There are two Sundays in a year that churches everywhere see an increase in attendance. Today being one of those days, the Sunday before Christmas and the other Easter Sunday. It is funny how people will only come to church on these days, for Christmas they come to hear a message on the birth of Christ and in several months come back to hear about His death.
In essence people come to church on Christmas for a baby dedication and then will come back on Easter for a funeral!
What so many are missing out on is He is no longer in a manager nor is He in the tomb, but at the right hand of God, and for the child the God He is as close as your heart.
I have tried to figure out why it is that people love to go to church on these two days, is it an obligation, tradition, or could it be convenience; is it easier to come to church on the occasion of birth and death. Does it make it easier to see our judge as a baby and corpse?
Maybe people like the Christmas message so much because they are surrounded by the imagery of a savior as a baby. Maybe baby Jesus makes for a better savior because they have control over Him, they only have to see Him once a year and when they do He is this sweet precious little baby. They set Him where they want Him; they can place Him anywhere in the house on the mantel, coffee table, or end table, but never in the heart. The only words they hear from His mouth are coos.
As you might have guessed this is not going to be your traditionally Christmas message. I love this time of year I always have as a child, but when it comes to the Word of God I have to preach His Word, His Word molds the message not a holiday.
This is still a Christmas message, just don’t the traditionally message.
On this Sunday before Christmas I want to talk to you a little while about “The House of Bread is open”.
The word Bethlehem means “House of Bread”, within this small town called the least among the other inhabits of Judah would be the location of the coronation of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Lu 2:4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) Lu 2:11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
Before I get ahead of myself, I need to pull back on the reigns and ask why Bethlehem? What made this small town surround by much larger cities be the place where the Son of God would leave His Heavenly regal attire and throne and make His entrance into this world as the God-man in swaddling clothes and laying in a manger.
A city in the "hill country" of Judah one of the oldest towns in Palestine. It was originally called Ephrath (Gen 35:16, 19; Gen 48:7; Ruth 4:11). It was also called Beth-lehem Ephratah (Mic 5:2), Beth-lehem-judah (1Sa 17:12), and "the city of David" (Luke 2:4).
Already in existence at the time of Jacob's return to the country it is first noticed in Scripture as the place where Rachel died and was buried "by the wayside," directly to the north of the city (Gen 48:7).
A beautiful place that is cozy and quiet it is a spick on a map; this spick would mark the place when Heaven kissed earth. Mt 2:6 And thou Bethlehem, [in] the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.
I have been to Bethlehem and seen this small town located south of the city of Jerusalem and west of Jericho and the Dead Sea. It is about 5 miles south of Jerusalem, standing at an elevation of about 2,550 feet above the sea level, thus 100 feet higher than Jerusalem. From a manager He would look down on His Kingdom.
The Messiah would come to the least among them all and make it great; for the last shall be first.
This year the Christmas message will not take place in the first few chapters of the Gospels, but in the book of Ruth.
I. In the opening verses of Ruth we're introduced to a family in famine
This famine was greater than the famine of Genesis where Joseph was in charge of the grain and brought Israel into Egypt to sustain them. That famine lasted 7 years, whereas this famine would last for 10 years.
In Bible times there were 13 famines and during some of those famines people would pay $50 to eat a small bag of dove dung. During some famines it was so bad that the parents would eat the children.
Famine brought hard times. Children couldn't sleep at night. They would lie their heads down at night and just moan and groan all night because of hunger pains. Parents could do nothing but sit by helplessly and weep over their children's swollen bellies that they could not fill. Every morning they were met by barren fields where the corn was parched and crops were withered because of the drought. They were in dyer straights. Starvation and death were all around them.
This famine would spread to Bethlehem Judah affecting Elimelech and his wife, Naomi, and their 2 sons, Mahlon and Chilion. The ironic part is there was no bread in the house of bread.
Because of the severity and length of this affliction and famine; Elimelech made the choice to leave Bethlehem Judah. He saw death here and there, a dead child here and there, and an empty field here and there. He heard that the grass was greener on the other side so he took his family and left for Moab.
He based his decision on what he saw. Aren't we like that? Don't we base our decisions and actions on what we see and feel? In the midst of hasty decisions we often make matters worse.
Don't make your decisions based on your circumstances. Don't base it on what you see or don't see, feel or don't feel.
There are people that if God doesn't ring their bell every day, shout every service, receive a word of knowledge and prophecy they lose their faith. Noah heard God one day and didn't hear from Him again for 100 years. He had to go on that one Word for 100 years. He walked by faith when there were no clouds, ridiculed, called a fool. But one day God sent the rain.
God help us to learn to wait on the Lord, they that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. You got to be patient and stand still, don’t cast your confidence and faith in the trash. Don't do anything hasty, let God lead you, order your footsteps; letting Him be your lamp unto your feet and a light unto your path.
Things won't always look the way they look now. There's a better day coming. Your miracle may be around the next bend.
You may have been in a spiritual famine; in a draught, walking through a wilderness, walking through the valley of the shadow of death, and spending the night shedding tears. I've got good news. It will rain again. You won't always be in the wilderness. The sun will rise for you again. Weeping endures night but joy cometh in the morning; 13 famines but they had one thing in common; they had an end!!!
II. Making the wrong move.
1:1, "They went to sojourn in Moab." That meant a temporary stay. He had all intention on coming back to Bethlehem Judah, but 1:2, "They continued there."
Moab is a type of the world because they started out of the incestuous relationship Lot had with his daughter after Sodom & Gomorrah. Which if he would have trusted God he wouldn’t have fathered his on grandchildren. Well I better keep on going and not go there.
If you leave now you may stay longer than you think. 10 years later and Elimelech and his family are still there.
Not only may you stay longer, but it may cost you more than you ever wanted to pay. 1:3, "Elimelech died there." 1:5, "Mahlon & Chilion die there too"
Naomi, this childless widow is now a broken woman, not only broken but bitter. When she gets back to Bethlehem Judah they say "is that Naomi (pleasant, joy)
She said in 1:20, "Don't call me Naomi, call me Mara for God hath dealt bitterly with me. I went out full, and I came back empty."
She turns to her 2 daughter in laws, named Orpah & Ruth. She tells them they are free to leave her side. She said, "I have no more sons to give you. Even if I married today and conceived tonight you couldn't wait till they became men. Go back to your families and get on with your life."
Orpah means stiff. That’s how we get the term "stiff necked." She can't change, adjust, or go with the flow. Church don’t be like Orpah and get stiff on me; if you worship a habit, routine, ritual God can't use you.
So Orpah cries, then kisses Naomi good bye, but Ruth clave unto her. And she said, Behold, thy sister in law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods: return thou after thy sister in law.
And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.
III. Kinsman redeemer.
Ruth’s faithfulness was rewarded. Under Mosaic Law if a man died leaving a widow, if she had a son that was able to take care of her, she would be his responsibility. If she was childless then she was to be taken in by her husband’s brother or some other kinsman. He would pay her debts and if they were young enough they were to raise a family to keep the dead husbands seed alive. When Naomi hears of Boaz, she says “he’s kin” and he can pay the debt.
What are the qualifications of the kinsman redeemer? You’ll see types of Christ.
He had to be kin and related. Being a good friend or neighbor, or cherished buddy didn’t qualify. No matter how much they liked you, how sympathetic or sorry they felt for you, they couldn’t do it. He had to be related. Boaz was related.
Jesus was qualified because He was related. He was God, He is Emmanuel; God with us. He came in the form of a man, Jn. 1:14, Word made flesh and dwelt among us, Made of a woman, Took upon Himself the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men. He was enough the Son of God to show His divinity, and He was enough Son of Man to show His humanity.
So much man until He slept in the back of a boat; So much God until He calmed raging seas; So much man until He wept at Lazarus tomb; So much God until He raised Lazarus from the tomb; So much man until He wanted water from a well; So much God until He offered life giving water from His well; So much man until He was tempted in all points as we are tempted, yet so much God until He can keep you from falling. As man he went through it, but as God He can be touched with the feelings of our infirmities.
The kinsman redeemer had to be a free man. Boaz was debt free. If we were trapped in a burning building and I had the keys to the doors, but the doorway was blocked, those keys couldn’t help us and the flames would get us. If Jesus had been bound by sin He couldn’t have rescued us, but because He did no sin and no guile was in Him He could pull us out. Now through His blood we can be free.
The next thing was you had to have the price and you had to do it all at once, no monthly payment, or doing it on credit.
You had to be willing to spend it. There was a kinsman closer than Boaz but he chose not to lest it take the inheritance from his children. The thing that kept him from redeeming Ruth was he wasn’t willing. So he took his shoe off and handed it to Boaz as a sign he was handing Ruth over to him.
Jesus was both able and willing. Jesus was the purchaser and the price. He had the price and was willing to pay it. He paid a debt He didn’t owe and one we couldn’t pay.
Ruth took it upon herself to provide for Naomi. She goes to the field to gather grain. The law required the workers, harvesters, reapers not to pick the fields clean at harvest time.
They were to leave some grain on the ground, some kernels of corn behind as leftovers for the poor and needy to gather at the end of the day.
Ruth headed to the field and 2:3, "It was her hap to light on a field belonging to Boaz." She just happened to light on a field belonging to Boaz.
It may have been her hap, but it was God's plan because God does nothing by accident.
She was not there by mistake. God led her there; to the right field at the right time. God ordained her to be at that field because Boaz was soon coming by. The near kinsman was coming by.
You are not where you are by mistake. God has ordained you to be here because your near kinsman is coming by. This is the field for you.
If you want the blessings of the near kinsman you have to stay in his field. If you want the blessings of God you have to get where God is. If you want healing you got to get where the healer is.
God doesn't bless anyone who's not in His field. There's no such thing as proxy religion.
Ruth which means “sight” or “something worth seeing” or “satisfied” is picking up corn and putting it in the sack. When Boaz rides up and asks, "Who is that girl?" He tells the hired hands not to bother her for gleaning. In fact he said, "every now and then leave a little extra “something something” behind. Leave her a handful on purpose”. Ol girl was living up to her name because O Boaz was sweating her.
I see her working her way through the field. Back aching, sweat pouring, tired, fatigued, ready to call it a day and go home; she is not living up to her name now; she probably has enough hardly to feed herself and that glow that Boaz saw earlier has long faded in the heat. Just when she is ready to quit, and throw in the towel; all of a sudden she looks down and “PA-DOW, WHAT WE GOT HERE”. She picks it up and goes on. AGAIN.... ANOTHER HEAP… THEN ANOTHER. All day long like that a blessing here and a blessing there.
IV. Open for Business!
What does this all got to do with Christmas, why did I share the story of Ruth with you instead of the traditionally Christmas story. Because it was from Bethlehem that Ruth not only got “handfuls on purpose” but where she met her kinsman redeemer who not only paid a price for her but loved her and gave her all she needed a true rags to riches story.
This was not just a chance meeting but It was a divine “hook up”, and from it they would have a son named Obed, who would have a son named Jesse, who would have a son named David, who became King and from this royal blood line would come the King of Kings.
Matthew 1:20 says the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
This Christmas I know we talk a lot about giving and receiving from friends and family, but on this Sunday before Christmas the Lord wants to give to you, He wants you to receive.
Since the book of Genesis the Lord has being giving…He gave life then and guess what He is still giving life now; Jesus said I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
2000 years ago the “House of Bread” received a supply that would cover all mankind throughout the ages. (Joh 6:35) “And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst”, (Joh 6:51) “I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”(1Co 10:17) For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.
Jesus said “man shall not live by bread alone…” He was saying food want cut it, if you want life you got to take of my bread.
If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent us an educator, if our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist, if our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist, if our greatest need would had been pleasure, God would have sent us an entertainer, but our greatest need was forgiveness, so God sent us a Savior.
He came from a mansion to manager, from the streets of gold to a stable cold, from royal robes to swaddling clothes, from His Father’s world to a Jewish girl, from the angels’ praise to the shepherds’ gaze, from that city afar to a wise man’s star, from perfection to rejection, from the throne room of God to the stable’s sod, from all that’s good and pure and holy to all that’s base and vile and lowly, from His humble beginnings to His sacrifice on the cross, He took a crown of thorns and made it a Crown of Glory for you and me.
Every time I thought I couldn't go on, take it anymore, get up and fight again, I would take some bread, when I needed joy, I would get some bread (etc.) "My God shall supply all my needs according to His riches and glory in Christ Jesus"
This Christmas the Lord is saying to His church; to you, here I am from the “House of Bread” I give to you. Just like sister Ruth, the Lord is laying handfuls on purpose for you; just look around you church open those eyes and beyond the Glory of the Lord. We have our Redeemer!
The “House of Bread” is open and the bread line starts here; He is saying, “I AM your daily bread”! Why don’t you come and taste and see that the LORD is good! You want joy, peace, healing, etc. then come get some bread!
