THE BLESSINGS OF GRACE
Text: Ruth 2:8-14
Introduction
1. “Grace is the very opposite of merit…Grace is not only undeserved favor, but it is favor, shown to the one who deserved the very opposite” (Harry Ironside).
2. So far, Ruth has stayed with Naomi, her mother-in-law, even when asked not to. She has gone to a foreign land and shown her character. But did she deserve grace?
3. Read Ruth 2:8-14
Transition: Let’s go along with Ruth and see her…
I. Undeserved Blessings
A. You may have noticed that so far in the Book of Ruth, we have talked a lot about grace.
1. Two weeks ago, we talked about, “God’s Grace in Our Grief,” last week we talked about “The Field of Grace,” and today we are talking about the “Blessings of Grace.”
2. But what do we mean when we talk about grace? Grace is God’s unmerited favor, and a display of His power that we don’t deserve and could never earn.
B. We can see that plainly in the in this section of Ruth. In vv. 8-9 it says, “Boaz went over and said to Ruth, “Listen, my daughter. Stay right here with us when you gather grain; don’t go to any other fields. Stay right behind the young women working in my field. 9 See which part of the field they are harvesting, and then follow them. I have warned the young men not to treat you roughly. And when you are thirsty, help yourself to the water they have drawn from the well.”
1. Boaz approaches Ruth and calls her “my daughter.” This is here to remind us that Boaz is much older that Ruth.
2. He tells her not to go into the other fields, but to stay in his fields and work alongside his servant girls.
3. Now, honestly, she could probably have gotten more grain is she went to other fields, but as we shall see, Boaz’s plan was to see that she is provided for.
4. Another thing that he does to show he plans to look out for her is he tells his male workers not to harm him her.
5. Next, Boaz tells Ruth when she gets thirsty to help herself to water that the men have drawn from the well. This is unusual, because in their culture, it was the women who drew water for the men, and as a foreigner, she was not entitled to drink their water.
6. So, here we see Ruth getting privileges she was not entitled to and could never earn. In other words, she is receiving grace. Grace like we receive from Jesus!
C. Ruth acknowledges his kindness to her in vv. 10-12, where it says, “Ruth fell at his feet and thanked him warmly. “What have I done to deserve such kindness?” she asked. “I am only a foreigner.” 11 “Yes, I know,” Boaz replied. “But I also know about everything you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband. I have heard how you left your father and mother and your own land to live here among complete strangers. 12 May the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge, reward you fully for what you have done.”
1. Ruth fell at his feet, which was a display of gratitude and respect, and expressed her unworthiness as a foreigner to the grace she was receiving.
2. In fact, the Hebrew word translated foreigner, comes from a word which means “to recognize.” In other words, she is saying “I am nothing and don’t deserve this kindness you’re showing me.”
3. Now, Boaz agrees with Ruth. Notice that he says, “Yes, I know.” He agrees that she is not entitled to these blessings.
4. Then Boaz uses one of the biggest words in the Bible, the word “but.” The word “but” is huge in the Bible. In many cases it is used to show how we don’t deserve the kindness of God, BUT He gives it to us anyway.
5. Then Boaz goes through a list of reasons why he has showed her this undeserved kindness. He had heard about the kindness she had shown Naomi since the death of her husband, and how she had left her family and came to a land as a complete stranger.
6. But most importantly she had come to faith in Yahweh, the one true God.
7. The phrase “under whose wings you have come to take refuge,” means that you have come under his protection based on the covenant that God has made with His people.
8. As a result, Boaz asks the Lord to reward her for what she has done.
D. In v. 13, Ruth replies to Boaz’s kindness by saying, “I hope I continue to please you, sir,” she replied. “You have comforted me by speaking so kindly to me, even though I am not one of your workers.”
1. Ruth responded to Boaz with humility and shock that he had been so kind to her, even though she did not even have the same standing as one of his servant girls.
2. She hopes that she would continue to please him and find favor in his eyes.
3. Ruth was not pleading for him to be kind; she was grateful that he was kind.
E. We then see Boaz’s kindness continue in v. 14, which says, “At mealtime Boaz called to her, “Come over here, and help yourself to some food. You can dip your bread in the sour wine.” So she sat with his harvesters, and Boaz gave her some roasted grain to eat. She ate all she wanted and still had some left over.”
1. At lunch time, Boaz invited her to come and eat with the rest of the workers.
2. Again, this is not something to which foreigners were entitled.
3. The meal included bread, wine vinegar, and roasted grain. Notice that Ruth ate until she was satisfied, with some food left over.
4. Now, this might sound familiar to us, because when Jesus feed the four thousand with seven loaves of bread and two small fish, the disciples gathered up seven large baskets of leftover food.
5. God’s grace always comes with leftovers!
Transition: Now, let’s look at…
II. The Gift of Grace
A. Grace is given to the undeserving.
1. “Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. 2 You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. 3 All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else. 4 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!)” (Eph. 2:1-6).
2. The key to understanding grace is coming to grips with the idea that we don’t deserve it!
3. We don’t deserve grace because of our disobedience, sin, and because we followed the way of the devil just like everyone else.
4. If you believe that you are going to heaven because you are a good person, I have news for you…NO YOU WON’T!
5. There is nothing you could ever do to deserve heaven. IT IS BY GRACE YOU HAVE BEEN SAVED!
6. So, how do we get into heaven? Here’s were that big word comes into play…BUT GOD!
7. God is so merciful, and loved you so much, that He gave new life to you! And He gave it to you not because you deserved it, but because Christ earned it for you on the cross.
8. The only thing that we need to do is accept what God is giving us.
B. Grace is for outsiders.
1. “In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope. 13 But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ.” (Eph. 2:12-13).
2. Like Ruth, we were outsiders. We were not a part of God’s people, or God’s family.
3. We were living apart from Christ, in other words, we were separated from the people of God.
4. We were foreigners and aliens.
5. BUT NOW, we have been brought near because of the blood of Christ shed for us on the cross.
6. “All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on him the sins of us all.” (Is. 53:6).
7. We are now accepted and given the blessings of Grace!
C. Grace is more than enough.
1. “Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” (Jn. 6:34).
2. The devil wants you to believe that you are not good enough.
3. The devil wants you to believe that you haven’t done enough.
4. But Jesus says, “I am all you need, and I am more than enough for you!”
5. He says, “My grace is always good enough for you!”
6. And God’s grace always comes with leftovers!
7. The ladies in this church are awesome! We have the best church dinners ever. But they always worry there won’t be enough food. We always took half of it home with us.
8. It’s the same with God’s grace: we have more than we need!
Conclusion
What’s the point preacher? God’s grace is a gift for those who don’t deserve it, and that grace will never disappoint us!
