Steadfast Love Bears Eternal Fruit

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0:00Good morning again. If I didn't say my name, my name is Joel and I'm happy to serve you all as pastor of new creation. And we are wrapping up our Ruth sermon series, our summer series on Ruth. I don't know about you, but I love a story with a good ending, a strong ending. And I don't mean a simplistic ending. You know, the kind where the author takes shortcuts and things seem to appear out of nowhere and just kind of like make problems vanish. Or things that just don't fit the narrative. A good ending is an ending where character arcs are finished and where loose ends are tied up. And questions are answered and it makes you think. A good ending to a good story is like a payoff to an emotional investment in the story and in the characters. It resolves tension.

1:06And that's why I think we all like them. I've never heard anyone say, you know, I really like that series. Really interesting story, good characters, and I'm really happy they didn't renew it for a second season. No one ever says that. If you like it, you're frustrated if it doesn't get renewed, if it gets canceled. You're like, but I was following that. When I was a teenager, I went to the movies and about two-thirds of the way through, there was a malfunction with the projector.

1:39And after a couple minutes of, you know, is this going to resume, the lights came on and everyone just kind of stood up and filed out. And there was this like, wah-wah, like sense in the whole room. People were either deeply disappointed or pretty frustrated and kind of angry. Like, it's weird, you know, like we were, they were going to give us our money back, you know, what did we really lose? Well, we were invested in the story. We were two-thirds of the way through and it's like, now it's just ended. We couldn't, back then you couldn't hop on YouTube or go home and stream it to figure out how it ended. That was it. Today we get, I'm happy to tell you, we get a very satisfying ending to a very compelling story. I don't know about you, but I feel emotionally invested in the book of Ruth and want to know how it's going to end. But this ending, it does more than just complete the narrative for these characters. It tells us about the great ending that awaits all of those who trust in Christ. This ending tells us what the end is of God's steadfast love for his people.

2:56It teaches us that. It points us towards the future, towards the fruition of all of God's promises to us. So with that in mind, I hope you're excited to turn with me to Luke, to, I said Luke again, Ruth 4, as we wrap up the sermon series on Ruth. This is God's word for us today. Let's eagerly receive it as a truth-filled meal for our souls from a God who is faithful and amen to that cry. Let's go to God's word. So Ruth, so Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife and he went into her and the Lord gave her conception. She bore a son. Then the woman said to Naomi, blessed be the Lord who has not left you this day without a redeemer and may his name be renowned in Israel. He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age. For your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has given birth to him. Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her lap and became his nurse. And the women of the neighborhood gave him a name saying, a son has been born to Naomi. They named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David. Now these are the generations of Perez. Perez fathered Hezron. Hezron fathered Ram.

4:58Ram fathered Amenadab. Amenadab fathered Nashon. Nashon fathered Salmon. Salmon fathered Boaz. Boaz fathered Obed. Obed fathered Jesse. And Jesse fathered David. Pray with me. Lord speak to us. Open up our ears. Rain down on our hearts so that they're soft. So that your word will go deep into us. Change us. Lord by the power of your spirit work and move among us. Draw our eyes to your steadfast love. The source of any and all hope we can have. And the promise of our future in Christ, our Savior, in whose name we pray. Amen. So we're concluding. The shape of steadfast love. Today in this passage, here's what we see. Steadfast love bears eternal fruit. Steadfast love bears eternal fruit.

6:12Last week in the Bethlehem courthouse at the city gate, Boaz became the Goel, the kinsman redeemer for Naomi and her family. He did it because he loved Ruth, but he did it also, and even moreover, to serve Naomi, to serve Naomi, to give her an heir. But this is a story that should not end in a courthouse. And thankfully it doesn't. Here's what we learn. We learn that they live happily ever after. We all had been hoping that Boaz and Ruth would get married, that it would turn out that way.

6:56And they do. Now considering how they both have such an amazing reputation throughout Bethlehem. Boaz has been there for a while. Ruth is a newcomer, but she has a reputation for the service that she has been giving to her mother-in-law. She's known. So they're both known. So this is probably quite an event in town. It was like, I remember, I've now, can I remember two royal weddings? I don't know why our country is so fascinated with like weddings across the Atlantic, but we are. I've seen two of them now. It's a big deal.

7:37It's in all the papers. This is like a royal wedding in Bethlehem. But the weird thing is, we don't get any details about it. None. We don't know what Ruth wore. We don't know what the ceremony was like. We don't know if they cried, but they probably did. We don't know whether Naomi sat on the bride's side or the groom's side. We don't know what Boaz's foreman said in his toast. I remember when Boaz said to me, whose young woman is this? All we know is that they got married.

8:16But that's what we wanted, and rightly so. He cared for her, and he looked out for her. And she pursued him and asked him, come with me, Boaz, on this journey of sacrificial love towards my mother-in-law. This is a marriage that is starting off wonderfully with mutual care, love for God, a real partnership together. And we know something else? It doesn't take them long to conceive. Now, this is good news, and it's a relief, because remember, Ruth had no children from her first husband. They might have been married for up to 10 years, no kids. If we remember that, we might be thinking, well, okay, they get married, but now what? Is there going to be an heir? Well, this time is different, and the author tells us why. The Lord gave her conception. This boy was the answer to so many prayers. It's the culmination of redemption for this family. Now there's an heir to carry on Elimelech's name. It's the final, ultimate part of the redemption that Boaz wanted as Goel. Now, what's really interesting about the ending of this book is that none of the main characters say anything.

9:55Boaz, Ruth, Naomi, none of them say anything. Instead, it's the women of Bethlehem that declare what has happened here. They're the ones who finished this story for us. Here's what they say. Blessed be the Lord. Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a redeemer. They acknowledge God has done this. He's redeemed. God did it. They see it, and they praise the Lord. What a blessing it is when a community recognizes God at work and says, there he is.

10:40He's doing something. He's done it. What a blessing when a community does that, right? It's part of how we lift each other up and draw each other's eyes to the Lord. The Lord, the Lord, gracious and merciful, abounding and steadfast. Look, there he is. That's what we do to eat for each other, and that's what these women are doing for Naomi. Some of these women were there when Naomi came home from Moab. They remember her saying, don't call me Naomi. That name means pleasant. Call me bitter, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went away full, and the Lord has brought me back empty. These same women heard that, and now they are saying to her, Naomi, look at what God has done. Look at what God has done. Praise him, for he has done great things. She had been in distress and despair and danger, but now her life is full and full of promise, because the Lord has done it. It's hard to imagine a more complete reversal and turn of events in one person's life than what has happened to Naomi in this book. She has been redeemed. She's been redeemed.

12:13Hallelujah. And her redemption is an illustration of God's redemption and how his steadfast love gives us what we are looking for and answers the deep questions and the deep longings that we have in our soul. That's what we learn here. That it's not just a story good for her. This is telling us about our God, the nature of his steadfast love. So let's talk about that. Let's talk about the fruit of steadfast love, the eternal fruit of steadfast love. There's three aspects we see in this passage of Naomi's redemption. I want you to think about these things and hold on to them. The first aspect of her redemption is security. At the core of each person are questions, and one of those questions is, will I be safe? Will I have my needs met? These questions drive us towards good things and towards bad things. Like they did for Naomi, these questions drove her. She came home poor and dependent. She had no bootstraps to pull herself up with. She and Ruth were living hand to mouth, literally. But then God intervened in their life. God acted. The women say, this child shall be to you, Naomi, a restorer of life, a nourisher of your old age. Social security had arrived, and it came from above. It did not come from the local government. It came from above. Social security. She would never again have to worry about how she was going to eat. Just think of what that does for someone, for her, when you don't have to worry about that question anymore. She has help from Boaz. She has committed help from Boaz, and then

14:34when this little child grows up, he's going to take over. He's going to care for her. And the phrase restorer of life, it's got another dimension. It means a reviver of spirits. Her spirit has been lifted up. The worry, the anxiety is gone. It's been replaced with reassurance. No longer is she Mara, the bitter one. She can say, call me pleasant again, because that's what I am. It's because the Lord has redeemed me. Church, God's steadfast love, it gives us the security that we're looking for. His redemption. It's not like the world's redemption. It's not like the world's security. It's not based on the stock market or the whims of your employer. It's based in the unchanging power and love of God for you. He's a restorer of life and a nourisher in your old age. Friends, eternity is a long time. The food's never going to run out. The house is never going to break down. The body is never going to wear down. He's a nourisher of your old age and a restorer of life. Naomi has security, and in Christ, so do you. The second aspect of her redemption, oh, it just gets even better. The second aspect is fellowship. Another big question that we ask is, does anyone care for me? Does anyone care for me? Will I be alone? As if hunger and an uncertain future weren't hard enough, Ruth and Naomi were alone. They were isolated. Some people might have even kept their distance thinking that they were cursed. Cursed by God. That's close to how Naomi describes herself when she comes back to Bethlehem. And now dear sweet Ruth is married. I'm happy for her, Naomi might have

17:08thought. And I'm glad to have a steady supply of food, but now she's off with her husband. And here I am by myself. But then there's a knock on the door. It's a group of women from the town who have arrived holding baby Obed. After they finished their celebration and their praise, Naomi took the child and laid him on her lap. Another translation would be, at her bosom. She cradles the child.

17:55The church, this is more than just a sweet moment. The text says that she became his nurse. The Hebrew word is amenet. It means a caretaking role on behalf of the parents. Obed was already legally considered Naomi's heir. But by Ruth's choice, Naomi has become Obed's foster mother. That's what's happened here. This is more than just a temporary visit. Ruth is saying here, this child is just as much yours as he is mine. He's a part of your life. You have a role in his life.

18:46That's why the women say a son has been born to Naomi. To Naomi. This is companionship. This is fellowship. This is an end to the isolation. This is full integration into a new and growing family. It's not just Boaz and Ruth and Obed over across town having good times and Naomi, the widow by herself. This is a family that's together. It's happily ever after that includes Naomi in the fellowship, in the redemption. What an amazing gift from her daughter-in-law. What an amazing thing that Ruth has done. Another act of steadfast love towards her. She didn't have to do this. But she says here, I want you to be involved in Obed's life starting right now. What an amazing gift from the Lord.

19:54Redemption means that you are never alone. You're never alone. God's steadfast love brings us out of isolation. It is a definitive word in your life. Yes, you are cared for. You are loved. You are seen. You are known. Through faith, we are brought into the body of Christ and vitally connected with the head of that body, the Lord Jesus, Emmanuel, God with us. God with us. And when he said, I'll never leave you or forsake you, he meant it. Don't be confused because he isn't physically with us, friends. We are more than just physical beings. We're spiritual beings, right?

20:46Can't the God who parts the seas and raises the dead also draw near to each and every one of us, no matter where we go? Can't he do that? Can't he be with us in the hospital? Can't he be with us when we're laid off from our jobs? Can't he be with us when we sit down and when we rise up? Can't he be with us at home and at school and at the ends of the earth? You bet he can. And he will. Because he cares for you. He's compelled by his love for you. Dear friends, when David in Psalm 139 said, where should I go from your spirit, he was not grumbling. He was rejoicing. When God chases after you, remember that. It's the mercy of God hot on your heels. In the moment, we might be grumbling.

21:57God, why can't you just leave me alone? It's his mercy and his love driving him towards you. He doesn't want you to be alone or uncared for any longer. You have been brought into the fellowship of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And my dear friends, it's only getting better from here. The best is yet to come. Now here's the third aspect of Naomi's redemption. It brings meaning.

22:36Another question we all have is, what's it all for? Does my life even matter? Naomi surely thought about that, especially without an heir as her family was literally facing extinction, being forgotten.

22:58But then the great reveal comes in verse 17. They named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David, King David, the beloved and great king, the man after God's own heart, the one who brought all the tribes of Israel together under one banner to worship and serve the Lord. At the city gate, when Boaz redeemed Naomi and Ruth, the people said, may the Lord make her like those who built up the house of the Lord. May your house be like the house of Perez. And God has done it. That's why this story ends with a royal genealogy. It shows that this family has been integrated into the lineage of kings from almost forgotten to brought in to the story of God and his people and his redemption.

24:01Naomi's life, even the hard parts of her life, have meaning. Her story included hard times and suffering and grief, but now all of that has been brought into the story of God's redemption. Everyone searches for meaning. Everyone wants it. Everyone wants purpose. We want to be part of something bigger than ourselves. Redemption answers that longing too, because there are no mistakes or accidents in God's plan. His purpose is to advance his rule and his reign. And by his will, he will use every one of your stories as part of accomplishing that. The good works that you are called to, the steadfast love that you practice, these have been prepared in advance for you. That's how purposeful God is. He's got a list, a glorious list, a glorious list that fills and imbues your story with meaning. It is going somewhere towards his great ending, his great accomplishment. Even the acts of love that to you right now seem small and mundane, even the sufferings that you endure. Not only are they equipping you with empathy and compassion for others, they are preparing you for a weight of glory beyond all comparison.

25:49There is nothing that can happen to you outside the will of God. Your entire life's story has meaning if you have been united to Christ by faith. It's got meaning and purpose, and it is to be discovered in one place alone in the context of his redeeming work. When you go searching for meaning, go to God's story. Find your meaning there. You will find it. And the redemptive work of God, it culminates in one place and one person alone, the precious love of Jesus. Naomi's redemption came from the Lord through her remarkable daughter-in-law. We're going to take one last look of admiration at this book's namesake. Humble, bold, righteous, sacrificial Ruth. The women of chapter four give her one of the highest accolades possible in the ancient Near East. Your daughter-in-law who loves you is more to you than seven sons. Now that sounds a little chauvinistic to our ears, but remember at this place in time, a son was social security to his mother. He was a provider of food, of shelter, of companionship. He was assurance that she would not be destitute and poor. He was assurance that she would make it to old age. Suppose someone who's about to retire is asked, what kind of income streams do you have? And they say, well, I've got social security, I've got a 401k, I started a Roth IRA, I've got vested pensions in a couple companies that I worked for, I've got rental property that brings in money, and oh yeah, I've got 30 years in the reserve, so I've got retirement income from that too. They're pretty well

28:05set up, right? Maybe you overhear that conversation. You hear them talking, and you think, oh man, I wish I was set up like that. Well, suppose someone else listening turns to you and says, listen, there is a person in your life that's worth more than all of that. All of that. That's what the women of Bethlehem have turned to Naomi and said. And of course, when we hear this, who else can we think of but our faithful Savior Jesus? That's who Ruth has been pointing us to this entire time.

28:47You could take all the security the world has to offer, all the fellowship and the belonging that you could find, all the meaning and the purpose out there that the world offers, you can keep it in one big pile, and I will be the first one to come alongside you and whisper in your ear, there's someone with you who's worth more than all of that. Don't even think about that. Look to him who is worth more than all of that. He is worth more. He's worth more to you right now, and he will be worth more to you forever.

29:27Don't put your hopes in all of that. Don't put your hopes in that meaning, in that fellowship, in that security. It won't last. There is one who loves you more than all of that, and he's proven it to you. He went out to find us and deliver us from captivity and fellowship. Oh, the fellowship that we have in his name. He came to give us belonging. He came to give us relationships, all the meaning and all the purpose that we could find. He came in to give us security, and it happens with his blood, cleansing us from sin, uniting us with him. He put on our flesh to draw near to us. He cleanses us by faith to sanctify us so that we can walk with purpose and meaning in the good works that he's prepared for us. He is the redeemer. He's the redeemer, the kinsman redeemer.

30:35Put your faith in him. Make his steadfast love what you hide in, what you take refuge in today. And friends, someday you're going to hear him say to you in a loud voice, behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people. The redemption is coming because the steadfast love of the Lord in Christ never fails. Pray with me. Lord, we praise you for your steadfast love. Lord, that is the praiseworthy, that's the praiseworthy thing, that you had the power and the will and the love, and you have done it. You have accomplished redemption and salvation in Jesus. Lord, we wait for the fulfillment of it now. We need reminders so that we don't go chasing after security and fellowship and meaning in places where it is not to be found. Lord, draw our eyes to you, to your son. Help us to see and remember that the steadfast love that you show us will never fail.

31:56Lord, Ruth has been such a model to us of how we can live a life practicing love. We want to walk in that path, but we can only do it as we are looking to the one to whom Ruth points. The Lord Jesus, our all in all, the sure and steadfast anchor for our souls, the founder and the perfecter of our faith. Lord, lead us. Help us to follow after Christ who loves us and who is worth more. In his name we pray. Amen.