Wednesday, November 17, 2010

God Is At Work - The Story of Ruth Part IV - The Providence of God, Part 16 of 23

TEXT: "Also the neighbor women gave him a name, saying, 'There is a son born to Naomi. And they called his name Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David" (Ruth 4:17).

IDEA: God's guidance has significance not only for individuals, but for a nation.

PURPOSE: To help listeners appreciate that our following God can have results beyond ourselves.

Have you ever traced your family tree? How far back can you go? How far forward can you go?

I. God is at work in His people now to accomplish purposes they could not possibly imagine.

The punch line in the story of Ruth is that her son, Obed, is "the father of Jesse, the father of David." Remind us why these words have significance.

In Ruth 1:5, a man named Elimelech dies and his two sons die shortly after him. There is bitter irony in his name ("My God is King") at his death. King over what? How is Elimelech's name honored?

The purpose of this story is to show that the reign of David did not result from his shrewd politics, or his tactics in battle as a military leader, but because God preserved his family line and brought him to the throne. God indeed is King over Israel.

II. God has been at work in history to accomplish what no one could imagine.

Ruth anticipates another devout young woman, Mary, who gave birth to Jesus.

How does Matthew carry out this theme of God's sovereign purposes at work? The women he mentions (Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and the wife of Uriah) are not the women we would have expected to be included in Jesus' line.

God purposed to bring outsiders in and then to send the insiders out to the entire world (Matthew 28:18-20).

Conclusion:
Those who follow Christ may look back at His working in history and for them, but we really cannot imagine all that is involved in what He might be doing through us in the future.