Sermon Central
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Studies In Ruth
Contributed by Glenn Pease on Apr 3, 2021 (message contributor)
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1. A Theology Of Problems
Contributed on Apr 3, 2021
History began with a problem. Problems are more universal than sin, for Jesus had no sin but He had problems. Even before sin, Adam and Eve had a problem. Their problem was, should I obey God or not?
A woman who wanted her apartment painted while she was out of town was very fussy. She insisted that the ceiling be painted the exact shade of her ash tray. The painters after trying to mix this exact shade unsuccessfully finally hit upon a solution to their problem. They painted the ash ...read more
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2. Ordinary People
Contributed on Apr 3, 2021
Everybody in this book is ordinary. Obed, the baby who gives the book a happy ending, does not grow up to do anything of significance that we know of. There are no great battles, no miracles, and no profound theological statements in this book. Not one person in this book was above ordinary.
What woman do you know who has had a thousand men propose to her from fisherman to millionaires; from the penniless on the bowry to the prince of a royal European family? And who was still getting regular proposals after she was 70 years old? There was such a woman, and her name was Evangeline ...read more
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3. The Impact Of Influence
Contributed on Apr 3, 2021
We are all making history, and influencing eternity, whether we want to or not. The purpose of the Biblical record is that we might see how people of the past have influenced history, and imitate their virtues, and avoid their mistakes
When Cecil B. DeMille was a nine year old boy, and old preacher came to Echo Lake, New Jersey to conduct a series of meetings. Young DeMille attended every morning, but one cold rainy morning he was the only one who showed up. He wondered if that man would preach to one small boy. DeMille ...read more
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4. Desirable Determination
Contributed on Apr 4, 2021
The old saying that where there is a will there is a way is confirmed over and over again. People with a spirit of determination are doing the improbable all the time, and by the grace and providence of God, sometimes even the impossible.
Alexander Solzhenitsyn is one of the great modern examples of the power of determination. He served time in the Siberian waste land for making a disparaging remark about Stalin in a letter. He endured six years of imprisonment, when he suddenly discovered the joy of writing. He was suffering for ...read more
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5. Ruth's Romance
Contributed on Apr 4, 2021
The entire book of Ruth revolves around the romance of ordinary people. That is one of its purposes for being a part of the Bible. It is God's stamp of approval on the ordinary person as an instrument of His plan of history.
Nowhere does history repeat itself more often than in the realm of romance. James Madison was the forth president of the United States, and he was the chief framer of the Constitution. He was the greatest scholar among the Founding Fathers. But when it came to romance he was no big gun. In fact, ...read more
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6. Ruth The Risk Taker
Contributed on Apr 4, 2021
Ruth and Naomi aided each other in being responsible for love. They took the risks necessary to see each other have fulfilled lives. The story has a happy ending because they took this responsibility of risks on themselves. In every story with a happy ending somebody has to take risks.
Fort Lee, which is now Charleston, West Virginia was under attack in 1791. Colonel George Clendenin assembled his men to ask for a volunteer to ride to Lewisberg over 100 miles away to get powder. They were almost out, and their survival depended upon a renewed supply. No one volunteered, for it ...read more
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7. The Clever Couple
Contributed on Apr 4, 2021
Cleverness is the ability to skillfully work your way through complex circumstances to a goal that is your aim to reach. Godly cleverness is aiming for a goal that is pleasing to God. Boaz was blessed with godly cleverness. This is a virtue that has changed the entire world in which we live.
A young couple who had just gotten married, and who had received many valuable wedding gifts, established their home in the suburb. One morning they received in the mail two tickets for a popular show in the city. A note said, "Guess who?" The couple were amused as they tried to find ...read more
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8. The Complexities Of Life
Contributed on Apr 4, 2021
The happy ending of the story of Ruth, and the happy ending for millions of stories, are due to the reality of the complexity of life.
Not far from the scene where Ruth proposed to Boaz in the middle of the night, Musa Alami made a proposal of his own. This Arab boy was educated at Cambridge, and he went back to Palestine where he became very successful. But political turmoil came and he lost everything. He went out into the ...read more
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9. Godly Grandparents
Contributed on Apr 4, 2021
Godly grandparents have such a powerful impact on the lives of grandchildren that one is not far from the mark to say that the church and the Sunday School, and all other arms of the kingdom of God are supplements to the influence of grandparents.
Among the many things that makes man unique in creation is the presence of, and the influence of, grandparents. F. W. Boreham many years ago pointed out that in the vegetable world, "The bursting buds of spring push off the last lingering leaves of the previous season, and thus decline to ...read more