer who is nearer to Ruth and has the first right of redemption. Fortunately for Boaz and Ruth, this man is a total fool, and Boaz easily moves him out of the way in order to wed Ruth.
Ruth 3.1-18 05/18/08
Ruth 3
Series: Ruth: Redeeming the Mess
Pastor: Steve Hart
Ruth and Boaz live in the perverted and confused time of the Judges, a period of history where Israel was in rebellion against God on a regular basis. How can two people love each other and pursue marriage in a way that is pure and honorable? How do they protect themselves and each other in a day when the path of least resistance is hooking up, sleeping together, shacking up and seeing if it works out? Listen to how Ruth and Boaz navigate these treacherous waters!
Ruth 2.14-23 05/11/08
Ruth 2:14-23
Series: Ruth: Redeeming the Mess
Pastor: Steve Hart
As we reach the midpoint of the book of Ruth, we are privaleged to look in on one of the most beautiful love stories ever written. The story started with tragedy and sin and foolishness, but is now taking a turn for the better as the righteous Boaz steps on to the scene to be a conduit of grace and restoration to Ruth and Naomi.
Ruth 2.1-13 05/04/08
Ruth 2:1-13
Series: Ruth: Redeeming the Mess
Pastor: Steve Hart
At the bottom of the barrel, with nothing to eat and no hope for the future, Ruth sets out from Bethlehem to the fields to glean, sacrficially caring for her bitter mother-in-law and faithfully trusting that God has a plan. Once there, she "happens" to come to the field of a dude named Boaz - a strong, godly, masculine man of high standing in the community. He just happens to be single, and he just happens to come to the field on the day that Ruth is gleaning. Our story turns a corner this week from tragedy to the beginnings of a love story.
Ruth 1.6-22 04/27/08
Ruth 1:6-22
Series: Ruth: Redeeming the Mess
Pastor: Steve Hart
God is at work in the story of Ruth and Naomi in primarily invisible ways. Naomi's life is in shambles and she is bitter with God about it. She believes that God is all powerful, but she is unconvinced about God's goodness, at least in her life at this point. The Providence of God is the main theme of the book of Ruth, a theological concept that brings together God's power and sovereign control over all things with his heart of grace, kindness, and faithful love for his people. As believers in God, we must learn to see our circumstances through the lens of Providence, trusting that even in affliction God has good and redemptive purposes that he is working out.
Ruth 1.1-6 04/20/08
Ruth 1:1-6
Series: Ruth: Redeeming the Mess
Pastor: Steve Hart
Our study in the book of Ruth begins with tragedy. A man named Elimelech who lives in the godless and turbulent days of the judges is moving his family out of God's promised land to the pagan country of Moab. In a few short verses, we see the tragic consequences of this decision: both he and his two sons die, leaving his wife, Naomi, without husband and children in a foreign land. It is tragic. Yet God is not as absent as he seems. He has a plan and a future for Naomi, and in his grace is visits his people in Israel and Naomi begins her journey home.