Sermon Central
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Amazing Love Series
Contributed by Darren Ethier on May 21, 2002 (message contributor)
Summary: Part 3 of 4 of the series, Ruth: A Woman of Faith. God’s love is so amazing! This is so evident in how God loved Ruth!
AMAZING LOVE
Read at beginning of service:
1 Corinthians 13:1-2 (NIV)
1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
INTRODUCTION
Many people have different responses to the question, "What is love?" Seldom is there two people who agree on what love is.
There is the story of the little girl who answered that love is when her daddy tucks her in to bead and reads a story to her – True love is when he doesn’t skip any pages! (Autoillustrator.com, "LOVE")Love is a mother.
Love is a father.
Love is when my sister leaves me alone.
Love is your parents letting you have your way.
Love is a lesson in human frailty.
Love is a candle lit at both ends and when it meets it extinguishes itself.
They get better, I mean worse.
Love is the dim glow of the candle flame of hope buried at the bottom of a well so deep that on a no-moon night, peering over the edge as far as possible, you cannot detect the feeble flame -- you know it’s there … but the rope you have is only five feet long.Love is sitting at the window, looking out and remembering who you were the night before.
Love is where fantasy meets reality.
It is safe to say many have no idea of what love is or what it is about. And yet, for so many love is the one thing they want more than anything else – to love and be loved. So the question and the quest moves on to you and I. What is love?
Today we have before us a picture of love. It is a picture of God’s love, God is the source and sum of true love. It involves the lives of Namoi, Ruth, Boaz, you and I.
For those who have not been with us in the last few weeks let me give a brief history account to catch us all up to date.Naomi & Elimelech travel to the land of Moab because of famine in the land of Israel.
Elimelech dies in Moab.
Ruth’s two sons marry women from Moab, Ruth and Orpah.
Their husbands die and Orpah returns to her own people, but Ruth clings to Naomi and forsake her people.
They travel back to Israel for the famine has ended.
Ruth gleans in the field of Boaz and finds favor in his sight.
The story is quickly coming to a climax that involves love and redemption. Today we look at love and next week redemption.
To get a clearer understanding of love let us not glean among the tares of the world for our definition, but from the wheat itself of God’s love.
Read Ruth 3
Love Provides Security
Ruth 3:1-3 (NIV)
1 One day Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, "My daughter, should I not try to find a home for you, where you will be well provided for? 2 Is not Boaz, with whose servant girls you have been, a kinsman of ours? Tonight he will be winnowing barley on the threshing floor. 3 Wash and perfume yourself, and put on your best clothes. Then go down to the threshing floor, but don’t let him know you are there until he has finished eating and drinking.
God is a great provider. If we will only look around us we can see His loving provisions.
Notice Naomi who earlier was bitter about her situation believing God’s hand was against her. Through the faithfulness of Ruth and the favors of Boaz, Naomi begins to see rays of hope in the midst of her darkness. She goes from having to be provided for to one who wants to provide. She knew she could not give Ruth a home or living. So she now plays "matchmaker" for she wants to provide for Ruth the security of marriage.
Do those whom you love find security in your love? Or are they always having to earn your love? Do you love to make others feel secure?
Why did God provide . . .
Coverings for Adam and Eve after they had sinned? … Because He loved them.Smoke by day and fire by night to lead the children of Israel? … Because He loved them.Voices of repentance through the prophets? … Because He loved His people.Protect Daniel in the lion’s den? … Because He loved him.Why did God provide His Son as the atoning sacrifices for ours sin? Because He loves us!
Naomi sought "security" for Ruth by obtaining a Hebrew husband for her. In granting her success, God was answering her earlier prayer (1:9 "May the LORD grant that each of you will find rest in the home of another husband.") with much more than she had hoped. (Quickverse: Believers Study Bible) God always provides security
