Pursued By Grace Series Sermon #10
Ruth 3:1-11
FINDING YOUR PLACE AT HIS FEET
Intro: There are many places where we can spend the seconds, minutes, hours
and days that make up our lives. We can spend them in the world pursuing sin
and its pleasures. We can spend our lives chasing prosperity. We can spend
our time enjoying recreation. It can be spent working, with family, helping
others. And, some of those are good and valid things. However, the best way
to spend every second of your life is to spend it at the feet of Jesus. When we
are there, He gives meaning to all the other things we do in life. In fact, being
at His feet enables every area of our life to have more meaning.
This passage finds Ruth getting to the feet of Boaz. When she got there,
everything in her life changed forever. Her experience in getting to His feet
teaches us lessons about getting to the feet of Jesus that we need to learn. Let
me share the truths in this passage with you today. I want to help you to find
your place at His feet. That is the message I want to bring today Finding
Yourself At His Feet.
I. V. 1-4 THE POSSIBILITIES FOUND AT HIS FEET
A. The Possibility Of A New Home - Ruth is a widow. With Boaz, she
has the opportunity to experience the joy of a new marriage relationship
with someone who can love her, provide for her and comfort her. (Note:
All those who come to Jesus by faith receive a new home here (in
Jesus - Col. 3:3) and in Heaven, John 14:1-3.)
B. The Possibility Of A New Hope - Ruth is a widow. As a widow, her life
will be nothing more than endless days of suffering, poverty, loneliness
and defeat. If she can enter into this relationship with Boaz, her entire
future will be forever altered. (Note: Ill. Where the sinner is and will be
without Jesus, Eph. 2:12; Psa. 9:17. In Jesus, the saints find a new
future! Life has meaning and there is hope for tomorrow! Ill. All we have
in Him.
- •All Spiritual Blessings - Eph. 1:3
- •Eternal Salvation - John 3:16; Heb. 7:25
- •A close relationship with the Father in Heaven - Eph. 2:13-17
- •Absolute security - John 10:28-29
- •An ever present Lord - Heb. 13:5
- •An Advocate in Heaven - 1 John 2:2
- •A High Priest In Heaven - Heb. 7:25; Rom. 8:34
- •A Friend that sticks closer than a brother - Pro. 18:24
C. The Possibility Of A New Happiness - Ruth will never be fulfilled and
happy in her current condition. She needs the love and security that
can only be offered by someone like Boaz. (Note: In Jesus, the saints
find true joy, 1 Pet. 1:8. This is something that sin, with all its
pleasures, Heb. 11:25, cannot offer! There is great joy in knowing
Jesus!)
II. V. 4-9 THE PRESENTATION MADE AT HIS FEET
A. V. 4 It Involved Research - Ruth was commanded to watch the place
where Boaz laid himself down. Of all the men there, she was to isolate
him and see where he was resting. If she was going to get at his feet,
she had to find him. (Note: So it is with God's children. If we will obtain
the blessings found at His feet, we must first find those feet. In the
matter of salvation, there is no finding Him. He does all the finding of
the lost sinner, John 6:44, Eph. 2:1. But, for the redeemed, there is a
sense in which we must find Him. You see, there are times when we all
walk away from where we should be, when that happens, we are going
to have to make the effort to move from where we are to where He is.
He could force you to get there, but that would not be pleasant at all.)
(Note: A word is in order concerning the place she found him. Boaz
was in the threshing floor taking care of business. He was in the
threshing floor. This was a place, usually located on top of a hill, where
the gathered grain was processed.
Ordinarily, the threshing floor was circular, with either a hard clay or
bedrock surface. The grain would be cut, gathered in sheaves and
transported to the threshing floor. Once there, the sheaves would be
placed on the floor and trampled under the feet of oxen pulling a sled.
This would crack open the heads of grain and help separate the kernel
from the husk. The workers would then take a flail, or a fan and toss the
grain into the air. This work was usually started late in the afternoon
when breezes were likely to be blowing across the hilltops. As the grain
was tossed into the air, the wind would carry the lighter husks away and
the heavier kernels would fall back to the floor. This process continued
until all the husks and chaff had been blown away. The grain was then
gathered into heaps.
Families would participate and after the threshing was finished, a
time of celebration and praise would begin. At the conclusion of their
feasting, the women and children would leave the floor to sleep nearby
in tents, while the men slept around the heaps of grain. They slept with
their heads near the grain and their feet away from the grain. They
slept in this close proximity to the grain in order to protect it from theft.)
(Note: The picture in this for us is of the price Christ paid so that we
might have a relationship with Him. You see, for the grain, the
threshing, or winnowing process was quite severe. The grain was
trampled and tossed and torn to pieces so that the kernel, the life giving
center, might be exposed. By the same token, our redeemer, the Lord
Jesus entered His Father's threshing floor when He went to the cross
for us. There, He was trampled, tossed and torn to pieces so that life
might be given to those who come to Him. When this was
accomplished and He cried "It is finished!", there began a time of
rejoicing and blessing that will never cease. Just like Boaz, our Jesus
"ate, drank, rejoiced and slept" for us in God's threshing floor! Notice
His meat and His drink - John 4:34. Notice His rejoicing - Heb. 12:2;
Notice His sleep - John 19:30. His trip to the Father's threshing floor
makes it possible for us to get at His feet. See where He has been and
you will know where He still is today, Luke 2:49!)
(Note: Like Ruth, we should mark where He has been and let that be a
special place in our hearts. May His death on Calvary never become
"old hat" to the children of the King!)
B. V. 5-6 It Involved Resolve - When Ruth heard what was required, she
said, "I will do it!" This would require much courage and humility on the
part of Ruth. It required her wanting to be with Him so much that she
made the effort to go there. It required her to humble herself to lie at his
feet. It also required great courage for her to approach this wealthy and
important man. (Note: The same sort of resolve is required for a person
to come to Jesus, whether it be for salvation, or for a closer walk. It
requires us to make a move toward Him. It requires us to humble
ourselves at His feet. It requires us to have the courage to admit that
we have a need in our lives. But, for those who will make up theirs
minds to get to Him regardless of the cost, the rewards are priceless!)
C. V. 7-9 It Involved A Request - Ill. The context and the fears of both
Ruth and Boaz. Then he awakes and she pops the question! Her
request to be covered by him is a request for marriage. (Note: There
is nothing immoral in Ruth's actions. This was common practice in
those days.) (Note: Ruth's actions teach us a valuable lesson about
getting at the feet of Jesus. She just came to Boaz, humbled herself to
him and asked for that which she needed! What a lesson! If you want
to be closer to Him, then all you need do is get at His feet and ask. If
you want to be saved, than all you need do is come to His feet and ask!
The reason we do not have the things we want spiritually is often a
result of our not taking the time to ask for them, James 4:2.)
III. V. 10-11 THE PROMISES RECEIVED AT HIS FEET
A. V. 10a He Received Her - Imagine the fears that must have occupied
her mind as she lay there. "What if he rejects me?" "What if he
misinterprets my actions?" "What if he publically humiliates me?" "What if he drives me away and refuses to have anything further
to do with me?" She needed not worry, for when he speaks, he says
"Fear not!" Boaz wanted to be close to her too, as much or more than
she did! (Note: You need never fear Jesus turning you away! He loves
you too much to do that, John 6:37. When you come to Him humbly,
honestly, openly and willingly, you will get what you come after. If you
need salvation, you can get it at His feet. If it is a closer walk that is
your goal, you will find it at His feet. You need not fear rejection, but
you should prepare for a big change of life!)
B. V. 11b He Reassured Her - Boaz responds to Ruth's request by telling
her that he will do everything necessary to see that they are together.
He will take care of all the matters involved. She had been told that if
she could just get to his feet, he would tell her what to do, v. 4. She got
there and she was told to trust Boaz, he would see to all the details!
(Note: What a truth! If we can ever just get to His feet, we will find that
He is willing to do everything to see to it that our relationship is
everything that it should be. You see, all the Lord wants from us is our
love. He wants us to be at His feet. When we are there, He will take
care of all the details of life, Matt. 6:25-33. By the way, His name is still Jehovah-Jireh, Gen 22:14. Those who are at His feet know that they
can simply trust Him to see to all the details of life!)
C. V. 10, 11c He Rejoiced Over Her - Boaz praises Ruth for her love for
him and for her godly lifestyle. Her behavior and godly life have worked
together to bring all this to pass for her. (Note: The smile of the Savior
is the great reward for those who pay the price to get themselves at his
feet. Regardless of the price, regardless of the effort, His smile, His
blessings, and His closeness are worth it all! You see, nothing gives
Him more pleasure than being able to take your life and mine, hold it out
before the world and say, "This is what I can do with a life laid at my
feet!"; Eph. 2:10; 2 Cor. 4:7.)
Conc: When Ruth made the effort to get at the feet of Boaz, everything in
her life changed. Our heavenly Boaz, the Lord Jesus Christ can and will do
the same for you, if you will get at His feet. Who possesses the courage and
the resolve to move from where you are right now to get to His feet? If you have
never been to His feet, then I invite you to come right now for salvation. If you
have been there and have wandered away, then I invite you to return to His feet
and rediscover the blessings that can only be found there. If you are at His feet
right now, then I invite you to come before Him, thank Him for allowing you to
be there and ask Him to help you remain as close to Him as you need to be.
