Threshing Floor - OBEDIENCE AND ACTION
Notes
Transcript
When we understand and obey God's process ---
Pause, Pray, Ponder, Proceed and Praise there will be a need for waiting whether a few moments or a lot of years.
Waiting is part of the process, patience is required and calmness in patience takes trust in the Lord.
We learn to rest in His promise.
So today our message about the events on the threshing floor are all about PROCESS< PATIENCE and PROMISE
our main theme is still redeemer and our redemption.
We have broken our study into smaller units:
Loyalty in a Christian,
the existence of Bitterness, and
a look God's providence
God always working in our life for His great purpose in each of us.
Ruth has showed us so far....
Bitterness answered with loyalty
Loyalty followed by God’s Providence
God’s Providence in our Actions.
Today we look at God's plan of progress.
Our location is secured for the event
--- Bethlehem and the property of Boaz
Our scene is set
--- Naomi and Ruth have been blessed by Boaz
- Boaz is providing for their food needs, Ruth's protection, and Boaz sought fellowship with Ruth
Todays God's plan moves to more action steps, Steps of obedience, steps of faith and trust
Taking Action is our Theme today!!
Open your Bible to Ch 3.
Process
Process
There certainly has been a pause in Ruth’s life.
She was in her country with her husband and in laws.
Her husband dies, she picks up and follows her mother in law to a new land, is poor and hungry without any one to provide.\
I would classify that is a major disruption in an original life plan
Naomi is not pleasant to be around
Ruth must go out daily to find and gather food
THESE ARE THE Realities OF LIFE FOR RUTH
but we see what appears to be a change in Naomi’s attitude
She says in verse 1
SHOULD I NOT SEEK REST FOR YOU, THAT IT MAY BE WELL.
that is a loving, caring statement that shows a change in life perception.
REST in the Bible is peace, ease, or refreshment of body and spirit.
our Lord Jesus offers us REST.
Matt 11:28-30 “28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.””
Rest is a sought after life condition.
There is a PLAN OF ACTION
Go back to Boaz
Wash and anoint yourself
Get dressed nicely — put on that nice cloak
Be patient, Be watchful
Wait until Boaz lies down and then uncover his feet and lie there
Then OBEY
Directions given by older wiser,
Obedience is done,
Follow through occurs,
and then the blessed events unfold.
Do you remember in our prior message we said that Blessing follows Obedience?
We cannot be a servant of Christ and not obey
John 14:15 “15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”
We cannot love without obedience.
Our process must be to submit to Christ, obey His directions and then follow through, this is the pathway to Blessing.
Illustration:
I all to often here a Christian talk about KARMA --- it a form of SELF control ---
if i am mean then others will be mean
--- if something bad happens to a bad person or vice versa if something good happens it is because they did good.
Friends this is not the life of a Christian
We are submitted to HIM
--- All things work through Him according to HIS purpose
--- You don’t have the magical power to speak anything into existence ESPECIALLY anothers actions.
believers of karma see that concept in two forms == Immediate and long term
Immediate may be like you smile
and someone smiles back OR you are told not to put your hand on a burner and you do and Karma burns your hand
The long term is like planting a seek and loving, caring, nuturing that seed into a producing plant
OR like giving love and care to another and they commit to you in love and unity for life
The problem with Karma is not submitting to Christ
Karma is believing that the sum of your actions in this life will determine your fate in the next.
it is thinking that Luck or your thoughts or actions
Our walk be to TRUST in another, to Believe and Hope in a PROMISE
The Promise of our Lord
The Words in Roman 8
there is no condemnation for those in Christ, and that we can NOT be separated from our life eternal with Christ.
runs the world and not our Lord Christ Jesus
Luck is haphazard
our LORD IS in CONTROL.
That is Providence --- God has a plan for us and works all things for the good of those HE loves according to HIS purpose.
God is never rolling the dice, put putting forth the PLAN in full control of the outcome
Peace in Christ comes through Faith, Love, Trust and Obedience to HIM and HIM alone.
But we in our human nature have to deal with that pesty thing called Patience.
Patience
Patience
Waiting is a part of life
40 days, 3 days, waiting in prayer....
Waiting is a part of life
Noah waited for the dove too return
Abraham waited for a son
Elijah waited
Paul waited in prison
Is 40:31 “31 but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”
We don’t often like the WAIT, but waiting is part of life
Illustration:
One Christmas my gift from my sales team was a Picture frame with this amazing drawing in awesome colors
IT SAID NOW
It was really an amazing picture
BUT frankly I was a little confused
All this detail and then SIMPLY the word NOW
Of course i ask one of the sales people i was close with
WHY
He looked at me confused…
You don’t realize that whenever we ask you to clarify when you want an instruction done BY you say NOW
I didn’t like to WAIT.
Our waiting is an action, not inaction.
Let me say that again Our waiting is an action, not an INACTION.
We must chose to wait upon the LORD
Is 40:31 “31 but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”
we are not to sit idle starring at a wall
BUT to be walking with Christ while we are waiting
walking with Christ is often to allow HIM to carry us.
Waiting for our time to be directed to take action.
it sounds like an oxymoron
but it is a PROGRESS
we keep walking, learning, growing, and withstanding the circumstance CONTINUING TO MOVE FORWARD
We MUST LEARN TO WAIT
We must learn to trust…
Trust is walking in the dark, praying for a light
Trust is loving an unloving person
Trust is smiling when the world is pressing us to fold in
Trust is opening up in prayer, when the world pushes us to close up
Patience is an act of Faith and Trust to get to the Promise.
Ruth was taking action
Ruth was obeying the instructions
There is no mention of Ruth questioning, deliberating, or pushing back
Ruth in Chapter 3 is obeying and taking action
There is a PLAN OF ACTION
Go back to Boaz
Wash and anoint yourself
Get dressed nicely — put on that nice cloak
Be patient, Be watchful
Be observant
Wait until Boaz lies down and then uncover his feet and lie there
Then OBEY
Promise
Promise
So Ruth does what she is told
Ruth takes the actions that she was guided to
Then there is another one of these amazing WORD PICTURES in this Book
Spread your wings
For you are a REDEEMER
isn’t that amazing?
To protect me
To bring me close
Ps 17:8 Hide me in the shadow of your wings
Ps 91:4 “4 He will cover you with his wings
This is a picture of Safety but also protection
Think about a Hen bringing the chicks to warmth and safety
BUT also of the EAGLE spreading out to protect and attach an enemy
CONCLUSION:
Pause, Pray, Ponder, Proceed and Praise
there will be a need for waiting whether a few moments or a lot of years.
Waiting is part of the process, patience is required and calmness in patience takes trust in the Lord.
We learn to rest in His promise.
We have all heard the call of Naomi
Others in your life have sought and desired you to have REST
Others have pointed in in the direction of the REDEEMER
They have prayed that you WASH yourself of Sin, of the Filth of the WORLD
They have given you the direction to GO
Go and think on seeking the Redeemer
Confess and Repent of your old ways
LAY DOWN YOUR LIFE AT THE FEET OF YOUR REDEEMER
Then the LORD JESUS CHRIST asked you
WHO ARE YOU?
and you replied I AM _________ your servant
you ask CHRIST
SPREAD YOUR WINGS
FOR YOU ARE MY REDEEMER
and Jesus responded
MAY YOU BE BLESSED
YOU HAVE NOT SOUGHT THE WORLD
BUT YOU HAVE SOUGHT ME
THE LORD JESUS CHRIST REPLIED TO YOU
DIDN’T HE???
I WILL DO ALL THAT YOU ASK
I WILL REDEEM YOU
LETS PRAY
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