Dating and Marriage

Welcome to Cross Church. My name is Tyler and I serve as campus pastor right here at Cross Church Elmarrage. And I want to welcome you to service today. Before we get started, I want to make you aware of a couple of ways that you can connect with us today. The first, if you have a phone with you, you can send a text message with the word crossurch, no space, to the number 9400. Or if you'd like to use the cards that are in the seat back in front of you, we've got three cards that'll direct you on ways that you can get connected this week. The first is the new card. If you're new to church over the last few weeks. We would love to connect with you. Take some time to fill out that card during our service today and drop it in one of the black boxes and then we'll follow up with you this week with some more information. The next card is the next card. Take some time to use that card if you're interested in taking some next steps in your faith journey. Things like baptism, joining a group, or even serving. And then lastly, and I believe most importantly is the prayer card. And I want to guarantee you that if you take time today to fill out that prayer card, all of those come to me and I get to each of them individually. So, if you've got things big or small going on in your life, please feel free to share those with us. We'd be happy to pray over them. Hey, as we get prepared for some God-honoring worship, I want to encourage you to go into service today with an expectant spirit. We know that God will do big things in our midst. And so, I want to encourage you to enter this time with an expectant spirit. Now, let's get prepared for some God. Hey, good morning Christ Church. Let's all stand together. Let's all get ready to worship. [Music] Let's sing together. We've come We've come for a move of God. We've come for the Holy One. All we want, all we hunger for is you. [Music] Now we've come with expected hearts undone, knowing who you are, Lord. We long for what only you can do. And Holy Spirit come on the altar. Fresh wind blowing through it. We're going to stay here until we encounter you. Make us an offering. Make us an upper room. We're going to stay here until we encounter you until we encounter [Music] you. Make us desperate. Tear our idols down. We're repentance. This is still your house. Yeah. You meant it when you said you'd pour your spirit out. So we sing, "Holy Spirit, come out. Fire on the altar. Fresh wind blowing through. We're going to stay here until we encounter you. Make us an offering. Make us another room. We're going to stay here until we encounter you. Until we encounter you. Until we encounter [Music] you. Let's sing this out together. We need a move of God. We need a move of [Music] God. We need a move of God. Oh, we need a move of God. We're hungry. We're desperate. Lord, open. We need a move, oh God, in this city. We need a move, oh God, in this church. church. We need a move, oh God. We're hungry. We're desperate. Lord, [Music] open. We need a move of God in our families. We need a move of God in our hearts. We need a move of God. We're hungry. We're desperate. Lord, open the heavens. Fire on the altar. Fresh wind blowing through. We're going to stay here until we counter you. Make us an offering. Make us an upper room. We're going to stay here until we counter you. Fire on the altar. Fresh wind blowing through. We're going to stay here until we encounter you. Make us an offering. Make us an upper room. We're going to stay here until we encounter you. We need a move. Oh god. Oh, we need a move. Oh god. Oh, we need a move. Oh god. We're hungry. We're desperate more open than the heaven. We need a move of God. Yes, Lord. We need a move of God. Oh, we need a move of God. We're hungry. We're desperate. Lord open. [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] There's peace that outlasts darkness. Hope that's in the blood. This future grace that's mine today that Jesus Christ has one so I can face tomorrow. For tomorrow's in your hands and all I need, you will provide. Just like you always have. I'm fighting a battle. I'm fighting a battle. You've already won. No matter what comes my way, I will overcome. Don't know what you're doing, but I know what you've done. I'm fighting a battle. You've already won. [Music] Oh, there's mercy in the waiting man of for today. And when it's gone, I know you're not. You are my hope and stand. When the sea is raging, your spirit is my help. He'll fix my eyes on Jesus Christ. I'll say that it is well. Oh, I know that it is well. Oh, I'm fighting a battle. [Music] You've already [Music] won. No matter what comes far away, I will come. Don't know what you're doing. But I know what you done. Thank you, God. I'm fighting a battle. and all you've already won. Let's sing. I know how the story ends. I know how the story ends. We will be with you again. [Music] You're my savior, [Music] my no more fear in life or death. I'll sing that again. And I know how the story ends. We will be with you. We will be with you again. You're my savior. You're my savior. My defense. No more fear. No more fearing life or death. And with everything we've got, let's sing this out. And I know how the story ends. And we will be with you. We will be with you again. You're my [Music] savior. You're my savior, my deepest. No more fear. No more fearing life or death. I know how the story [Music] ends. I'm fighting a battle. You've already won. No matter what comes my way, I will overcome. Don't know what you're doing, but I know what you done. Thank you, God. I'm fighting a battle. You've already won. Oh, I'm fighting a battle. You've already won. [Music] Oh, you've already won. [Music] Yes, he's already won. We do not have to worry about tomorrow, even though we don't know what he's doing. But we can always trust in him. In Christ alone, our hope is [Music] found. Let's sing this out together. In Christ alone my hope is found. He is my light, my strength, my song, this cornerstone, this solid ground. Firm through the fiercest drought and storm. What heights of love? What depths of peace? When fears are stilled, when striving cease, my comforter, my all in all. Here in the love of Christ, I stand. Oh. Oh. Oh. [Music] Oh. Oh. There in the ground his body laid. Light of the world by darkness slain. Then bursting forth in glorious day up from the grave he rose [Music] again. And as he stands in victory since Chris has lost his grip on me for I am his mine. But with the precious blood of Christ. [Music] [Music] Oh, no guilt in life, no fear in death. This is the power of Christ in me. From life's first cry to final breath, Jesus commands my destiny. No power of hell, no scheme of man can ever block me from his hand. Till he returns or calls me home. Here in the power of Christ I stand. [Music] Oh, in Christ [Music] alone. I find my strength. I find my hope. I find my help. in Christ alone. When fear sails, when darkness falls, I find my peace in Christ alone. I give my life. I give my all. I sing this song to Christ the Lord, the King of Kings, the Lord above. All heaven sings to Christ the Lord. To Christ the Lord. to [Music] Christ to [Music] Christ. Awesome. Thank you for worshiping with us. You can go ahead and have a seat. Uh my name is Michael. We are so glad you are here uh today at Cross Church. I just want to run through a couple things with you. Uh first is our cards in the seat back in front of you. Uh we have three cards there. The first one is our connect card. Uh we would love for you to fill it out. It's your first, second, third, fourth time even here at Cross Church. We want to make sure we connect with you. Uh we won't send you any spam. We promise. Uh we just want to make sure that you're here. So please make sure you fill that out. Uh if you uh love the digital side of things or AI, you can text also to us uh crossurch all one word to 9400. Second card there is our next card. uh for you that uh call cross church your home, you feel like God is stirring your heart to whatever is next for you, you can fill out that card for us to connect with you on that. Whether it's you feel that God leading you to baptism or you want to get into a Bible group, uh or even you want to serve somewhere, please make sure you fill out that card and we will connect with you there. And then the last card is our prayer card, our most important card. Uh we want to be a praying church that lifts each other up and encourages each other in the Lord. So make sure you fill that out. any prayer requests you have, uh we want to hear from you and we do pray over those every single week. Uh so please make sure uh you fill that out. Uh first announcement, uh party with the pastor, pizza with the pastor, sorry, is it's a party, too. I guess there's pizza there and a pastor's there, so it's a party. Uh but right after service today, uh if you have not attended pizza with the pastor before, this is your opportunity to come hear more about Cross Church, about our miss, mission, and vision. Uh so please make sure you do that. We will have uh pizza for you. Uh so if you did not register, we can still have you a part of that. So right after service today. Okay. Uh secondly, uh this Wednesday is our youth night. Uh so for students going into sixth grade through 12th grade, uh they will come hear an awesome message, have worship, uh play some games, and just have a fun night of fellowship with other students. So please ensure uh if you know any students uh that they come and they have a great time just worshiping the Lord. And then alongside of that, uh we have our prayer night also on Wednesday. So whether you have a student or not, we would love for you to be here just as an opportunity to pray uh together and lift each other up. Uh because prayer is an important part of who we are and what we do. Uh so please make sure you come. That's at 6:30 this Wednesday and we would love to see as many people here as possible. And then uh our next announcement uh for those that are volunteers for VBS next Sunday uh we actually have a a get together meeting after service to go through details, logistics, all the fun stuff of that. And then also for VBS, you can still register. So you can go into the kids building, which is the next building over there, uh, and then register as well. So we would love to get as many kids registered as possible. Uh, I want to challenge you, uh, this week, just invite one kid, okay? It's all you have to do. Invite one kid that you know, uh, to come to VBS because we want to make sure that we are giving every opportunity for them to know Jesus and for us to make Jesus known. So that's a challenge for you all. Uh, and then next, we just want to give you an opportunity uh, to give as well. So, uh, we we love that you are a generous church and for us to have more opportunities to make Jesus known. Uh, so for those that do call Cross Church their home, uh, this is your opportunity to give. Uh, if you've already given throughout the week, awesome. You can take these 30 seconds just pray for our service today and pray for the people here. [Music] Well, good morning, Cross Church. If we haven't met, my name is Lyall and we're glad that you're here today. Uh we're going to be continuing in our less of a mess series. And today we're going to be looking at the topic of dating and marriage. So, buckle in for that one. Go ahead and open up your Bibles to the book of Ruth. And if you are into love stories with drama and suspense, then the book of Ruth is definitely for you and you're going to enjoy it. Let's be real, men. The book of Ruth is for the ladies. So uh you know as a society we are fascinated with love stories. Every story, every novel, every movie, every TV show has some sort of romance in it. And it's because we all desire to find love. We all want to be loved and we all want to have that picture perfect day. So take this couple's story as an example. After months of searching, a newly engaged couple had finally found a wedding venue that they can afford. It was a little far away, but that was okay. It was the perfect place. A cute antique home with a large covered patio for the reception and also a little gazebo where they could have the ceremony. And to top it off, the venue offered everything. The catering, the DJ, the wedding cake. The only thing this couple would have to find is a photographer and a preacher. And after months of planning, the big day had finally arrived. And on Saturday, May 31st, 2008, at 5:00 p.m., the ceremony had begun. And if if as if foreshadowing the future events of the night, as a as the bride began began to walk down the aisle, suddenly the music was drowned out by loud sirens. In all fairness, the couple was made aware of the fire station that was right next door. But what were the odds that there would be an emergency call during the ceremony? The gr the br the bride grinned. She smiled it and everyone kind of just laughed it off. And the ceremony was completed and the two were finally announced husband and wife. And then came the reception. It was time to announce the couple. The song started to play. They start walking in and the DJ forgot the name of the groom. No big deal, right? That happens. You know, it's kind of his job, though. Then came the toast. But unfortunately, the best man had already had a little too many refreshments before he toasted, and he made a total fool of himself, of the bride and of the groom. And then came the first dance. That actually went well. But from there on out, the DJ played the wrong song for every other other dance until the bride finally came to tears as he danced to a very inappropriate love making song with her father. Now angered by the tears of the new bride, a few of the men took it upon themselves to go and confront the DJ and kick him out. The DJ called the police and eventually the police showed up at the wedding and it's not a real wedding unless the cops show up. So, While visiting with with the officers, the bride and the groom, they found that the man who was DJing their wedding wasn't even a DJ. He was the DJ's roommate. The DJ had to leave early because he was afraid that he was overdosing. With the bride in tears, they wondered, "How could this have happened? This wasn't the happy wedding day that they had planned for." And despite all those months of planning, what was supposed to be a good and wonderful and beautiful day had become an absolute mess. And if you haven't already figured it out, that was our wedding day. Heather was really upset. I was actually really excited. One, we got a good story. Two, the wedding place gave me a check for 1,500 bucks back. So, I was thrilled. I was 19 years old and $1,500 is a lot of money. So, but like our wedding day, marriages can be messy. Marriages don't always go as planned. What God planned and designed for good has become a mess. You know, the Bara research group found that 35% of non-believers will experience divorce or have experienced divorce. And the problem is that among believers, that number is the same, 35%. They also found that 23% of Christians have been divorced two or more times. So what has happened to the institution of marriage? Why has something that God has created for our good become such a mess? Well, let's look to the book of Ruth, open to chapter 1, and we will find the problem that caused the mess. And it would help if I was in Ruth, too. One second here. Okay. Verse one. During the time of the judges, there was a famine in the land. A man left Bethlehem in Judah, and his wife and two sons to He left Bethlehem in Judah with his wife and two sons to stay in the territory of Moab for a while. The man's name was Imc, and his wife's name was Naomi. The names of his two sons were Malon and Keion, and they were Ethites from Bethlehem and Judah. They entered the fields of Moab and settled there. Naomi's husband Imc died and she was left with her two sons. Her sons took Moabitete women as their wives. One named Orpa and the second was named Ruth. And after they had lived in Moab about 10 years, both Malon and Killion also died. And Naomi was left without her two children and without her husband. Let's pray. Lord, uh as we look at the topic of dating and marriage this morning, uh we just pray that we would look at your word with an open heart and an open mind. Uh Lord, let us recognize that you know what is best for us and let us trust in your ways. And Lord, despite our sins, our struggles, our shortcomings, let us remember the mercy, the grace, and the forgiveness that is found in you. It's in Jesus name we pray. Amen. So, how does this passage relate to the problem of messy marriages? Well, you can find it in the context in the background of this book. If you look in the beginning at in verse one, it said during the time of the judges. And if you know anything about the time of the judges, it was a time when Israel was an absolute mess. It was a time of moral and spiritual decline. And if you've ever read the book of Judges, you can't help but get a little uncomfortable and think to yourself, I can't believe that some of this stuff is in the Bible. I mean, there's a story about a woman driving a pig through a guy's temple. I mean, that's how bad it is. And how did it get so bad? Well, after being led by Joshua, a godly man, into the promised land, within one generations, you one generation, you find these words in the beginning of the book. a generation rose up who did not know the Lord or the works he had done for Israel. And by the time you get to the end of the book, the last line says, "Everyone did whatever seemed right to him." Whereas some of the translations say, "Everyone did what was right in their own eyes." And that's the problem that caused the mess for this family. Instead of trusting God during a famine, they left their land in Bethlehem and they looked for refuge in the land of their enemies, the Moabites. And not only that, their sons took Moabites as wives, even though God had commanded them not to intermar. Now, this family is left with a major problem with the passing of Naomi's husbands and two sons. There was no one to carry on their family name, and there was no one who could inherit their land back in Bethlehem. And it's all because they didn't trust God's word. They didn't trust God's plan. They were like everyone who was around them. They did what was right in their own eyes. Their sin had caused a mess. And that's exactly how this beginning relates to our topic today. Sin is the problem that has caused the mess in dating and marriage. And just like Israel, people like to do what is right in their own eyes. But because we've made it a mess doesn't mean that marriage isn't a good thing. God created it. Marriage was his idea. In fact, he performed the first wedding ceremony between Adam and Eve. And to keep marriage sacred and holy, God set up some rules for us to follow. And these rules are for our good. These rules can protect us from a lot of hurt, a lot of heartache, and a whole lot of pain. But more often than not, what do we do? We break those rules. One of the rules for our good is to flee from sexual immorality. Sexual immorality is any form of sexual activity that is not with your spouse. And that would be everything from looking at pornography to having sex before you're married. 1 Corinthians 7:2 says, "But because sexual immorality is so common, each man should have sexual relations with his own wife, and each woman should have sexual relations with her own husband." So marriage is God's solution to the problem of sexual immorality. And sex is good. God created it. It's for us to enjoy, but it should only happen within a marriage. Hebrews 13:4 says, "Marriage is to be honored by all and the marriage bed kept undefiled because God will judge sex the sexually immoral and the adulterers." And another rule for our good that God created is do not commit adultery. And adultery is when a married person has sex with someone who is not their spouse. Jesus said in Matthew 5:27, "You have heard that it was said, do not commit adultery. But I tell you, everyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Adultery doesn't have to just be physical. It can be from our heart and our desires. And sexual immorality and adultery, they can lead to divorce. And we know that divorce has caused a lot of mess in marriage. In Matthew chapter 19, Jesus said, "Haven't you read that he who created them in the beginning made them male and female? And for this reason, a man will leave his father and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh." Therefore, what God has joined together, let no one separate. And I tell you, whoever divorces his wife except for sexual immorality and marries another commits adultery. That can be a tough passage. But unfortunately, it's not just sexual immorality that has led to divorce. Anger, abuse, addiction, abandonment, unforgiveness, pride, greed, selfishness, and so much more has led to divorce. And I want to make sure that we handle the topic of a divorce with a lot of grace because I want everybody to know that not all divorce is a result of sin. You know, just because you've been through a divorce, you faced a div divorce, you're facing one, doesn't mean that you wanted to go through it. But we see that God's word stands in complete contrast to what has become acceptable today. Sexual immorality, adultery, and divorce are all the norm. And in some cases in our society, it's even celebrated. But it was not supposed to be this way. It was never supposed to be this way. Sin has taken something that was good and made it into a mess. So, now that we've looked at the problem that has caused mess, let's look at the paradigm for less of a mess. And I know what you're all thinking. I thought this was about a love story. But as we pick up back in our story, the situation was dark and it was hopeless for this family. We were left with three widows who had no future, nowhere to go. So Naomi, she decided to travel back to Bethlehem. And on her way, she told her two daughters, "Just go back to your homes, go back to your families because she was too old to give them a son who could carry them and carry on the name." Because during this time, when a woman was widowed without a son, without an heir, they practiced a thing called leverit marriage. Whoever was the next available male family member in their line was their kinsman redeemer. This redeemer would marry the woman. He would inherit the property. He would give her a child, a male child who could carry on the name of the deceased father, which would be kind of weird today, guys. If you had to marry like your what would that be sister-in-law? I guess it would be. So Orpa, she left, but Ruth would not leave Naomi. Look at chapter 1 and starting in verse 15 with me. Naomi said, "Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods. Follow your sister-in-law." But Ruth replied, "Don't plead with me to abandon you or to return and not follow you. For wherever you go, I will go, and wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. Wherever you die, I will die." and there I will be buried. And may the Lord punish me and do so so severely if anything but death separates you and me. So Ruth, she traveled back to Bethlehem with Naomi. And this is where the love story begins, not knowing that she was about to meet the love of her life. Let's continue reading in chapter 2, starting in verse one. Now Naomi had a relative on her husband's side. He was a prominent man of noble character from Immac's family. His name was Boaz. Ruth the Moabitis asked Naomi, "Will you let me go into the fields and gather fallen grain behind someone with whom I find favor?" Naomi answered her, "Go ahead, my daughter." So Ruth left and entered the field to gather grain behind the harvesters. She happened to be in the portion of the field belonging to Boaz who is who was from a Limc's family. Later when Boaz arrived from Bethlehem, he said to the harvesters, "The Lord be with you. The Lord bless you," they replied. And Boaz asked his servant who was in charge of the harvesters, "Who's this lady? Who's this woman?" The servant answered, "She is a young Moabitete woman who returned with Naomi from the territory of Moab. She asked, "Will you let me gather fallen grain among the bundles behind the harvesters? She came and has been on her feet since early morning, except that she rested a little in the shelter." Then Boaz said to Ruth, "Listen, my daughter, don't go and gather grain in another field, and don't leave this one, but stay here close to my female servants. see which field they are harvesting and follow them. And haven't I ordered the young men not to touch you? When you are thirsty, go and drink from the jars the young men have filled." She fell face down, bowed to the ground, and said to him, "Why have I found favor with you, so that you notice me, although I am a foreigner?" And Boaz answered her, "Everything you have done for your mother-in-law since your husband's death has been fully reported to me. how you left your father and mother and your native land and how you came to a people you didn't previously know. May the Lord reward you for what you have done and may you receive a full reward from the Lord God of Israel who under whose wings you have come for refuge. My lord, she said, I have found favor with you, for you have comforted and encouraged your servant, although I am not like one of your female servants. And at meal time, Boaz told her, "Hey, come over here and have some bread and dip it in the vinegar sauce." Guys, we've been wrong this whole time. Wrong pickup lines. I didn't know it was that easy. Come have some bread and some vinegar sauce with me, babe. So, she sat beside the harvesters and she offered and he offered her roasted grain. She ate and was satisfied and had some left over. Well, at a time when everyone in Israel was doing what was right in their own eyes, we find two people who are doing what is right in God's eyes. And that's the paradigm to have less of a mess, to do what is right in the Lord's eyes. And a paradigm means model or example. and Ruth and Boaz. They give us the perfect example of what it looks like to honor God and to live a life that would honor God. Think about the qualities that these two displayed. Ruth was a woman of faith. Despite losing her husband, she still followed the Lord. She could have become bitter. She could have turned away from God. But she remained faithful. She was willing to leave her world behind, travel to a homeland that she didn't know into a place where she wouldn't even be welcomed because she was a Moabitete. She could have stayed in Moab. She could have found a new husband. She could have pursued a life that she wanted to. But instead, she decided to take care of Naomi and proi provide for her needs. She was humble. She worked a job that was meant for the poor. If you were walking behind harvesters and picking up grain, you had nothing going for you. And she worked hard. And despite her circumstances, she showed kindness, compassion, love, faithfulness, and commitment, and loyalty. And Boaz, he was a man of faith, a man of noble character. He was a provider. He made sure that Naomi had plenty of grain to sustain her. He was a protector. He made sure that Ruth was safe from any harm or harassment. Guys, that's what a real man is. He was a comforter. He was an encourager. He didn't care that Ruth was a poor Moabitete widow. He looked at what was on the inside. He saw that she was faithful and that she cared about others, that she cared about his family. And he recognized that she was a woman of faith who had taken refuge in the same God that he followed. And both of them put the needs of others before their own. They weren't selfish. They modeled the qualities of what a husband and a wife should show in their marriage. And if you're dating, these are the qualities that you should be looking for in your future spouse. And these qualities are a lot different than than what the world tells us to look for, isn't it? What does the world tell us to look for? Appearance, how much money they have, their career, their success, their accomplishments, what can this other person do for you? Can they provide happiness for you? And if these two had uh ancient neareaster dating profiles, I don't know what that would be. ancient near eastmingle.com. By the world's standards, they wouldn't even have been a match. But what brought them together, pay attention, what brought them together was their faith. And it was their faith and their desire to follow the Lord that produced the fruit that we see in their lives. And one in interesting thing about the story, both of them were not looking for a spouse. They were focused on honoring God and they were focused on the needs of others. And God providentially brought them together. In verse two, it said, "Ruth just happened to be in the field that belonged to Boaz." Just happened. Nothing happens by accident. So if you want to follow the paradigm to have less of the mess, then you need to focus on your relationship with God. You need to focus on the needs of others, on your spouse, maybe on those that you were dating, and God will take care of the rest. And you know, there's some practical ways that you can you can do that. There's some steps that you can take. The very first step that that you need to do is that you need to have a relationship with the Lord because only he can give you a heart that wants to desire his ways. The next step would be to read God's word. So pick up your Bibles, read it, believe it, put it into practice. And just like Pastor Tyler said last week, if we want to have less of the mess, we need to look to the All right, three people listened last week. That's good, not bad. And another thing you can do is you can spend some time in prayer. Pray that you would live a life that would honor God. Pray that God would equip you to be the husband and the wife that you need to be. And if you're single, be praying for your future spouse, for the man or the woman that one day will be your husband or your wife. And just so you know, you can put all of these into practice, but that doesn't mean that you're not going to experience the mess from time to time. You know, no marriage is perfect. and all those wonderful Instagram marriages that you see. They're not going to post about their fights and their arguments. They're not going to post about how they just argued about where to eat on their date night and then they not talk to each other the rest of the night because it was awkward after fighting. Not that I've ever been a part of that. But take my marriage for example. Take me for example. I think I'll leave Heather out of this so I don't get in trouble. Um, I've done a lot of really dumb things. I've said a lot of really dumb things. I've hurt my wife. I've made her cry a lot more than I really want to admit. One time I made her cry because I got mad at her for throwing me a surprise 30th birthday party. Like, who who gets mad about that? A sinner does. A sinner does. And that's why marriages can be messy. We have two sinful people that are brought together into something that is good and something that is holy. But when we focus on living a life that honors God like Ruth and Boaz did, we can be the paradigm for less of the mess. So, now that we've looked at the paradigm to have less of a mess, let's look at the picture that solved the mess. Excuse me. Well, before Ruth met Boaz, there was no hope for their situation. Their husbands were gone. They were dead. And there was no one that could continue on their family's name. And no one who could go back to the land and inherit their land. And there was no one who could provide or protect them. Their lives were in a complete mess. But now there was hope. Boaz was a close relative. He could be the kinsman redeemer. He could get he could redeem their family's land. He could marry Ruth. He could give her a son. and that son could pass on the family name and that son could inherit the land. They could finally find a solution to solve their mess. So Naomi and Ruth come up with a plan that night. Ruth would go to Boaz and ask him to be her kinsman redeemer. She was going to ask Boaz to marry her. a little different, right? But would Boaz be willing to do so? Look at chapter 3, starting in verse 8. Ruth chapter 3, starting in verse 8. At midnight, Boaz was startled. He turned over and there lying at his feet was a woman. So he asked, "Who are you?" "I am Ruth, your servant," she replied. Take me under your wing, for you are a family redeemer. Then he said, "May the Lord bless you, my daughter. You have shown more kindness now than before, because you have not pursued younger men, whether rich or poor. Now don't be afraid, my daughter. I will do for you whatever you say, since all the people in my town know that you are a woman of noble character. Yes, it is true. I am a family redeemer." But there is a redeemer closer than I am. Stay here tonight and in the morning. If he wants to redeem you, that's good. Let him redeem you. But if he doesn't want to redeem you, as the Lord lives, I will. And like every good love story, there has to be some drama and suspense. Right now, what is Boaz Boaz going to redeem her? Or is it going to be this other guy? We have no even no idea about. We haven't even heard about him in this story. You know, he could be a jerk for all we know. Who knows? But what we do know is Boaz wants to marry Ruth. He obviously loved her. He displayed it with his actions toward her. There was some chemistry between the two of them at harvest time. And now Boaz knew that Ruth also wanted to marry him. But there's a problem. Boaz is not the next in line. There was technically a man who had first dibs on their inheritance. But because Boaz was a man of noble character, of course, what? He did the right thing. The next day, he offered the other man the chance to redeem the land. And you know what happened? He said, "Never mind. Ah, we'll find out next Sunday. No, he actually said, "I will redeem it." And how can this be? Ruth and Boaz, they love each other. That's not how the story is supposed to go. They're supposed to get married. That's how it's supposed to work. But like every good love story, there's always a twist. Now, let's look at chapter 4:5 to find out what happens. Chapter 4, verse 5. Then Boaz said, "On the day you buy the field from Naomi, you will acquire Ruth, the Moabitis, the wife of the deceased man, to perpetuate the man's name on his property." The redeemer replied, "I can't redeem it myself or I will ruin my own inheritance. Take my right of redemption because I can't redeem it." At an earlier period in Israel, a man removed his sandal and he gave it to the other party in order to make any matter legally binding concerning the right of redemption or the exchange of property. This was a method of legally binding a transaction in Israel. So the redeemer removed his sandal and said to Boaz, "Buy back the property yourself." Which is a weird way to have a handshake or I guess you would call it a footshake. Boaz said, this is verse N. Boaz said to the elders and all the people, "You are my witnesses today that I am buying from Naomi everything that belonged to IMC, Keion, and Malon. I have also acquired Ruth the Moabitis, Malon's widow, as my wife to perpetuate the deceased man's name on his property, so that his name will not disappear among his relatives or from the gate or his hometown. You are my witnesses. Skip down to 13. Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. He slept with her and the Lord granted conception to her and she gave birth to a son. The women said to Naomi, "Blessed be the Lord who has not left you without a family. Redeemer today. May his name become well known in Israel. He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. Indeed, your daughter-in-law who loves you is better than seven sons, has given birth to him. Naomi took the child, placed him on her lap, and became his nanny. The neighbor women said, "A son has been born to Naomi." And they named him Oed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David. Is that not a great ending to this story? We see a beautiful picture of redemption. A picture that solved their mess. A dark and a hopeless situation now has a solution. And no longer was Ruth a widow without a future. She was redeemed and a married woman. And from that marriage came a son named Oed. And from Oed came Jesse. And from Jesse came David. and from the line of King David would become the savior of the world, Jesus Christ, who came to redeem us from the mess of our sins. And just like this story, Jesus offers a beautiful picture of redemption to all of you. And now that we've come to the end of the story, I want to leave you with this key thought. Sin has made a mess, but Jesus has made a solution. Where sin has made a mess, Jesus offers all of us a beautiful solution. And today, if you feel like you are in that mess, if you feel like you're in that hopeless situation, if you have struggled with God's design for marriage, if you've committed sins that have made dating and marriage a mess, if you've been living a life that doesn't honor God, and if you've been doing what is right in your own eyes, there is a solution today. Like Boaz, Jesus is our kinsman redeemer. And since he was the only one without sin, he could pay our redemption price. So Jesus was delivered upon the cross to pay for our sins so that we could be forgiven. And he was raised from the dead so that we could stand before him as as we just as we had never sinned and not because of anything that we have done but because of his loving grace and mercy. And so as we prepare uh to worship during the this next song, you can stay seated, you can stand, but I want to challenge you to take some action steps today. If you don't know Jesus as savior, today is the day of salvation. Go before him, confess your sins. And the Bible says that if we confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and we believe in our heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. you will be redeemed. You'll begin to start to live that new life that can honor God. And if you are a believer, but you've struggled with some of these sins, if there's sins in your relationships, in your marriage, take the time to confess them to the Lord. The Bible says that if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and he is righteous to forgive us of all of our sins and cleanse us of all our unrighteousness. That's the beautiful thing. You don't have to stay in your sin. you can do something about it today. Trust in God's ways and live a life that honors him. Let's [Music] pray. Lord, thank you uh for being the solution to our sin. Thank you, Lord, that your redemption is not based on anything that we have done, but we are justified freely by your grace, Lord, and that we can come and that we can take refuge in you. And Lord, we discuss some tough topics today. And I pray for those in the room that are hurting, that are broken, that you will comfort them, Lord. Lord, I pray that they can find comfort in your mercy, in your grace, and in your salvation. And I pray that you will give us the strength to follow, trust, and obey your ways and not ours. So that Lord, we can have less of the mess. Amen. [Music] All sufficient merit shining like the sun. A fortune I inherit. By no work I have done. My righteousness I pour it and my Savior's cross where all sufficient bearing did what I could find in Love bees descended eternal now. A life without a blessish the maker made to die. The law could never save us. Our love is set on until the [Music] purest lamb have finally come. Let's sing it out together. It is done. It is done. It is finished. No more dead I hated for. All sufficient bearing now by you. [Music] I lay down my corners of the works now corrupted by the sinful host. I'm dressed in my Lord Jesus. My prison ro and no more fear of judgement. His righteousness is mine. It is done. It is finished. For that I hated all our salvation now my own. It is done. It is done. It is my own. It is our sal. [Music] [Music] All sufficient merit, firm in life and death. The joy of my salvation shall be my final breath. And when I stand accepted before the throne of God, I'll gaze upon my Jesus and thank him for the cross. Yes, I'll beg him for the cross. Oh, it is done. It is [Music] no [Music] sufficient my own. It is done. It is done. It is my dead. [Music] All [Music] sal. Hey, thank you guys so much for joining us today. Hope you guys have a great week. We will see you guys next week. [Music]