HANDFULS OF BLESSINGS
Ruth 2:14-16
Have you ever noticed that our Heavenly Father is extravagant in His grace? He often gives us far more than we have asked for and He certainly gives us more than we could have ever deserved! He has shown us mercy... provided us with grace... and secured our salvation. He loves us with unconditional love, He has adopted us into His family, He is our Father and we are His children. He has promised us a Heavenly home and assured us that we will dwell with Him forever.
We could never have asked for any of these things, and there is no way that we would ever be able to deserve the blessings God has bestowed upon us. But because of His love for us He has blessed us immensely!
The Psalmist says in Psalm 103:10 (that God) “has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities”.
The only thing that we deserve is hell. Apart from God's grace... Heaven would be an absolute impossibility. If God had stopped at redemption, that in itself would be far more than we could ever deserve. The fact that He cared enough for us to send His only begotten Son to be the sacrifice for our sins speaks of His great love for us.
David said it best in - Psalms 103:11 For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.
God has truly given us more blessings than we could ask for. In the book of Ruth we see multiple occasions where Boaz lavished Ruth with many great blessings. One such passage is Ruth 2:16.... there Boaz commanded his servants to leave behind some "handfuls of purpose" for Ruth. Much can be said about the "handfuls of purpose" that Boaz gave to Ruth. It is a great picture of the showers of blessings that God has given to His children. I would like to consider this subject for a while and preach on the thought "Handfuls Of Blessings".
- In this message we will see:
I. THE PROVISIONS THAT WE RECEIVE FROM OUR REDEEMER
II. THE PROMISES THAT WE HAVE RECEIVED FROM OUR REDEEMER
III. THE PROTECTION THAT WE HAVE RECEIVED FROM OUR REDEEMER
- Let's begin by considering:
I. THE PROVISIONS THAT WE HAVE RECEIVED FROM OUR REDEEMER
- On multiple occasions we see Boaz going to great lengths to bless his beloved. Notice:
Ruth 2:8 Then said Boaz unto Ruth, Hearest thou not, my daughter? Go not to glean in another field, neither go from hence, but abide here fast by my maidens: 9 Let thine eyes be on the field that they do reap, and go thou after them: have I not charged the young men that they shall not touch thee? and when thou art athirst, go unto the vessels, and drink of that which the young men have drawn.
14 And Boaz said unto her, At mealtime come thou hither, and eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar. And she sat beside the reapers: and he reached her parched corn, and she did eat, and was sufficed, and left. 15 And when she was risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, Let her glean even among the sheaves, and reproach her not: 16 And let fall also some of the handfuls of purpose for her, and leave them, that she may glean them, and rebuke her not. 17 So she gleaned in the field until even, and beat out that she had gleaned: and it was about an ephah of barley.
Ruth 3:15 Also he said, Bring the vail that thou hast upon thee, and hold it. And when she held it, he measured six measures of barley, and laid it on her: and she went into the city.
It would not be long after this encounter at the threshing floor that Boaz would take Ruth as his wife and they would have a son together. Boaz treasured Ruth and blessed her immensely.
- As Christians we have received countless blessings. Sometimes we fail to realize just how blessed we are. But if we will spend time in God's Word we will be constantly reminded of our great provisions. Let's take a moment and consider:
A. THE SOURCE OF OUR PROVISIONS
God is the source of every blessing that we receive. It is true that He doesn't give us everything we ask for. This is because He knows what is best for us. There are times when He withholds certain things from us in order to protect us. But without fail He provides us with what we need. Everything we have comes as a result of His power.
To the best of my ability I will provide for my family, however my power is limited. Fortunately for us...God's divine power is limitless. He is Jehovah Jireh, this means that He is our provider, and He provides us with more than we could ask for. By His grace He gives us "handfuls of blessings"!
- Consider also:
B. THE SCOPE OF OUR PROVISIONS
One great privilege of our relationship with the Father is that He has the power to provide us with every single thing that we need physically, materially and most importantly spiritually. God's resources are not limited. He created everything ...He owns it all and He is gracious enough to provide for us.
Our relationship with Jesus provides us with access to His power - Colossians 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
As Children of God We can go boldly before the throne of grace and make our requests known to OUR FATHER! Hebrews 4:16
Remember the promise that Jesus gives in - Luke 11:9 And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. This is not to say that we can go to God and get anything and everything we want.
God is not your ferry godmother or some genie in a bottle. I can ask for a new F150, a $300,000 house and a bank account full of money. God surely has the power to make that happen. But God also has the discernment to know what I need, what I can handle, what is best for me and ultimately what will bring Him glory.
- When we look at how God has provided for us in this life, we will see that He has given us "handfuls of blessings". We have not only received great provisions from our Redeemer, we have received great promises from Him as well. Notice:
II. THE PROMISES THAT WE HAVE RECEIVED FROM OUR REDEEMER
Ruth 3:11 And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that thou requirest:
Boaz promised Ruth that he would do all that was needed in order to redeem her. Our Redeemer has done the same for us. It is estimated that there are over 7,000 promises found in the Bible. Peter says that the promises of God are "great and precious". This is because of the One Who made these promises. A promise is only as good as the person who makes it.
I can make you a promise with every intention of fulfilling it, but certain circumstances may arise and I may let you down. But when God makes you a promise you can take it to the bank. Hebrews 6:18 tells us that it is impossible for God to lie. I may make you a promise and then come to realize that I don not have the power to make it come to pass. But God is all powerful and He will never fail to fulfill what he has promised you.
- Consider a few of the promises that God has made to His children:
a) HE HAS PROMISED TO LOVE US - Romans 8:38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
b) HE HAS PROMISED TO BE WITH US - Matthew 28:20 ...lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
c) HE HAS PROMISED TO PROVIDE FOR US - Philippians 4:19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
d) HE HAS PROMISED US A HOME - John 14:1 ¶Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
e) HE HAS PROMISED TO RETURN FOR US - John 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
These are just a few of the many amazing promises our Redeemer has made to us. And we can trust that each of these promises will be fulfilled!
There is not much that we can count on in this world. A man's word isn't what it used to be. People will betray you intentionally. Some will fail you unintentionally. Promises are made and promises are broken. But we can trust that the promises from our Redeemer will never fail. His promises are great and they are precious. And they are far more than we could have ever asked for!
- Our Redeemer provides for us... He has made many great promises to us and He goes to great lengths to protect us. Notice:
III. THE PROTECTION THAT WE RECEIVE FROM OUR REDEEMER
Ruth 2:18 Then said Boaz unto Ruth, Hearest thou not, my daughter? Go not to glean in another field, neither go from hence, but abide here fast by my maidens: 9 Let thine eyes be on the field that they do reap, and go thou after them: have I not charged the young men that they shall not touch thee? and when thou art athirst, go unto the vessels, and drink of that which the young men have drawn.
Boaz desired that Ruth would abide in his field and not glean in the field of another. He instructed his harvesters to watch out for her and not to harm her. Boaz loved this young woman and he wanted to protect her as best he could. Our Redeemer, (Jesus) has provided us with great provisions and promises as well as a great protection.
The Psalmist said - Psalms 91:2 I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
A refuge is a place of safety. It is a place where one is sheltered from pursuit, danger, or trouble. The Lord is our refuge and we can trust Him to protect us! Ultimately, Jesus will protect us from condemnation. The Bible makes it clear that apart from Christ, our righteousness is as "filthy rags". This means that even the most moral person is corrupt according to God's standards. The only hope we have of being delivered from condemnation is to surrender to Christ. All who die without Him will face condemnation. Those who are born again are protected from all condemnation.
Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
If you have never been saved you are condemned to die. You will face Christ in Judgment. You will spend and eternity in the lake of fire. But if you are saved you can rest in the fact that you are protected from this condemnation.
Jesus said in - John 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
I suppose the greatest fear that a man could possess is the fear of eternal condemnation. Because we are protected from condemnation, we can live an abundant victorious Christian life. We each deserve condemnation, but we are protected from it and that is much more than we could've asked for!
If you have never been saved you do not possess this hope. But you can today! The gifts are free and they are available. They were secured by Jesus at Calvary. Once you have this amazing relationship with our wonderful Redeemer, you will experience the provisions, the promises and the protection that only He can provide.
And you will live a life that is marked by "Handfuls Of Blessings"
